New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen
Conference Call with Local Media
Friday, October 13, 2017

What do you need to see from Marshon Lattimore to travel with a wide receiver when necessary?
"I've seen a lot of good things out of Marshon (Lattimore). I think Marshon has done a good job for us. We did travel him with (Brandin) Cooks vs. New England. I think it's just more about the gameplan and just seeing how offenses are trying to attack us and whether are not we need to travel or not, but that's obviously something we look at every week as to if that's something that we want to do."

Does disguising the defense slow down Matthew Stafford from using that quick passing attack?
"I don't know if that is necessarily the case. I know that when you play a good quarterback like this, I definitely know you don't just want to line up and let him know exactly what you're doing pre-snap on every snap. I think you have to have multiple looks and have to try and do some things to disguise and just make it a little bit more difficult for him to figure it out post-snap as opposed to pre-snap."

Do you agree with Sean's (Payton's) thinking that playing at home helps disguise a defense?
"I think it just depends on the situation and it depends on who you're playing against. We're playing against a veteran quarterback here (Matthew Stafford), who's really good, so obviously we have to do a good job this week of trying to give him some different looks and just hopefully make it to where he has to hold onto the ball one more count."

How much does the defense hope to feed off the crowd?
"I think that is important for us, I think when you're playing good defense at home that's when your crowds really into the game. I think the onus is on us to play well defensively to keep the crowd in the game and keep it loud and keep it difficult on the offense, but we really try not to focus on that as much, let's make sure we're paying attention to what our job is and doing the things that we need to do to play well defensively."

How did Craig Robertson play when he had to come in the game?
"I thought he did a nice job of filling in and obviously he played a lot for us last year so we have a lot of confidence in Craig's ability to go in and play and be a part of what we're trying to do defensively. I think anytime you have veteran players that are backup players that have experience, I think that's a benefit to you when they are called upon to come in the game."

What is your review of Marcus Williams so far?
"I think Marcus is getting better every week. I think he's communicating a lot more, he's having a better understanding of really how teams are trying to attack us and what teams are going to try to do out of different formations or different personnel groupings, so I've been pleased with his progress. Obviously with these young players we want them to continue to improve on a weekly basis and that's what I've seen out of him."

How do you feel Cam Jordan has played thus far?
"I think Cam has been playing outstanding. I think Cam is one of the better defensive ends in this league because he is a well-rounded defensive end. He does a good job of pressuring the quarterback, but he also plays the run extremely well. There's no question that he's a critical piece in our defense."

How impressive is it for him to be ranked third on the team in tackles playing in that spot?
"I think what makes him such a great player in my opinion is that he's so well-rounded that he can play in every aspect of the game. He can play the run really well and rushes the passer really well. I think we have to do some things around him, maybe get the quarterback to hold the ball just a count longer because he's really close on a lot of plays and the quarterback just gets the ball out. If we can have him hold the ball a half a count longer I think you'll see the sack totals go up."

Is there anyone that Cam Jordan reminds you of?
"Listen guys it would be hard for me to get into comparisons. I do know this, the thing that makes him a little unique is he does have the speed off the edge, but he also has the power, which not everybody has and I think that's what makes him a little bit unique is that he does have unique power for that positon."

New Orleans Saints Offensive Coordinator Pete Carmichael
Conference Call with Local Media
Friday, October 13, 2017

How much were you guys missing without Willie Snead?
"Well listen, he is a guy that when he plays, he's contributed and been a significant value to us not only in the passing game, but also in the run game. We have an opportunity to get him out there this week and see some things. We just have to see where we're at, but he plays a big role when he's ready to go."

Do you ease him back in or since he is familiar with the offense he can jump right back in?
"I think probably a little bit of easing him back in just to see where he's at and evaluate how he feels and then as the week progresses if he feels good maybe he receives more (reps). Again, we are still evaluating that at this point."

Does anything change regarding play-calling now that Adrian Peterson's gone?
"I think when we've been successful here we've had a group of guys that contributed to that position. There is a lot of versatility that we have with Mark (Ingram) and Alvin (Kamara) and so we feel good with those two guys being on the field and really not necessarily saying, hey this specific role, we will hand the ball to both of those guys and throw the ball to both those guys and we feel comfortable with that."

How pleased are you with Alvin Kamara's development?
"First of all, he's a smart, quick study and the more and more he's around and in the offense and evolving it's been pretty impressive."

That's important since there are some nuances to the routes he has to run?
"Yeah, it's obviously a great trait to have and obviously it's important in this offense, we ask those guys to do a lot responsibility wise in all phases and I think that bodes well for our team."

Are you surprised how quickly he got up to speed?
"I still think there is some growing to do, but I know that during the whole evaluation process before the draft he was someone that coach Payton really liked. We spent time with him and felt that was one of his strengths is intelligence and also his ability."

How do you think Larry Warford's been playing this year?
"I think he's been very steady and been consistent, he's been reliable, he's been available and I think both run game and pass game he's played strong."

What's your overall evaluation of the run game so far?
"I would say the last couple weeks we feel better about the efficiency of it, but I don't think it's still where we want it to be. I think it's something that we just have to keep working on, but again I think the last couple weeks we've seen progression, but again we want to be a little bit more efficient with it."