New Orleans Saints Offensive Line/Running Game Coach Aaron Kromer
Post-Practice Media Availability
Thursday, September 13, 2012
**Watch Aaron Kromer's Press Conference**
Opening Statement:"Today, injury-wise, we had Turk McBride, left ankle, did not practice. Wide receiver Devery Henderson, concussion, did not practice. Corner Johnny Patrick, right thigh, did not practice. Scott Shanle, right knee, limited. Jabari Greer, right groin, full. Practice today appeared to be very fast. (They were) very determined. (They) had a look in their eye from the team meeting on today. We got out to practice and it carried over. I thought we were very fast. We were a lot faster in practice this week than it was last week."
How much will having Jabari Greer back this week help?
"(It will) definitely help. He is going to have to shake off some rust. That first game back is always something you have to fight through (with) conditioning because game conditioning and practice conditioning are two different things. It definitely is going to give a boost to our defense."
Is it going to be harder for him because of he did not play in the preseason?
"It is imperative that he gets out there and just starts playing again and gets himself back on the field. He will do a good job."
What does Patrick Robinson bring?
"Patrick is an athletic corner. He is a physical guy and tough. He is going to tackle guys, he is going to hit guys hard, he really brings that presence to the corner position."
Do you think that he was ready to take the next step? Is that why you guys allowed Tracy Porter to leave in free agency?
"All of those business decisions come down to a lot of things but, yes, we are planning on him taking that step being a top-notch starting corner in this league."
Is there any difference in Cam Newton this year in his one game?
"It appeared last year when we played them that they were run first, which Carolina is always going to be, (as) they have two great running backs and Cam can run, but it sure looked like in the first game that they're not afraid to drop back and pass with Cam Newton now as much as he has passed for. When you talk about the yards that he had last year, there were a lot of hard play action passes, throwing deep balls and gaining a lot of yards. This year, it looks like they have the full spectrum of the passing game that he is ready to handle and they are expecting him to handle."
Does that something about his maturity?
"It sure looks like they are opening the playbook for Cam Newton."
Do you feel like there is any way Devery Henderson is going to be able to go?
"We have to be very cautious with Devery Henderson. Any time you have a head injury like he had, we are going to err on the side of caution and make sure that his health comes first in this situation. We will see as the end of the week comes but we are going to make sure that we do the right thing for the team and for him."
How much does working with Drew Brees and spending some time with the Saints this training camp help with Greg Camarillo's progression since rejoining the team?
"The thing about Greg Camarillo is that he is a veteran who understands coverages, understands how to get open. It is a case of terminology that would be his holdup of how we call plays, how we do things here, but he has thrown with Drew, he was in training camp and learned the terminology. He needed a quick refresher course, I am sure, when he got back because he had been gone for a week or so. He looks like he fell right back into training camp mode when he got back."
When you are watching film of Carolina's last game against Tampa Bay, are you strictly watching Carolina?
"As a coach, what you try to do each week is you try to study a lot of games. You try to see what's going on around the National Football League because if there are things happening that are successful, whether it's defensively or offensively, other people are going to see it and possibly use it against you. Or, you may use it against them. What you try to do is stay ahead of the game and study a lot of tape, including the Tampa-Carolina, you will watch both sides of the game and just see what the inner-division rivals are doing. Also, you will other offenses that you may like and watch them and see what kind of plays they've come up with this year or defensively the same way."
