Saints defensive coordinator Joe Woods speaks with the media to talk about Jordan Love and the challenges of the Packers offense.
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00:00 - Hey Joe, in your experience,
00:02 the physical way you all play defense in the secondary,
00:07 is that unique, you know,
00:09 you're really unique around the league,
00:11 how physically you all play.
00:13 - I think that's the brand of football we play here.
00:15 I've coached a couple of secondaries
00:17 that had some physical players
00:18 going way back to Minnesota, Antoine Winfield.
00:21 But I think it's been a good luxury,
00:23 'cause you want guys that can cover
00:24 and are willing to come up and tackle.
00:26 And I have a whole room full of those guys.
00:29 - Where's the confidence for Labib,
00:31 for him to help right now?
00:32 Should he be one of the primary
00:33 that's supposed to help him out?
00:35 - Yeah, that's what we're looking at right now.
00:37 We have some different combinations,
00:38 but he's definitely a guy that's been taking reps there.
00:41 We're gonna put him out there.
00:43 He's able to play multiple positions,
00:44 but he's gained confidence.
00:46 And you gain confidence as a young guy through reps.
00:48 So I feel good about him being able to step up in that role.
00:51 - He's one of those that won't really talk about his game.
00:54 You've actually interviewed him a few weeks ago.
00:56 What do you bring, what can you, I guess,
00:57 speak for him that he brings with him?
01:01 - Versatility.
01:03 He can play both safety positions.
01:05 He can play the buck position.
01:08 We've also put him out there, nickel,
01:09 no work, and he's done great.
01:11 So his versatility is one of his strengths.
01:14 The thing for him as a young guy is,
01:18 don't feel like you have to go out there
01:19 and make every play or play perfect.
01:21 And I think early on, that's what he was going through.
01:23 And when you do that, at times you make mistakes.
01:27 So I think through getting reps,
01:29 being in the preseason games, being in the games,
01:31 that he's gaining confidence and getting better.
01:33 - So what have you seen from Jordan Lundgren?
01:35 It seems to take a lot of negative plays.
01:37 It seems that he seems to protect the ball pretty well.
01:40 - Yeah, he's a very athletic quarterback,
01:44 but he's a passer.
01:46 He's really not a runner.
01:48 He kind of reminds me a little bit of DeSean.
01:50 In terms of a veteran quarterback,
01:52 a similar style, similar type of athlete.
01:55 He definitely has the arm strength.
01:57 He's a problem when things break down.
02:00 He can create plays with his feet.
02:02 It's a problem trying to get him down,
02:04 if you're rushing for.
02:05 But he's young.
02:06 I know it's his first year there,
02:07 but you can see all the signs are there.
02:10 I think he's gonna be a tremendous quarterback.
02:12 - You expect them to take more shots over the top,
02:15 knowing that he's having his first chance,
02:17 and also, with the green and red receivers,
02:20 and why these guys are new names,
02:22 and big stops, and it's gonna be aggressive.
02:26 - Yeah, they're a vertical passing team.
02:28 I mean, for me, the secondary coach,
02:30 I expect that every week.
02:31 So, and I just rely on our guys playing our technique.
02:35 And to me, if they wanna take shots,
02:38 it provides opportunity for us to make plays on the football.
02:41 So, we'll see what happens.
02:42 - I know you weren't here last year,
02:44 but the joint practices with Packers,
02:46 is that a case that you're able to go back
02:48 and look at and get an evaluation?
02:50 - Maybe.
02:51 What do you think?
02:52 (laughing)
02:53 I might've peeked at it.
02:55 - Well, the cost of doing business
02:58 that DA talks about sometimes,
03:00 with getting defensive holding,
03:03 I mean, is that how you all look at it?
03:05 You get physical, and every once in a while,
03:07 you might get a holding call
03:09 that over the course of the game
03:11 is gonna pay off for you all in the long run?
03:13 - Yeah, I'm very, when I talk to those guys
03:16 about playing press technique,
03:17 I'm very demanding in terms of staying on the body.
03:21 You gotta stay on the body,
03:22 so when the receiver gets down the field,
03:25 the quarterback gotta make a decision.
03:27 I wanna throw when this guy's that tight in coverage.
03:29 So, we're always trying to stay on the body,
03:31 and doing that, sometimes you get penalties.
03:34 Tell the guys when they're the first ones on me,
03:37 after that, then it's on them.
03:39 But I really, this coach, what they're looking for,
03:42 that's one of the first presentations that I give,
03:44 is just the NFL rules in terms of hooking the receiver,
03:48 cutting off a receiver, grabbing the jersey.
03:51 So, I want them to understand
03:52 what different officials are looking for
03:54 in terms of that type of penalty,
03:55 but at the same time, I want them to be aggressive in coverage.
03:59 - Is there a subtlety to that?
04:00 I mean, can you be a good at hand checking,
04:03 like in basketball, and get away with it?
04:05 - Depends on the player.
04:06 Some guys are a little bit more crafty.
04:08 It's something that over time, you learn.
04:11 You know, how you can cheat,
04:12 just in terms of your body position,
04:14 how to use your hands, keep 'em inside.
04:16 You just don't want the obvious penalties
04:17 where you see guys grabbing,
04:19 and there's that extension where you see the jersey pulled.
04:21 The obvious ones are the ones that they're gonna call.
04:24 - Joe, are there some crews that are more open to that?
04:28 - Absolutely.
04:28 We're very aware of that,
04:30 but we're not gonna change the style in which we play.
04:33 - Montee Taylor's still trying to get his first career pick.
04:37 He probably had it in the other game,
04:39 but what have you seen from him,
04:41 and in particular, that play,
04:43 that was obviously called it.
04:45 - I thought he played a lot better.
04:49 Not that he played bad the first game,
04:51 but the first game was his first experience.
04:53 His live bullets flying,
04:54 adjusted to what they were running offensively,
04:58 but I felt like he grew
05:00 from the first week to the second week.
05:02 I thought he played really well.
05:03 I thought he played well on coverage.
05:06 You know, he stepped up in the run game.
05:08 I like his length, I like his quickness,
05:10 I like his mentality, in terms of playing that position.
05:14 I think he'll continue to get better with reps.
05:16 - How do you grade him on,
05:18 he's up, I'm gonna say, 10 catches,
05:20 but if you're looking at the nature of the catches,
05:22 like how they're packaged and stuff like that?
05:24 - Yeah, 'cause every coverage you have
05:26 has a strength and a weakness, right?
05:28 So you try to minimize 'em by executing
05:31 with the proper leverage or the proper technique.
05:33 So if they have a completion,
05:35 but you get 'em to throw the ball where you want 'em to,
05:37 then that's good on our part.
05:39 It's normally all the plays you guys see,
05:40 the explosive plays, you know,
05:42 in bad leverage, trail position.
05:45 You know, the obvious ones are the ones
05:46 that we're not executing correctly.
05:48 But some of those catches are okay.
05:52 - Right after the game, some stats said
05:55 Lattimore gave up one catch,
05:57 and then I think you told someone he didn't,
05:59 so can you clarify which one it was?
06:02 - Like I said, some catches are okay.
06:04 It's not always manning it,
06:05 hey, if they catch the ball, oh my God, you know?
06:08 Like I said, as long as we minimize the gains,
06:10 that's the most important thing.
06:12 If we eliminate the deep balls down the field,
06:14 make 'em throw the ball underneath,
06:16 then we're gonna make 'em work the ball down the field,
06:18 and that's really what we're trying to do.
06:21 He played an extremely clean game.
06:23 You know, technically, you know,
06:24 I gave him a couple minuses
06:25 'cause I didn't want his technique grade to be that high.
06:27 I told him he lacked, but he played a really clean game.
06:30 - You always have that something to build on, right?
06:32 You can't get someone to start the game every week.
06:33 - There's no doubt.
06:34 - With him, you know,
06:36 TA was talking about how it felt like
06:38 he came to camp really focused this year.
06:41 Do you notice a difference between preseason Marshawn
06:44 and then week one, week two,
06:46 Marshawn in terms of how locked in he is
06:49 and things like that?
06:51 - He's very good in the meeting room.
06:53 Very smart player.
06:55 Kind of controls the room at times.
06:57 So for me, it's my first year here,
07:02 so I was like trying to figure out who he was as a player
07:04 and how I was gonna approach him.
07:07 But again, he's very dialed in.
07:09 I think, you know, at times as a player,
07:11 you know, you can't go 100% on every single play.
07:14 So I make sure I try to take reps off of him
07:17 so he can go 100% when he goes out there and plays.
07:20 But I feel like he's been the same guy.
07:22 I feel like when he gets challenged,
07:24 like you see the matchups with Mike
07:27 or if he's against Alave,
07:28 I think that's when he really gets his juices flowing
07:30 when he has those premium matchups.
07:32 But he's a very competitive player
07:34 and definitely the leader of our room.
07:36 - You said he controls the room.
07:38 - It's just one of those things
07:40 when he talks, everybody listens.
07:42 You know what I mean?
07:43 EF out, right?
07:45 So when he talks, everybody listens.
07:47 But he's earned that through his career
07:49 and through the things that he's done on the football field.
07:52 - Just, I think the thing about him
07:56 that surprised you guys or maybe better than you,
07:59 you don't seem like a lot of people
08:02 that probably can use that.
08:04 (indistinct)
08:07 - Yeah, it's just, he had the traits.
08:13 When you look, he had good size,
08:16 he had the speed, the athletic ability.
08:19 The thing that probably surprised me,
08:20 not surprised me, but the versatility,
08:23 his ability to play basically almost every position
08:26 in the back end.
08:27 And very smart and confident.
08:31 And the thing early on, as I said earlier,
08:33 I think he was trying to play too perfect early on.
08:35 Like not make a mistake.
08:37 If you try to play like that, it's the NFL.
08:40 You know, so they're gonna make some good plays on you.
08:42 But I think once he relaxed and he got those game reps,
08:45 then you saw the confidence start to grow
08:48 and you saw more of the playmaking ability.
08:49 Now he hasn't made the splash plays,
08:52 but a lot of when you watch him,
08:53 he doesn't get a lot of plays his way
08:55 because he's doing his job.
08:57 So you love coaching him
08:58 'cause he's gonna do exactly what you tell him to do.
09:02 (inaudible)
09:09 Russian coverage.
09:10 It'll never change, ever.
09:13 'Cause Russian coverage, you know,
09:14 we gotta put our hands on people
09:16 to make the quarterback hold on to the ball
09:18 a little bit longer.
09:19 And if we're a little bit off,
09:20 you know, the Russians gotta beat somebody one-on-one.
09:22 So it just works hand in hand.
09:24 And if you have those two things going,
09:26 then you have an opportunity to be really good on third down.
09:29 How unique is this second level?
09:32 We kind of have to blame both responsibilities
09:34 sometimes back to DeMario and you.
09:37 How often are they in that?
09:38 No, DeMario, like I said, he's a pro's pro.
09:41 I mean, he elevates everybody's game
09:43 'cause he holds everybody accountable.
09:45 And even, I mean, as coaches, I'm like,
09:46 "Man, I better do a better job, man."
09:48 He's out there yelling.
09:50 But he holds everybody accountable.
09:52 Just in terms of communication, guys executing their jobs.
09:55 It's never a day off, okay?
09:57 Never a day off.
09:58 And then Pete, you know, athletic.
10:01 You know, just a freakish athlete.
10:02 He's a lot of athlete.
10:03 But our ability to be able to play,
10:05 those guys play three downs.
10:06 Being able to match up on tight ends and backs,
10:10 you know, it's just an advantage for us, you know, in my opinion.
10:13 And then when you put it all together with our D-line
10:14 and with the guys we have in the secondary,
10:16 if we just go out and we just do our job,
10:18 you don't have to do anything special.
10:20 Just do your job.
10:21 I think we'll put ourselves in a position, you know,
10:23 to be in a lot of games to win them.
10:26 Is it fair to say that when it comes to third down defense,
10:28 it's more about you doing what you know you do well
10:32 versus trying to match up to what the other offense like?
10:35 No, that's part of it.
10:37 You know, we're going to make sure
10:38 we're putting ourselves in a position
10:39 to create the best matchups,
10:41 whether it be what we're doing up front
10:43 with our pass rush games
10:45 or how we're matching people up
10:46 or what personnel package we put on the field.
10:49 But at the end of the day, everybody just has to do their job.
10:51 You don't have to do anything special.
10:53 You know, if you got a certain pass rush game, execute it.
10:57 If you have a certain coverage, execute it.
10:58 Or blitz, whatever it may be, just do your job.
11:01 We're good enough across the board.
11:03 If everybody does their job,
11:05 then we'll have opportunities to win.
11:07 You saw a little bit of pass rush
11:10 in the new ones from last year.
11:11 What stays out about this year?
11:13 Like, just a lot more attacking style?
11:17 Yeah, I mean, Coach Grantham and B-Y, man,
11:21 they're great defensive line coaches.
11:23 I just, you know, sit in the meeting
11:25 and just listen to some of the ideas,
11:26 some of the creativity they have in terms of pass rush games,
11:29 how they're going to attack different protections
11:32 or combinations on different guys.
11:35 They do a really good job.
11:36 And I feel like, from a talent standpoint,
11:39 you know, the players are there.
11:41 You know, it's a player's game.
11:42 I feel like we have them.
11:43 We just got to put them in positions to win.
11:46 And I feel like, right now,
11:47 DA's doing a great job with their game plans.
11:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]