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10 questions with New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael

In terms of uninterrupted service on the New Orleans Saints' coaching staff, only Coach Sean Payton and Head Strength and Conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple can match the 14 years that offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has logged. And as he enters his 15th season with the franchise, Carmichael – who is beginning his 12th year as offensive coordinator – has helped orchestrate one of the most productive units in NFL history; first in the NFL in total yards six times, and in the top eight every year since he joined the franchise in 2006. Too, Carmichael has the longest relationship with quarterback Drew Brees, dating to Carmichael's four seasons with the Chargers (2002-05) before he joined the Saints. He has been a valuable contributor to New Orleans' success, and the Saints hope to keep it rolling into 2020.

Q: When you're in this process and not face-to-face with players, how beneficial is it that you pretty much have a veteran offense?

Carmichael: I think to start out, there's probably no substitute for being face-to-face in contact with them. But I think that this virtual offseason for us has been very successful. And obviously having a veteran team, that makes the process a lot smoother for us. But as far as the virtual meetings go, I think that they've been real detailed for us. I've had an opportunity to jump on and listen to all the position coaches as they're going through. The thing that I find on those meetings is you're not necessarily having to hustle to get through. Wherever you finish for the day, you get through your slotted time and it's like, hey, we'll just pick up there tomorrow. So it's not like you're trying to get through the last three or four plays in two minutes so you can hustle out to the field. Again, no substitute for being face-to-face with them and in the same room and having a chance to go out and work some of those plays against different defenses, but again, it's been a real success for us I believe.

Q: For you, has it been more tightening up things that you wanted to emphasize or has it been a little bit more install?

Carmichael: I think it's been a combination of both. I think that at the end of every season, you obviously go through your cut-ups as a staff, and we had the opportunity to do that before we were out of the offices. And then being able to go through that with your players, going through with your staff to tighten up the details. But with the players, a lot of that has been installed, going through the paper and then also having an opportunity, all the video is accessible to us. So again, what usually goes on in the classroom other than being face-to-face, we're able to handle all that with the virtual meetings.

Q: Does it set you back any with Emmanuel (Sanders)? You get a new piece, you want to integrate that new piece, you know some of the things that new piece can do, but you're not having them on the field to integrate.

Carmichael: Obviously, he has experience and he brings some leadership to that group as well. The nice thing about him is we feel like he's a good learner. We kind of have a vision for what we're going to do with him. We'll be able to play him inside and outside, but again, there's no substitute for getting the on-field work, him hearing the different terminology, probably. We're installing plays, some that he's probably familiar with and he's done before, but it's just a little bit of a different terminology. And then also being able to work with Drew (Brees) on the field.

Q: Regarding Emmanuel specifically, I can't remember if it was R.C. (receivers coach Ronald Curry) or C.J. (Senior offensive assistant Curtis Johnson) who said it, but the stuff he did in San Francisco wasn't necessarily a lot of stuff that he'll be doing here. Do you guys have to look back at stuff he did in Denver to project how he would fit in your offense?

Carmichael: I think this, I think that (Director of Pro Scouting) Terry Fontenot and his group do such a great job. And one thing that Sean makes us do is when we're looking at free agents, we've at least as an offense and a defense kind of given our vision of what we're looking for in players, as far as what some of the characteristics that we'd look for. And so I think when he gets here, we kind of have a vision for what he'll be. Again, like I said, he'll be able to play inside and outside. Obviously, there are some differences between maybe what he's been doing as of late to going back to a few years ago. But again, one thing that Sean is really big on and you guys all know this already is that we're making sure that we're putting those guys in the position where they can be successful and do the things that they can be successful at."

Q: When you look at (quarterback) Jameis (Winston), do you see a lot of stuff that is fixable in a short period of time that you can, maybe just taking a step back, what help him with?

Carmichael: Well, I think he's a talented football player and he's done a lot of great things in this league already and we're excited to have him. Just in these meetings that we've been having, the one thing that stands out to me right away is that he's sharp, he's smart, he has asked the right questions. And so he has that experience and he's got the ability, you see him throw the ball down field, he's got excellent arm strength. So there's a lot to be excited about and we're looking forward to working with him.

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