Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael speaks with the media ahead of Week 1's matchup against the Titans.
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00:00 - All right, whoever's ready.
00:02 All right.
00:07 (laughing)
00:08 - What are sort of the defining characteristics
00:10 of the Titans defense?
00:12 - Oh, I think you see a strong physical team
00:15 that challenges you.
00:17 I think they tackle well.
00:18 They're always in the right position.
00:20 Obviously, with the front, the way they play,
00:23 not only the run, but also across the pass
00:25 and then on the back end, aggressive
00:28 and you get up the challenges.
00:30 So I think you've got a big challenge ahead of us.
00:33 - Pete, obviously we saw the big playability
00:35 with the machine last year,
00:36 but just tell us how much he's grown.
00:39 Is it just receiver, his ability to route run
00:41 or all that stuff that's outside of being fast?
00:44 - I think the more and more reps that he can get,
00:46 the more and more that he's involved with the offense
00:50 and being a primary guy,
00:51 that's gonna be beneficial for you.
00:54 - Obviously, you don't want him to miss
00:57 three weeks of training camp or whatever it is,
00:59 but to have him get those couple of weeks back
01:01 before the regular season start,
01:02 how beneficial is that just for him and Darin?
01:04 - Yeah, I think it's absolutely beneficial for them
01:07 to just be on the field and working together
01:09 and then for him to get, again, get those reps
01:11 that as a young receiver that you need.
01:14 - Whenever you guys have taste
01:18 in running from the quarterback position,
01:19 obviously a lot of people, especially when Drew was here,
01:22 would refer to that as taking your quarterback
01:24 off the field, but do you think of those as,
01:27 are they in your run, play, bucket, bike?
01:29 - Yeah, I think that, obviously,
01:31 Tayson had a lot of success in his role last year,
01:34 and I think that regardless of where he is
01:39 or on the field or not, but if he's in that position,
01:41 we consider that part of our run game
01:43 and the ability to put the ball in his hands
01:46 is something that we feel really good about.
01:48 - So I guess that without, obviously,
01:50 getting it revealed too much,
01:51 but you guys signed Derek Bard and Destell out,
01:54 and Derek Bard, that doesn't necessarily factor in,
01:57 like, well, we don't wanna take Derek Bard off the field
02:00 because those Tayson plays are complimentary,
02:03 like they're not taking Derek Bard.
02:04 - Right, I think it's just,
02:05 it's just, hey, what's best for the team
02:09 and what we feel is the best situation
02:12 for maybe that actual situation,
02:14 so I think that no one's gonna have any complaints,
02:17 and I think it's, again, it's about the team.
02:20 - P, how do you feel like the summer went
02:21 just in terms of forming an identity on offense
02:24 and kinda building around Derek and everything?
02:27 - Yeah, I think that really the process with Derek
02:29 started right away, a lot of communication,
02:31 and then talking about things that he did well in his past,
02:36 and then things that we do here
02:38 that kinda fit that as well, and just kinda combining it all,
02:41 and that communication continued all the way
02:44 from the preseason, and now that we're into game plan week,
02:47 it's putting together what we think that we've done
02:50 and what we have in our defense offense
02:51 and what fits best for this week.
02:53 - Do you feel like that's coming together strongly?
02:55 Like you feel good about things going on in the season?
02:57 - Yeah, I think it's week one, we'll see,
02:58 but I think we feel pretty good with where we're at.
03:00 - Specific to you and Derek,
03:01 how do you feel like that chemistry has grown
03:03 between quarterback and offensive coordinator?
03:05 - Well, I think, I feel like it's been great.
03:08 I feel like there's been a ton of communication,
03:10 so it's, again, him expressing sometimes,
03:13 like, hey, we're putting a game plan together,
03:15 and there might be some things that he does like
03:16 and he doesn't like, and he'll let us know,
03:19 and so I think that there's no hard feelings.
03:21 I think we're gonna try to get,
03:23 you know, again, also about our personnel,
03:25 the best, put our guys in the best situation possible
03:28 with what they feel comfortable with.
03:29 - Pete, how do you feel about the running back,
03:31 particularly behind tomorrow?
03:33 - Yeah, I think that, obviously,
03:34 we've got some other guys in the building
03:37 that we feel confident that are here,
03:39 and they're here for a reason,
03:40 and so whoever ends up being in that role on game day,
03:44 we're confident, and again,
03:46 it's about putting them in the situations
03:48 that we feel comfortable with them being in.
03:50 - Pete, I know it's not ideal
03:51 not to have Alvin in the offense,
03:52 but how much for you as a play caller
03:54 do you embrace that challenge of trying to figure out
03:57 how to deal without having him
03:58 as one of your pieces of the tournament?
04:00 - We always wanna have him, but obviously,
04:03 you know, I think that's just part of the business.
04:04 It's, you know, there's been injuries
04:07 before where guys miss,
04:08 and I think that's just something that you have to,
04:10 as part of this job, you accept,
04:13 and you just figure out other ways
04:14 of how we can be successful
04:18 without him.
04:19 - In terms of timing,
04:20 is it better to kind of have in a few weeks
04:22 to kind of know that, you know,
04:23 that suspension came, and then it's like,
04:24 all right, I have more time
04:25 versus like an injury that happened,
04:27 and you have, you know,
04:28 - Well, yeah, I think if it was at the last minute,
04:30 it wouldn't be good,
04:31 'cause then you'd probably have to go adjust,
04:32 but, you know, at least know him prior to the start.
04:36 At least you can get star amount with where,
04:38 with who's gonna be available.
04:40 - How much different are Alvin and Jamal's
04:42 running style a little different?
04:44 - I think that, you know,
04:46 there's a difference as far as maybe,
04:50 I mean, maybe speed, maybe physicality,
04:57 but there's a little bit differences,
04:59 but again, whoever has the ball in their hands,
05:02 pretty confident with whoever it is.
05:04 - I guess the better question is,
05:05 does the game plan change at all,
05:07 whether it's Alvin or Jamal?
05:08 - Well, I would think this,
05:09 I would think that there's communication
05:10 with those players as well as to,
05:12 hey, what are you guys like?
05:13 What do you feel comfortable with?
05:14 And as Doug and other run game guys
05:16 are putting together a run plan,
05:17 making sure that the guys are comfortable with it,
05:20 and we also think that it fits
05:22 with what we're seeing defensively.
05:23 - How much of a benefit is it to have Jamal there
05:26 while Alvin is out working?
05:27 - I think he's been a true pro.
05:29 He's been great since he's walked in the building.
05:30 I love him, and I think that
05:32 he's a big part of what we're gonna do.
05:34 - What did you kind of learn just about yourself
05:36 from last year that you think has helped you
05:37 just this year being in, you know,
05:38 the same type of role two years in a row?
05:40 - Yeah, I think this, I think, well, it wasn't good enough.
05:43 And I think that I gotta be better,
05:45 and I think that maybe times where
05:50 I think I just gotta go with my gut
05:52 as opposed to maybe trying to,
05:53 I don't wanna say be conservative,
05:54 but I think it's just,
05:55 I think there's a lot to learn
05:59 without really saying anything specific
06:01 to give anyone away, but I think that I can be better.
06:04 - Is it helping Michael Thomas do things like that?
06:07 - I think, well, anytime he's on the field,
06:09 you love the opportunity
06:12 when you can throw him the ball
06:13 and you feel like it's, you know,
06:16 like maybe a one-on-one matchup
06:17 or he's going over the middle or whatever he's doing,
06:20 breaking out, I feel like when the ball's in his direction,
06:22 you feel like he's gonna come down with it.
06:23 - Last year, the Titans had the number one rush defense,
06:26 but they were worst in league and pass defense.
06:28 How much does that become a factor
06:30 as you plan for the first game of the season
06:32 as far as how you're gonna attack them?
06:34 - Yeah, I think that all goes without saying too much.
06:36 I think that all goes part of the business
06:38 as you're studying it and putting together a game plan,
06:40 what you feel comfortable with.
06:41 But I think that, you know,
06:43 we're gonna have to be able to do both to win this game.
06:47 - We've seen on the defensive side of football in Alaska,
06:49 but you're seeing a lot of positionless type of players,
06:52 guys playing safety linebacker,
06:54 whatever the case might be.
06:55 You see more of that happening on the offensive side
06:57 of just like kind of guys with unique, diverse skill sets,
07:00 like I mean, Juwan, Ian Juan, or Jason, obviously.
07:04 I mean, you see more of that coming in?
07:06 - I think the game's changed, you know,
07:09 I don't wanna say it's changed,
07:10 but I think that it goes about with,
07:12 you put your 53 together,
07:14 and then when you're talking about the offensive guys for us
07:16 and seeing the goals on the other side of the ball,
07:18 you keep making sure that you put them in their position
07:21 to be successful, but doing things that they can do well.
07:25 And if there's a little variety that comes along with it,
07:27 I think maybe it's happened over the last few years.
07:30 I think that's what you're trying to find a little bit,
07:33 maybe more creativity.
07:35 - Is that like coming on you as a play caller,
07:36 then to see like, okay, this guy can do this,
07:39 maybe it's not like aligned traditionally
07:40 with that type of position,
07:42 but maybe we can try to get him an opportunity to do that.
07:44 - Yeah, I think that's all part of the game planning
07:46 and making sure that they're in the right spots
07:48 and then feeling comfortable calling those plays.