New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - NewOrleansSaints.com Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians discusses facing the Saints

Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Bruce Arians
Conference Call with New Orleans Media
Wednesday, September 18, 2013

What are your impressions of the Saints defense?

“I think (Rob Ryan) has done a good job with them. They are very young, very athletic and very physical, which I wouldn’t expect anything else from one of his defenses. They play extremely hard and I’m very impressed with them.”

What impresses you about them specifically?

“Probably the defensive line right now. They’re fast, they’re big, they’re powerful. They’re very well coached and I think they look like they have great instincts as far as ball awareness. Obviously Roman (Harper) has been there for a while. They have some veterans helping the young guys and they look coordinated very well.”

Usually the Saints offense is the big story. Are you maybe a little surprised that they have relied more on defense through the first two games?

“I think that’s smoke and mirrors. That offense is always high octane. Anytime you play Drew (Brees), especially at home, he’s one of the best there is at a home stadium (with) the energy of the crowd. Offensively they’re just a play or two away.”

How does Tyrann Mathieu fit in with you guys?

“He’s playing extremely well. As a person, you couldn’t ask for a better guy. He has been a great teammate. He comes to work early and leaves late. He never stops asking questions. He gets mad if he doesn’t get every rep in practice.”

How has your impression of Mathieu evolved over the past four months since you drafted him?

“I think everybody else put him as a risk. Patrick Peterson came in my office and said, ‘Hey coach, I’ll stand on the table for this guy. Give him a chance.’ We brought him in and we sat (him) down. We talked twice and I was more than impressed that this kid just wanted an opportunity. He knew he messed up; we all mess up in life. It’s time to give him an opportunity and he’s doing everything he can to make sure he does great with it.”

In terms of football, has he surprised you with his ability?

“No, because when you saw him on tape you knew that he was a great football player. I don’t give a crap about height, weight and speed. He’s just a heck of a football player. I don’t know any college player that dominated on defense like he did over the years. He has some unbelievable instincts of getting the ball out and getting his hands on balls. He does it every day in practice here and he’s done it in the games.”

Could you talk a little bit about the challenge week to week of roster limitations? Rob Ryan’s defense has had a lot of injuries and I’m sure you have had your share over the years. How critical is that in being successful in this league because of the limitations and what the front office has to do and the coaching staff week to week to overcome that?

“Yes, it’s amazing. You have to have great pro personnel directors that you trust as a coach. They have their ‘ready list’. Last year in Indianapolis I think we had 13 guys on IR. (We were) bringing guys in on Tuesday and playing them on Sunday, and still winning. If your team believes that ‘next man up’ is not a mantra, it’s real. We gave Kerry Taylor a game ball this week because he was on the practice squad Friday (and) caught three critical balls in the game Sunday to win the game. That’s your MVPs. It’s not the high-profile, five star guys. They’re just earning their paychecks. The MVP of your football team is the guy that gets put in and the standard doesn’t drop. You have to preach that to your team and make sure that they really believe that.”

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