Saints starting linebackers Klein, Alonso miss walk through practice Wednesday ahead of 49ers game

Five New Orleans Saints players were listed on Wednesday’s Injury Report for Week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers. The Saints conducted a walk through practice on December 4. The following is an estimation.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Pos. Name Injury Wednesday
G Andrus Peat Forearm DNP
LB Kiko Alonso Thigh DNP
LB A.J. Klein Knee DNP
FB Zach Line Knee LP
T Terron Armstead Ankle LP

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Pos. Name Injury Wednesday
WR Dante Pettis Knee DNP
S Jaquiski Tartt Ribs DNP
DT Julian Taylor Knee DNP
DE Dee Ford Quad/Hamstring LP
DT D.J. Jones Ankle LP
TE George Kittle Knee/Ankle LP
CB Richard Sherman Knee LP
T Joe Staley Finger LP
RB Matt Breida Ankle FP
WR Deebo Samuel Shoulder FP
WR Emmanuel Sanders Ankle FP

New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton
Conference Call with Local Media
Wednesday, December 4, 2019

You mentioned the productivity of the running game for San Francisco to us the other day. The specific personnel, I guess especially (Matt) Breida, what makes those guys different, special?
“Number one, their scheme’s fantastic and it matches their skillset. The offensive line and how they target their landmarks (is impressive). They are guys that are athletic and I’d say that the trait that every one of these backs has is their home run speed. So they are going to stress you horizontally and put the foot in the ground and you’re going to have to be able to really handle this wide zone and then the auxiliary runs that come from it, but they’re running it as well as anyone.”

As you guys address the penalty situation, it is a point where you don’t want to overemphasize it, I guess make guys too conscious of it, that they won’t play the way they normally playing?
“I think the key is taking into consideration the film that you’re watching, (and) who the culprits are. Is it repeated behavior? Can we correct it or is it something that was a one time deal? A lot of it is dependent on the specific fouls.”

Bill Belichick has a phrase he used a lot, he says football season doesn’t really start until Thanksgiving. I was just curious on your thoughts on that. Do you think this bears more importance now what we’re getting ready to get into?
“Certainly it does for some teams and then for others obviously it is not as important. We just finished meeting and going through this opponent and you’re at the final quarter pole, four games left. They’re all challenging in their own way and different in their own way and the most important one of them is the one we play this weekend.”

What’s kind of stood out about (Nick) Bosa to you coming in and playing well his first year?
“Look, you’re seeing a great combination of athleticism, strength and speed. That combination to edge you, that combination to go speed to power. It’s not just one part of his game. Shoot, he’s a handful, he’s having a fantastic season.”

“It seems like he’s not the only one in that pass rush that’s having a pretty good year. Are they kind of rotating guys in and out there?
Look, there’s some rotation, but the frontline guys that you have in front of you are the guys that you’re seeing play and they’re playing awfully well.”

The offensive line with Patrick (Omameh) coming in there and Nick Easton playing again, how did you feel that they did last week?
“I thought (they did well). I thought there are a handful of things you want to clean up, but those guys battled and did what we needed them to do and that was huge for us.”

Ed Orgeron said something earlier this week that he said he picked up from you. It doesn’t matter how you got here, it’s what you do with it. I’m wondering where that philosophy came from and how have you kind of implemented that in your coaching style?
“I cannot recall specifically where it came from and yet, look, you are in the moment. You’re in the now constantly and talking to your team about how it’s tough to get in these spots at this time of the year. There is a lot of work that goes into it. There are a lot of close games. Shoot, we have been in seven, (or) eight of these games all within one score. I don’t feel like we’ve played at our best football. Honestly, I feel like there’s been a number of things that we have to clean up and improve on and we’re going to have to as the competition increases and the stakes increase. The better teams are going to be able to execute more consistently in those situations. This will be a good test this weekend. These guys, I’m telling you, just when you watch this team play, defensively and offensively and in the kicking game, they’re as balanced a team (as there is) and a team that plays extremely well in all three phases. That’s why they’re sitting with the record they have.”

Any reaction to Ron Rivera’s firing? I know you had a lot of battles with him over the years.
“I have so much respect for Ron and for the work he has done there. I consider him a close friend. Shoot, he’d been in the division for eight, nine years and I think that’s, unfortunately the business we’re in. But his reputation in our league speaks for itself, and so he’s going to have other opportunities. Look, you have a new owner who’s making his calls and doing what he needs to do and we’ll see where he goes. I’m a big fan, obviously, and a good friend.”

San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Conference Call with Local Media
Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Why has your pass defense been so successful this season?
“I think it starts with the pass rush. We’ve had a number of good guys here and added a number of difference makers this offseason I think Kris Kocurek (Defensive Line Coach) does an excellent job with the style in that we coach the d-line. I think our secondary has played together for a little bit going into our third year, what we’ve done schematically giving our guys playing time over the first two years here and they’ve all gotten better.”

What does your running back rotation do to help you offensively?
“It gives us depth first of all because we went through four running backs last year and it’s always tough in this league at this position. We have four good ones that have helped in a bunch of ways. They all haven’t been up each week. We usually take three into a game. We’ve been able to take four at times. They all do a little bit different stuff, similar to how Sean’s (Payton) used backs in the past and they give us options.”

Coach Payton has told us about how he looks at different things pro and college for plays and concepts at times. Is there anything big picture or little picture that you have looked at studying the Saints offense?
“Always. I think all the coaches watch each other. Lots of coaches watch certain guys. I’ve always watched Sean, I think a lot of people do. They’ve done it at a high level for a long time. Whatever idea you can get and increase creativity…There’s only so many ways you can move around five eligible (receivers) and you are always trying to watch things guys you respect to see if they have things they can fit into your offense.”

You’ve coached and been around a lot of top shelf receivers, Andre Johnson, Julio Jones and now Emmanuel Sanders. In that vein, what makes Michael Thomas special and so hard to stop?
“You need to have different type of talent to get into the club of the people you are mentioning. Michael had that coming out. I know we were very high on him, the way he runs his routes, the way his lower half’s built. He didn’t have the fastest 40, but it’s definitely fast enough to run by you, the hips. What really separates him to me from everybody else is his mindset. He has that special talent, but that physicality that he plays with, how angry he plays. He’s one of my favorites to watch. I’m not looking forward to watching him on Sunday. He’s one of the best and I think it starts with his mentality.”

You haven’t faced the Saints yet as a head coach, but what is different in their defense from when you last faced them in 2015-16 as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons? How have they improved?
“I think they’ve gotten healthier, they’ve added some more talent and the guys that they have added, they’ve gotten better. Dennis (Allen) has always done a great job wherever he’s been, he’s always been one of the toughest guys in the league to go against. When we faced them in Atlanta, (they were) a real tough team to go against, but I don’t think they had the players that they do now. The players that were there then have gotten better. They have some young guys, they have a young defense, they’re coaching up real well and anytime you have talent with a good coaching staff, it causes a lot of problems.”

What stands out to you when you watch Cam Jordan?
“He’s stood out to me for such a long time. He’s been one of the more underrated players in this league. He’s gotten some recognition in this league the last couple of years. His attitude that he plays with on the field…He’s very strong, gets under people and control them. He plays like his hair’s on fire. He’s extremely strong and very aggressive. He never turns anything down and keeps coming every game, all year long.”

We’re at the final quarter of the season. Can you address how a team’s standing can still go so much up or down in this quarter, especially when you’re playing some of the teams you are that you are close to in those standings like what has happened and will happen this week?
“I tried to talk about that to my team earlier on in this year, but the more you win, the more people like to say isn’t it easier or more relaxing now that you have a good record? It’s totally opposite. The more you win in this league the harder it gets and the harder it gets in the playoffs. We went on that run in Atlanta my last year there and we had won the last seven games of the regular season and every game meant something. I don’t think it was until the last game that season that we could take a breath. It’s like that year in and year out in this league. It’s not that unusual. You can never sit back and relax. As soon as you do, your season’s over, so every single week from the first week to the 17th week you have to treat it like the playoffs and like a playoff game and when you do get to this and have the record us or the Saints do, nobody looks past you. Everybody’s playing it like it’s a playoff game.”

You’ve played at multiple facilities before. What kind of challenge does the Mercedes-Benz Superdome provide as opposed some of the other stadiums through the league in terms of noise and crowd noise?
“New Orleans is right up there. When you have a fan base that is loud, usually the stadium that is a dome makes it a little louder. Of all the teams that do have a dome, I put New Orleans up there with the loudest ones. It’s always tough when you go up there. You don’t expect to hear the cadence at all. Expect those fans to be pumped up. It doesn’t matter when you play them. It’s always going to be a challenge and football I think is the biggest homefield advantage in all of sports, because when you can’t hear the cadence and can’t hear the snap count, that is a big issue.”

New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees
Post Practice Media Availability
Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Just the challenges of facing the San Francisco defense? They have been really good this year.
“They’ve been pretty dominant. First off, they have really good players across the board and there’s no weak links. They’re all very, very good players, very talented. Big, strong physical, very well coached. Just very sound in everything that they do. The statistics reflect it, the numbers reflect it, the wins reflect it. They’re a stout group.”

Does it start with their front four or five, their defensive line, the pressure they can bring?
“It absolutely does. They’ve been able to get a ton of pressure just with their front four and that’s such an asset. It allows them to have more people in coverage, more eyes on the ball. They’ve been able to generate a lot of negative plays that way and been able to generate a lot of turnovers that way. The number one recipe for a good defense is when you can get after people with the front four.”

How impressed were you by the fact that, I know it was raining, but they held Baltimore down to a total of points and yardage that they’re usually not used to?
“That was a hard fought game. Two physical teams, two similar style teams. Pound the ball, run it, play great defense and obviously the conditions probably affected the passing game to a certain degree. Still, both of those guys go through it pretty well all things considered. That was just a hard fought game all the way around.”

The fact that you guys have injuries in the offensive line, you have good guys, but you don’t have your guys who are usually there. How problematic would this be against this front four?
“You have got to have a plan. You cannot let those guys ruin the game for you. That is our execution. That’s our awareness. You can’t just drop back and hold the ball forever and let them come get you. You’ve got to be able to do enough things where you control the tempo, you dictate how the game is being played. You try to fend those guys off the best you can with the things that you’re doing. Listen, are they going make some plays? Yeah, they’re going to make some plays. They’re a very good defense. We’ve just got to (have) as many positive plays we can, as many good outcomes as we can to so that we can sustain the ball, possess it and score points.”

You’re in this stretch of these last four games, and I know you guys are still striving for that perfect game, especially on the offense, but is this where you’ve got to turn it on here? These are the last four games, starts with San Francisco and does it get to a point where it’s like, alright, eventually we’ve got to clean up some of the issues that we’re having?
“This is what I see. I see us as an ascending team. We just want to continue to get better and better each week. Certainly don’t want to take a step back. There’s still a lot more to be desired. There’s still a lot that we can improve upon. If we can just continue to take small steps each week we’ll be okay.”

Do you think since the Atlanta game, you guys have played a lot better? Why do you saying ascending? Why do you feel that way?
“We know what’s in front of us. We know what we need to do and I’ve seen us make improvements in certain areas when we focus on those areas. We continue to have that same focus process preparation that equals good results, that equals wins.”

After all these years, all these games, do you still get psyched to play in a game with stakes like this?
“Absolutely. Listen, every game from here on out’s big. When you get to this time of year and get to the position that we’re in, every game is big. Every game’s meaningful. Listen, we understand the playoff implications as a result of this game. But if you go in with that mindset every week, if you play with that same mindset, it’s like you’re getting ready for the Super Bowl every week. It’s like you’re getting ready for that big game, that meaningful game each week. If you prepare that way, if you believe that in your heart, then when you step out there on Sunday, you know that you’ve done everything you can to put yourself in the best position to win. That’s all you can do.”

Do you see this game having homefield advantage implications?
“Did you hear what I said about playoff implications? I think we all know what this game means.”

What do you think the Mercedes-Benz Superdome will be like?
“I think the Dome will be rocking. We need the fans in full force, right? Listen, we’ve got the greatest fans in NFL and they know how to create that homefield advantage, that dome atmosphere that’s just electric, it gets us hyped up. It makes it really hard for opposing teams and it just lets them know it’s going to be a long day and we need the Who Dat Nation out in full force.”

Have you seen Jimmy Garoppolo’s play ascend this season?
“He’s played very well, since he got there two years ago as the starter there towards the last half of that season and I know he got injured early last year, but man, he’s played very well. That whole team in all phases, right? Great quarterback play, great running game, great defense, good special teams and hence why they are 10-2.”

Do you have any thoughts on what exactly Jimmy Garoppolo has done that impresses you as a quarterback?
“Yeah, I think he’s got good poise and composure. I think he throws the ball very well. He’s a very good passer. I think he anticipates well. I think he processes it well, just from what I see.”

Do you think you are close on some of these big an explosive plays?
“We’re close, just a few inches here and there.”

Are you surprised you haven’t had one of those ridiculously good offensive performances like in years past?
“I’d say it’s encouraging that we’re 10-2 and we haven’t had one of those games. I’d like to have some of those games. Hopefully they’re I the future.”

What’s the loudest game you can remember in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome?
“It’s hard to say. I mean there’s been a number of them, you know, we’ve had a ton of big games in the dome. The single biggest moment was probably when (Steve) Gleason blocked the punt. Yeah, I mean, as far as just the explosion, right. But man, we’ve had a lot of those moments and there great moments. We want more of those.”

Is there anyone in particular that you idolized or wanted to be like growing up or watched highlights of?
“A lot of guys. I have an appreciation going all the way back to guys like, Otto Graham, Norm Van Brocklin and Fran Tarkenton and Roger Staubach and Doug Flutie and I had a chance to play with Doug Flutie that was kind of crazy. But, of course (Joe) Montana and then growing up in Texas, it was (Troy) Aikman and the (Cow)boys, right. I mean so many guys that you grew up watching highlight videos or watching them play, I guess, live on TV and now that I’m playing the game and had a chance to play the game for a long time. You just have even more of an appreciation for all those guys. Pretty incredible when you think about the hundredth anniversary of NFL football, this being the year and being a part of that is pretty special.”