New Orleans Saints Tackle Terron Armstead
Video Call with New Orleans Media
Saturday, September 19, 2020

How important has Nick Easton been for you guys these last 18 games or whatever, filling in whenever you have been missing somebody along the line?
"He's been great. That veteran experience, that's what he's been brought in to do, he was brought into play. He's filled in at multiple positions pretty well. We ask a lot of him and he's been producing. That's kind of the environment we build, that next man up type environment without having to sacrifice anything. It's just the next guy's ready to roll."

Do you have any family and friends that are still making the trip even though they're not allowed to go to the game?
"Me personally, no."

I know a few people did and it seems like a lot of Saints fans are still going. So, I didn't know if anyone you knew was doing that.
"I know some people that are going, but not any immediate family that are going and I wouldn't put it past the Saints fans at all to be all over Vegas. For sure, I wouldn't put it past them."

Going against them in practice, have you noticed kind of the defensive line being maybe a little juiced after the way they started that first game? And then do you kind of get that sense that they're always trying to do every rep to the maximum and try to improve?
"They're a great front, very active, and they play lights out every day. It's a group that's prideful, that push each other and it all starts with Cam Jordan. He won't let anyone slack at all. So the way that they go about their business and the defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen has done an amazing job with those guys. He's always pushing them and staying on them and they're producing, man. It's exciting to watch that defensive line go out there and get after people."

First of all, thanks for being a team spokesman and doing media almost every single day. Just curious, your take on Cesar Ruiz just being around him, how he's grown on the field and what he's like just behind the scenes in the classroom?
"I really like the young guy, man. I really do. He's a class act and he's anxious to play. He's excited to get out there whenever that may be. It was great to see him back on a field this week getting those practice reps. He looks fresh, he should, he's 21 years old. So, he should have some fresh legs. So, whenever he gets a chance to go out there, man, have some fun in this game and make his debut."

Just since we're not really able to see you interact in the locker room. I'm just curious how Emmanuel Sanders is kind of fitting in to what you already had established there?
"It's been smooth. All the guys we brought in, all the offseason acquisitions, whether it is rookies or any free agents, everybody has been great. Everybody has been great. It has kind of the culture and environment that we have here. It's demanding to keep that energy, that vibe and level of positivity, but also accountability as well. So Emmanuel has been another great veteran presence, Super Bowl champion. So having him in the locker room has been nothing but a (positive) addition."

The past couple seasons, the next man up mentality has been very present, whether that's Drew (Brees), Alvin (Kamara), you, Cesar (Ruiz), Andrus (Peat), and now Mike (Thomas). How do y'all keep that at the forefront when you're working on things, just knowing how things can change in the course of a week?
"Yeah, well, ultimately, it's been a great job by the organization, really. The personnel, the depth that we have on the team to be able to do that. Have guys that are ready and able to step in and produce. I think the team has done a great job of finding the right pieces and also developing the pieces that's in the building for that time, when it comes. It all comes with challenges, especially (when) you lose a guy like Mike Thomas, the best receiver in the NFL. You can't just ignore that, for sure. We've got some things game plan wise that have to be implemented and we have got guys that are going to have to step up and take that production away that Mike produces every week. So, it will be a challenge. The Raiders have got a really active defense and guys that play hard and hungry. But we've got an offense that's used to being productive and last week, we didn't feel like we were as productive as we normally are. So, we've got to go out there and prove ourselves at the same time."

Was there anything that you could feel a difference just with there being no preseason and kind of just gone straight into the season just as far as chemistry or how things played up?
Yeah, it was and then the uniqueness with no fans and just the pregame being a little different, especially in New Orleans. So, it was different for sure. Every season, even with the preseason, it's still those first several games you feel like you're knocking rust off and you're just getting your eyes back on some things and certain situations that pop up that don't just necessarily happen in practice, or preseason games. So just knocking that rust off, getting back into the groove of things. That kind of happens every year, this year maybe a little more than normal. But I think it was a great first NFL week, a great week one of the NFL season. It was fun to be back out there competing. Just exciting to see guys, my guys making plays. The energy we had was great on the sideline. It got loud in the dome a little bit. as loud as we could make it so it was fun."

Was there anything weird or different about like how much you could hear that maybe changed the game a little bit? Like it was surprising you guys got them to jump on that hard count, like, is there anything audibly that is changed about the way the game is played?
"I can't really say because on the field, especially at home, that verbiage is easy to hear while we have the ball. The crowds not really doing much. Those cadences, their defensive calls, our offensive calls are pretty much the same while we had the ball. I am pretty sure it was a different feel for the defense being at home because they're usually nonverbal communication for home games for the defense, but being able to use their verbal communication probably helped out."