Alvin Kamara speaks with the media ahead of the Saints-Vikings matchup on Sunday.
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00:00 >> Yeah.
00:00 >> I don't know what to ask you about Josh Dobbs, just your history with him and
00:04 the fact that he literally went to a team, did not practice with his team all week,
00:08 and was able to go out and get a win.
00:10 Can you speak to just that guy's maturity and just his football IQ?
00:14 >> I mean, he got real high football IQ.
00:16 I mean, I played with Dobbs, obviously.
00:18 And I mean, I think the thing everybody talks about is his degree,
00:22 aerospace engineer.
00:24 So I mean, just to do that alone, it takes something.
00:28 So I mean, but football, I mean, he's a competitor.
00:31 He wants to win.
00:33 He's gonna do everything he can to help the team win.
00:35 So I'm not surprised by what he's doing.
00:37 >> I know you're not on the defensive side of the ball, but
00:39 you're obviously playing with him.
00:40 How elusive is he in being able to move out of the pocket?
00:42 >> I mean, he's just as good as anybody running outside of the pocket.
00:46 So I mean, it's definitely a challenge to be able to contain him.
00:49 >> What do you think of a pastronaut name for him?
00:51 >> Astronaut?
00:52 I ain't heard that one.
00:52 That's a good one.
00:53 >> [LAUGH] >> What do you think is holding you guys
00:56 back from maybe being as consistent in the run game as you'd like to be?
00:59 >> I'm not sure.
01:03 Yeah, I'm not sure.
01:04 >> Is maybe some of that just a challenge of having so
01:09 many offensive linemen go in and out with injuries?
01:11 I mean, does that have anything to do with it,
01:13 Gafford's degree, things like that, than being able to create holes for you all?
01:16 >> No, I think we've been fine up front.
01:17 I think we've been playing pretty well up front, though, guys,
01:21 taking it upon themselves to, I think it's been a lot.
01:24 It was a lot of talk about the O-line, the O-line, and
01:27 I think that's been kind of shut up, and kudos to them.
01:30 They've been playing well.
01:31 >> Yeah, you've played in a lot of different stadiums.
01:35 What makes that one, is that one pretty tough?
01:37 >> Which one?
01:38 Yeah, it's loud.
01:39 That's really all I got to say about that.
01:41 It's a good environment.
01:42 It's a good football environment.
01:43 It gets loud up there, and it's challenging.
01:46 >> Nationally, people talk about the Minnesota Miracle anytime you guys play.
01:49 I know you've played them several times since that game.
01:52 This is the second time you guys are going back up there since that game.
01:55 Do you still kind of feel a type of way from that playoff game?
01:59 >> No. >> No.
02:00 >> When you guys have a game like you did against Chicago where it goes well, but
02:06 there are some things to improve, what kind of response do you see from a guy like
02:09 DA, just how he handles meetings, the approach?
02:12 Is he pretty hard on you guys?
02:14 >> I mean, I think every week we come in with a mentality to find a way to get
02:17 better, so that was kind of where we came in on Monday.
02:20 And we did, trying to find things to get better at,
02:23 find ways to get better at, correct rules, wrong in the game, and keep moving.
02:27 >> What have you seen just early from their running defense?
02:31 >> I mean, they're an aggressive front.
02:33 Those guys are stout.
02:37 They play their gaps well, and I mean, they tackle well.
02:40 So you gotta be able to just execute up front and
02:45 get up and block the guys that we're supposed to block.
02:48 And we gotta read the rules as runners.
02:51 >> And we win a couple games in a row, like y'all have, and
02:54 going in, you got a bye coming up.
02:55 Is momentum a thing, or is that just something we talk about?
02:57 Like when you win a couple games, it's start to feel a little easier in our group?
03:00 >> I think it's a thing.
03:02 I think the good teams find a way to win multiple games in a row.
03:05 And I mean, you see a year in and a year out, that's what the teams that are playing
03:11 and dancing in January, you look at them and you see they strung games together and
03:17 they got hot at the right time and they kept it moving.
03:20 So it's definitely a thing, I think.
03:22 And then obviously going into the ball,
03:23 we wanna be able to get a win just to make the ball get to them.
03:27 >> Do you feel like you guys are starting to find your identity a little bit?
03:30 Has that process started?
03:31 >> Yeah, I think so.
03:32 >> Where do you think your identity kinda is as a team?
03:36 >> I think, honestly, I feel like we know what our strengths are as far as
03:42 being able to get some run looks and the pass looks we want to get.
03:47 I think still we gotta start faster in the first, but
03:50 the way we play football in the second half,
03:53 it kinda looks like what our identity is, if you understand that.
03:57 >> Dennis was saying, he was asking about your snaps and workload and
04:02 managing with the three.
04:04 Do you feel like now that you got, I guess Kendrick's hurt now, but
04:08 how do you feel the division has gone in terms of all the skill sets at the running
04:13 stack complementing each other?
04:18 >> You said how do I feel like- >> Yeah, just the three of you guys kinda
04:22 balance each other out and impacting snap counts.
04:25 Do you feel like it's keeping you healthy here for the stretch run?
04:31 >> Healthy for the stretch?
04:33 I don't know, I ain't never really had that.
04:38 I don't really know about that as far as load management.
04:42 >> Yeah. >> I know that happened,
04:44 that's what happened across the street with the Pelicans.
04:46 >> [LAUGH] >> Yeah, I don't know about that.
04:49 I don't gotta answer that.
04:50 >> Now, do you feel fresh not playing those first three games of the season?
04:52 Can you notice a difference?
04:54 >> Yeah, but I mean, then again, honestly, I just think it's kinda what you do
04:59 off the field as far as taking care of your body.
05:02 So I mean, I do a lot of recovery.
05:03 I put a lot of time into that, taking care of my body.
05:06 So I feel fresh regardless, but I mean, I guess you could definitely say
05:11 missing three games, obviously there's an element that goes into that as far as,
05:15 I don't have the, I mean, it's three games you miss, and
05:18 you don't get to wear and tear those three games.
05:19 So I'm three games down compared to everybody else in the locker room.
05:23 >> Alvin, about three weeks ago, we were talking with you after a road loss, and
05:26 you said, look, I wanna be accountable.
05:28 I wanna hold myself accountable.
05:30 I want the rest of the guys to hold themselves accountable.
05:32 Have you sensed a difference in maybe guys taking that approach?
05:36 >> Yeah, I think so.
05:39 I think guys know what the standard is.
05:41 And if you wanna win in this league, you gotta be able to be accountable to
05:47 yourself and to your teammates.
05:49 So I think there's a lot of that going on.
05:50 >> What is it going to take for the offense to put together four quarters and
05:54 not just a half?
05:56 >> A lot, we gotta come out fast.
05:57 We gotta be balanced.
05:58 We gotta be able to run the ball, pass the ball effectively.
06:02 We gotta mix it up, spread the ball out to our playmakers.
06:04 And just hit people in the mouth, just go take it.
06:09 That's what I think it'll take.
06:10 [BLANK_AUDIO]