Saints head coach Dennis Allen speaks with the media ahead of their matchup against the Bears.
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00:00 All right, fire away.
00:02 Is that it?
00:07 [laughter]
00:08 Dennis, based off of what you've seen from James Hurst,
00:10 how optimistic do you feel about his chances this weekend?
00:13 Yeah, he'll be up and available.
00:16 [beep]
00:18 Does that change the starting five of the line initially?
00:22 We'll have five guys out there, I promise.
00:25 [laughter]
00:29 I'm sure we're about to see an injury report, but what was Kendrick Miller doing?
00:32 Illness, kind of the same thing that everybody's got.
00:36 Just a different person every day, is that it?
00:38 Have you ever dealt with anything quite like that?
00:42 Yeah, we dealt with COVID.
00:44 [laughter]
00:47 I had like 20 guys out in the Miami game, so yeah, we've dealt with that before.
00:52 Jesus Christ.
00:55 You mentioned going up to practice once, as players have mentioned,
00:59 they like the break that it gives them to be out there.
01:01 You've obviously done it twice now.
01:03 What are the benefits you're seeing from--?
01:06 Just getting outside, getting a little fresh air, getting off the turf a little bit.
01:13 I think giving our guys a little bit of a chance to get their bodies back a little bit.
01:17 So, yeah, it's been good.
01:20 We're seeing Matt Ryan under your sidelines.
01:23 Yeah, yeah.
01:27 I made sure we had security close by.
01:31 Did you keep Cam Jordan away from him?
01:35 It was hard to do, but yeah.
01:38 Did you consider making Cam part of the security?
01:40 No, no. Cam's got enough to worry about.
01:44 After kind of soft starting or the slow start,
01:48 so when you're kind of in the corner, do you feel like you have a better grasp of
01:52 kind of the start of the game now with Garth and this person?
01:55 I mean, we'll find out, right?
01:58 And there's really no secret recipe.
02:02 It's really about guys just being locked into all the details.
02:06 And look, we're going to have to be able to adjust to some unscouted looks.
02:10 That's typically what happens early on in games.
02:13 So you've got to be able to use your rules and be able to apply your rules.
02:16 How do you prepare for the unknown?
02:18 And that stands for you know those first 15 or so are going to be off script from their usual style.
02:24 Yeah, look, I mean, you just try to get your guys prepared for, you know,
02:29 maybe some unique formations, motions, all that kind of good stuff.
02:34 But, you know, we don't have a contract with them,
02:38 so they can do whatever they want to do.
02:39 So we just got to be able to adjust.
02:41 How do you, like, try to plan for a player like Montesquieu,
02:46 who's obviously a big impact player that you have known at the AXA for 100 years?
02:49 Well, look, I mean, you know, I don't foresee, you know,
02:53 a huge shift in what they do schematically.
02:55 So, you know, obviously we're preparing for the scheme,
02:58 and we understand the challenges of that player.
03:00 And, you know, he's been a good player, you know, in Washington.
03:06 He's, you know, affected the quarterback and been a disruptive force for Washington.
03:12 So, look, we're going to see him play, you know, at the end position,
03:17 and they'll kind of do what they do, I would imagine.
03:20 Dennis, you said after the game that that was a win that the team needed, all of you.
03:25 Does that translate to during the week?
03:27 Do you see something different?
03:28 Is there a different feel to sort of a whole group, you know, this week,
03:32 coming off a slump like that?
03:33 Yeah, look, I mean, you know, obviously you gain a little bit of confidence
03:36 in being able to play that way and win a game like that.
03:39 But, yeah, each and every week is a different week.
03:42 So, you know, our focus has been on, you know, getting prepared for the Chicago Bears,
03:47 what they do offensively, defensively, and in the kicking game,
03:51 make sure we're on point with the details.
03:54 You know, that's really what this game is about.
03:57 This game is really about, you know, executing at a high level, you know,
04:01 in all three phases.
04:03 And, look, to be able to do that, you have to have a great week of preparation.
04:06 Dennis, obviously you've been around the game for a long time,
04:09 but you stepped into that head coach role and kind of envisioning how to use it.
04:14 When you have a guy who can do so many things well,
04:18 how do you make sure you're getting the thing he does best?
04:22 Yeah, look, I think that's one of the unique challenges offensively
04:29 is when you have, you know, a lot of different guys
04:31 that can do a lot of different things and unique skill sets.
04:35 You know, there's only one ball on the field, you know,
04:38 so everybody can't get the ball on every single play.
04:41 So, you know, being able to, you know, distribute the wealth a little bit
04:45 and, you know, understanding, you know, there's certain situations in a game
04:49 that, you know, call for, you know, a different attack, you know,
04:55 offensively and the players that we utilize to do that.
04:58 So, yeah, it's -- but that's a good problem to have,
05:03 to have skilled players that, you know, you feel like can affect the game.
05:07 With Taysom specifically, do you think you've really honed in
05:11 on exactly how you want to use him?
05:14 Well, look --
05:15 I mean, like last year he started like almost --
05:17 he'd run out of a lot of the tight end stuff
05:19 and they had him in the middle of the year, he kind of shifted him in.
05:21 Yeah.
05:24 Yeah, I think, you know, you just kind of try and figure out
05:28 what's the best way to utilize that.
05:30 I've said this before, you know, Taysom's highly effective, you know,
05:35 particularly when he's, you know, at the quarterback position.
05:37 And yet I've seen him do, you know, some good things, you know, as a tight end.
05:43 And realizing it's a 17-game season and, you know, running backs in our league
05:51 get kind of beat up a little bit.
05:53 And so, you know, when he's running the ball from the quarterback position,
05:57 it's really no different.
05:58 So trying to be utilizing when we can and yet, you know,
06:03 understanding that this is a long season.
06:08 All right.