by DieHard batteries and Advance Auto Parts.
Peter came with NBC Sports here at NRG Stadium in Houston,
after the opening preseason, game of the year and with Cam
Jordan of the Saints.
So cam this is
got to be a weird year for you. This is the first year
you've ever entered a season without Sean Payton
you know as the coach and I wondered
what has the adjustment to Dennis Allen been like for you guys.
I think that's a smooth transition. That's somebody
that's in the building and somebody we trust and know has
the right mindset. For our win now mentality. I think that
with him and Helm
there's not a lot of change that is going on.
You know, we think about the schedule sort of similar. We
think about how some things have changed, but at the same
thing, the root the base of the fundamentals of it all is still
the same.
He told me
really basically, why would I want to change anything? It's
working. We got a good team. We have a lot of people
constants here and we're winning organization. Is that
the way you think
I think the players look at it, coming into the first year post
Sean. I mean, I think the players look at it as this
somebody who's been in building has had a lot of success.
We may have missed the playoffs last year. Still didn't have
a losing season.
I think we have the right key pieces in terms of our defense
and we've clearly added on
a lot of power on our offensive side. So I think, you know,
when it comes down to the head coach, we're gonna let coaches
coach and players play will sort everything out. Hopefully,
by week one,
I'm kind of fascinated by Crystal.
He was my favorite receiver in this draft
and it's almost like with Michael Thomas coming back.
You've got to number one receivers to like,
first-round draft pick receivers. And then, oh, by the way,
Jarvis Landry showed up.
So what has been the difference in the receiving core versus
last year? I mean, last. Last year we were clearly strap for
depth this year. We are that's probably our deepest room. You
think about
the potential starters in Michael Tom is Chris olave
Jarvis juice. Landry, you didn't have, you know, Marquez
who made a major jump for us last year.
Wide receiver leader. Deonte
Hardy. Now,
that's, that's strong. I mean, if you talk about speed, you
talk about the technique, you talk about the work ethic in
that room is through the roof. So
that's probably a, that's the main driving force in my mind,
on off inside.
So I'm curious
you guys, the last two regular seasons, your 4 and 0 in
the regular season against the books and Tom Brady. What do
you think you do well, and how do you match up? Well, against
that team?
I think particularly, it doesn't, it doesn't matter
who's against us.
We've always carried it. As this is our division mentality.
We are and we're trying to put our best foot forward in that.
In that manner,
we understand that,
you know, Tom Brady is one of the most accomplished
quarterbacks to ever hit the land and there is nothing you
can do to take that away from him
and he's what clearly the greatest mind in the game.
Currently,
And so, it's always going to be a task to try and put a cap on
him, especially, when you got have guys. Like, what is it
now? Mike Evans. Chris God, wouldn't, who else did they
call up? I mean, they're, they're super, they were
already a super team that just
keeps on picking up people Russell gauge. Yeah,
Leo Jones, Julio Jones of Z. Just added a Hall of Famer,
but, you know, this is
the clearly needed help because they only want a Super Bowl two
years.
But no, I mean, they've got to the, they've got a great team
already
but it's our mentality, it doesn't matter where it is
whether is Carolina. We see, Times a year Atlanta. We see
two times a year or Tampa.
What if you line up across this? We're looking for a win.
So curious about you personally, what continues to
drive you?
My mother said age. Yeah, it's a beautiful mustache. You what
continues to drive you at age? 33.
The idea that you know,
I want more, I always want more.
I feel like last year
I'm looking at the playoffs on the outside and I want more,
you know I sat there and announced some in-game
announcements in the Super Bowl and that was the first time
I actually was able to stomach being in trouble
and I was like I want to be in it. Maybe the maybe the way
I've been looking at soup bowls all wrong. I've said previously
I don't want to be close to Super Bowl if I'm not in about
kickoff, I'm on a plane headed home somewhere.
I needed to see what I needed to see. I saw,
you know, Rams win a Super Bowl, I saw Cincinnati lose
one. And I said,
by all means, I want to be
in this position to be able to try and win a Super Bowl.
So, whatever that takes, I don't know if it's a, just
the mentality, it's a mindset whatever you want to call it.
The energy is let's try and win one. Is it realistic to think
of you guys as serious Super Bowl contenders?
I think I think that every time I wake up, I mean
long before
before you know, we had this phenomenal four-year stretch of
going to the playoffs every year. It was this idea that you
You know,
we can win because of our offerings, we can win
in spite of our defense, we can win
because of our defense,
we're throwing all that together. We're going to win
because of our offense defense in our special teams. I think
that there's always gonna be naysayers as I was going to be
negative energy, but what am I going to do? We're going to,
I'm
not going to wake up and think we're only going to be mediocre.
We're striving for excellence
and I think we have excellent players to do so
you have any good predictions for me
in terms of this year?
Yeah, science. Been at all. It's not, doesn't mean that's
not it.
It's nice. That far-fetched I think about what Jameis Winston
bring so table. If we have to go through quarterbacks again,
like we did last year still come up with nine wins playing
over four quarterbacks.
I mean, we can, we can do that. We have
the ability, we have the power and I think again with our
elevator play from our wide receivers, we talked about, you
know, drafting
offensive, linemen to replace, you know, a guy like Toronto
instead, which I don't think is replaceable,
you know. I think that we have every position in the right
area to be exactly who we need to be. And
When season starts, that's when we start making our own
predictions right now. But forging
your what foraging forging not for do forging? Okay, yeah,
we're not looking for anything. Yeah, we're judging. Yeah,
we're hot. Middle were forging into a sharp sword. That's very
good vocabulary by you. The difference between forging and
foraging, absolutely proud
of you Universal caliber clean.
You know,
I'm supposed to never
came Jordan, thanks a lot.
In Houston with the Saints. I'm Peter King.