NASHVILLE – The Titans face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Here's a quick look at the Saints:
Record: 11-3.
Last game: Beat the Colts, 34-7.
Points for/against: 27.0/21.6 ppg.
NFL RANKINGS
Offense: 9th overall, 373.3 ypg (16th rushing, 7th passing).
Defense: 10th overall, 328.8 ypg (4th rushing, 17th passing).
TEAM LEADERS
Head coach: Sean Payton.
Offense:
QB: Drew Brees (225-of-310, 2.447 yards, 21 TDs, 4 INTs, 115.3 rating).
Top RB: Alvin Kamara (152 carries, 678 yards, 1 TDs).
Top WR: Michael Thomas (133 catches, 1,552 yards, 8 TDs).
Top TE: Jared Cook (38 catches, 577 yards, 6 TDs).
Defense:
Sacks: DE Cameron Jordan (13.5).
Leading tackler: LB Demario Davis (72).
Interceptions: S Marcus Williams (4).
Take/Give: plus-11.
Kicker: Will Lutz (31-of-35 FGs, 37-of-38 PATs).
Punter: Thomas Morstead 45.8 (42.8).
Last meeting: November 8, 2015: Titans 34, Saints 28 (OT).
Injury Report
S Vonn Bell (knee)
S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (concussion)
G Larry Warford (knee)
LB Kiki Alonzo (quad)
T Terron Armstead (ankle)
G Andrus Peat (forearm)
T Ryan Ramczyk (knee)
CB Patrick Robinson (calf)
FROM THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT
(on what he's seeing from Ryan Tannehill this season)
The first thing you see is just the decision making. It's coming out fast. He can beat you with his feet. I think they're doing a really good job of playing a complimentary game. Their ability to run the football, come off of some of those run looks with play action – his movement skills, his athleticism, those are all things you have to handle. You can see the confidence that he's playing with. I think he's 6-2 now since he's been their starter, so it's pretty impressive to watch. But I would say that those are the things that you see initially.
(on what he's seen from A.J. Brown as he's progressed through his rookie season)
He's someone we scouted a lot when he was coming out last year. First off, he's got transitional quickness, he's big. He's someone that I think is very good after the catch. I also see a real good blocker in the running game. For a young receiver, those are real good signs.
(on how much being in a new offense on a new team can help a quarterback hit their stride)
I think historically we've seen it over the years. There's been a number of cases where, not just a quarterback, but a player flourishes maybe somewhere else for a number of reasons. I think watching him now, he certainly understands how to win. He's got a defense that's playing very well behind him, a running game that's playing very well, and those are good allies for good quarterback play.
(on how he would characterize Kenny Vaccaro's time as a member of the Saints)
He's playing well. He's a tremendous person. He was a fantastic player for us and addition for us. We drafted him, it was right off when I had gotten back off the suspension. We took him in the first round. He's extremely athletic, he's passionate about football, he loves playing, and those are the things that you admire about him. You see it on tape, he's someone that has got very good cover skills. He's also a real good low-zone player, someone that is a good pressure player, so you have to know where he's at. They do a good job defensively giving you a number of looks, a number of looks relative to pressures, be it zone or man pressures. You have flexibility with him in that he can play a big nickel role, play down over a slot and he can run.
(on if Kenny Vaccaro's passion and physicality is something that he has to be careful about with the amount Saints routes that end up in the middle of the field)
Well, a lot of it's predicated on the coverage you're getting. Teams will play a single-high, teams will play in two-deep shells, some variations off of it, so you're hopefully understanding what you're getting, and certainly man or zone has a lot to do with that.
(on if he's seeing a growing chemistry between Ryan Tannehill and A.J. Brown)
Well, certainly that happens through repetition, through preparation during the week. It's hard to predict in games sometimes where a ball is going to go. It's a little bit easier to predict how many touches a running backs going to have than a receivers going to have, but certainly the confidence that you see them playing with is growing and comes out of the repetitions they're getting.
