Carr, McDaniels Explain How They’re Preparing For ‘Physical’ Saints Team
Oct 27, 2022, 12:00 PM
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 20: Andy Dalton #14 of the New Orleans Saints carries the ball during the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on October 20, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
The New Orleans Saints defense may not be ranked highly in many categories across the league, but that doesn’t mean they’re not physical.
Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders are preparing for a team he says they don’t know very well. The Raiders lead the all-time series against New Orleans 7-6-1, having last played them in 2020.
Both teams look differently since then. And coach McDaniels pointed out that all but one of the Saints’ games was a one-score finish. So the Saints’ 2-5 record doesn’t tell the whole story of how this team has played.
“It’s a tough, physical group,” McDaniels said. “They’re explosive, I’d say, in all three phases. Offensively, they can score in one play with a lot of different skill players. They’re very fast. Defensively, the guys on the edge; [Marcus] Davenport, [Cameron] Jordan, they can get to the quarterback quickly. And nobody’s touched the ball more than Tyrann Mathieu since he’s been in the league.”
🔴🎥 Live: Head Coach Josh McDaniels addresses the media from the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center. https://t.co/kkWQ7iPC3I
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 26, 2022
One of the newest additions to the Saints’ defense is safety Tyrann Mathieu, someone Derek Carr and the Raiders know well. The Honey Badger joined New Orleans this past offseason after spending three years with Kansas City. In his career against the Raiders, he’s recorded two interceptions, one fumble recovery and 18 tackles.
“He’s one of the best safeties in our game, and he can be in the box, up high, cover two, blitzing, he does everything,” Carr said. “And when you have a guy that can do a lot, you can do a lot with him and he’s a competitor too. That’s one thing I can say about him, he’s a great competitor. And this defense, all of them are physical, they’re violent at the point of attack, they’re aggressive, and there’s a lot of great people on that defense that I’ve gotten to know over the years. And none of us like each other this week, but I do have respect for those guys whenever we’re not playing them.”
🔴🎥 Live: Derek Carr addresses the media live from the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center in Henderson. https://t.co/m4ONREToCw
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 26, 2022
