WEBVTT - The OTP | It's Kickoff Week 0:00:10.080 --> 0:00:13.720 This is the OTP presented by Far Bureau Health Plans. 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:17.400 Far Bureau Health Plans Where you are the plan Far 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:20.400 Bureau Health Plans makes it easy to get the health 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:23.439 coverage you need for less than you think. See how 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:28.200 at FBHP dot com. I'm Mike Keith, glad to have 0:00:28.240 --> 0:00:31.560 you with us. It is game week. Hard to believe 0:00:31.760 --> 0:00:34.879 that it is finally kickoff week in the NFL. The 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:38.080 Titans set to take on the New Orleans Saints at 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:42.000 Caesar's Superdome. Coming up this Sunday. Will remind you that 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:45.280 the game kicks off noon Central Time. We're on the 0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:48.760 air on our many great Titans radio stations throughout the region, 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:53.120 beginning with Titans Countdown at eleven am Central this Sunday, 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:57.400 September tenth, Titans at Saints to open the season. We're 0:00:57.400 --> 0:01:00.160 gonna learn more about the New Orleans Saints moment. Har 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:03.960 Ellie Jeff Duncan with the Times Picky Unit will join 0:01:04.040 --> 0:01:06.520 me in just a moment. But before we do that, 0:01:06.560 --> 0:01:08.480 I want to remind you about our great friends at 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:11.920 Seat Geek. Seat Geek is now the official ticketing partner 0:01:11.959 --> 0:01:15.400 of the Tennessee Titans. Seat Geek is the newest member 0:01:15.440 --> 0:01:17.280 of the Titans family. And if you haven't heard the 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:20.080 name yet, get used to it, because you'll be hearing 0:01:20.120 --> 0:01:23.039 it a lot more this season. Whether you're buying or 0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:26.480 selling tickets to the Titans game or to any live 0:01:26.560 --> 0:01:30.120 event in Nashville. Seat Geek is the place to do it. 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:34.000 Seat Geek the new official ticketing partner of the Tennessee Titans. 0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:45.720 So Titans fans can fan as promised. Jeff Duncan, columnist 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:48.800 for The Times Picky Unit in New Orleans, thank you 0:01:48.840 --> 0:01:50.760 so much for joining me. I appreciate it. 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:53.520 Yeah, Mike, great to be here. Thanks for having me 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:53.880 on Bud. 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:57.640 All right, so let's talk before we get into this 0:01:57.720 --> 0:02:01.680 week's game with the Saints. People may remember that you 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:07.680 were here actually before the Titans, right, weren't you here 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:09.800 with the Tennessee Oilers. 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:15.400 Correct. Yeah. I've covered that transition to Nashville, back when 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:20.680 they played in Vanderbilt and the early nascent phase of 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:25.959 the Oilers Titans franchise in Nashville, and it's incredible when 0:02:26.000 --> 0:02:28.760 I go back now, Mike and see the change in 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:32.960 the city, how the organization has grown. I really think 0:02:33.080 --> 0:02:37.480 it's just the whole atmosphere and culture around the organization 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:41.760 I think have changed from those early days, and it's 0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:44.800 really exciting to see Titans fans ought to be excited 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:45.560 about the future. 0:02:46.040 --> 0:02:50.600 What were you specifically doing while you covered that transition? 0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:53.760 How did that work from a professional standpoint? 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:58.880 Yeah, I was working down in Florida and my old boss, 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:03.160 Tom Squire's had moved to Nashville and was working for 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:06.919 Ray Maddox in I guess it was called Sports Nashville 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:10.200 at the time. It was a weekly publication and they 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:15.600 had the Titans exclusive kind of the team publication at 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:18.720 the time, and he needed someone to cover the NFL, 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:22.480 and I'd covered the NFL before and really was excited 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:26.520 about moving to Nashville. I my hometown is Louisville, Kentucky, 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:28.040 so I had family. I was gonna be closer to 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:31.480 the family, and I've always loved Nashville. So it was 0:03:31.520 --> 0:03:35.360 really a great exciting opportunity to see that the franchise 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:38.760 kind of, you know, the NFL's birth in the state 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:42.960 of Tennessee. That was very exciting to cover. And so 0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:46.720 it was basically my first full time job in the 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:51.560 NFL and learned so much from Floyd Reese and Jeff Fisher. 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:53.920 When they were there, they were so like understanding of 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:57.360 someone kind of learning the ropes in the NFL. So 0:03:57.400 --> 0:03:58.840 it was a really exciting time for me. 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:02.960 Jeff ended up going straight to New Orleans or was 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:04.200 there a stop in between? 0:04:05.080 --> 0:04:08.400 No, I went I went to New Orleans to cover Well, actually, 0:04:08.480 --> 0:04:11.320 I guess you'd say, Mike. I went to Baton Rouge 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:14.000 I was working for I was working for The Times, 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:18.479 Picky Youn, but covering LSU and and Nashville. People remember this. 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:21.880 Jerry DeNardo was the head coach at LSU then and 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:26.920 it was his final year covering LSU, and I covered 0:04:27.800 --> 0:04:30.839 LSU Tigers for one year and then moved to New Orleans. 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:33.839 Stage at the time spicking, but moved to New Orleans 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:37.240 to cover the Saints, and my first year covering the 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:40.120 Saints as a beat writer, they won their first ever 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:42.880 playoff game in franchise history. They were ten and six, 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:45.760 kind of surprised the league. And it's been kind of 0:04:45.839 --> 0:04:49.320 the main, my main focus of coverage since then, even 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:51.919 though I'm now a columnist, which means I get to 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:54.120 throw my opinion around as opposed to just being a 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:54.560 beat writer. 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:57.960 But you stepped out of sports for a while, right. 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:03.599 Yes, after after Hurricane Katrina, we all kind of became 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:07.320 news reporters. I covered the storm here back in two 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:10.680 thousand and five, you know, rode the storm out in 0:05:10.760 --> 0:05:14.000 our newsroom, and then the aftermath. It was just such 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:17.080 a you know, drastic story. I mean, it was the 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:21.000 biggest story I'll ever cover in my life, and really 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:23.440 the aftermath of it probably went on for about a 0:05:23.520 --> 0:05:27.000 year working in the news department. It was just, you know, 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:31.880 such an extensive story. It affected every part of your 0:05:31.960 --> 0:05:34.640 life down here. And so to see the city come 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:37.760 back and rebound and the Saints moved back and the 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:41.560 Superdome get rebuilt. I'll never cover anything of that magnitude 0:05:41.560 --> 0:05:43.159 in my career, at least I hope. I know. 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:48.480 How has that experience changed how you cover football? 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:53.160 That's a great question. It really has changed. It's given perspective. 0:05:53.240 --> 0:05:56.440 I can still remember Mike being in the Superdome. It 0:05:56.520 --> 0:06:00.000 was a Friday night, the Saints were playing the Baltimore Raven. 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:03.599 I was the beat writer at the time. The Friday 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:06.719 night before Hurricane Katrina. The storm was out in the 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:09.599 Gulf and no one was really paying that much attention 0:06:09.640 --> 0:06:11.200 to it. We thought it was going to jog up 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:14.839 toward Florida, and literally twenty four hours later the whole 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:18.440 city was being evacuated. But back then my main concern 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:20.280 was just who's going to make the fifty three man 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:24.200 roster for the Saints. Sure, and twenty four hours, forty 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:28.000 eight hours later, your entire life is turned upside down. 0:06:28.000 --> 0:06:31.560 The whole eighty percent of the city was underwater. We 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:34.520 had no power, we had no plumbing, I mean, just 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:39.359 the basic necessities of human life in our society was 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:43.680 all gone. Can communicate, no cell service. When you go 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:47.440 through something like that, it puts sports in perspective and 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:52.280 really realized it's a small part of our lives. It's 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:55.240 an important part, obviously, and we all get entertainment out 0:06:55.279 --> 0:06:57.920 of it, but in the grand scheme of things, it's 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:00.400 not that important. It really does kind of set your 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:01.480 perspective on life. 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:04.080 I guess that's a hard turn now to talk about 0:07:04.120 --> 0:07:06.360 the game this Sunday, but we have to do it. 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:10.800 I was just fascinated to know about your experience doing that, 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:14.880 and now your experience as a columnist is something quite different. 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:19.560 And the twenty twenty three Saints are an interesting team 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:21.840 in that like the Titans, they were seven and ten 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:24.880 a year ago and they had one of the biggest 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:31.200 acquisitions of free agency in Derek Carr. Why was Derek 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:34.400 Carr the right answer for the twenty twenty three New 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:36.040 Orleans Saints at quarterback. 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:40.640 Well, there's familiarity there, right for both sides. First of all, 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:44.280 Dennis Allen was the head coach with the Raiders when 0:07:44.520 --> 0:07:48.480 they drafted Derek Carr, so he knows the player and 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:51.640 what he's getting and Derek Carr very well. And then 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:53.680 Derek Carr. I think it was a great fit here 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:59.320 because this offensive scheme, the Pete Carmichael runs offensive coordinator 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:03.040 was all the Sean Payton system of course here he 0:08:03.120 --> 0:08:06.240 was here for sixteen years and Sean Payton learned that 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:09.080 from John Gruden. So it's exact, really the exact same 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:12.960 offense that Carr ran, a very similar offense to what 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:15.840 he ran with the Raiders. So it was really a 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:17.760 perfect fit and you can see it. I mean, it's 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:22.160 been a very seamless transition for Derek Carr. I think 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:25.800 he's jumped right into the bridle here, taken over and 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:29.840 really I think brought a lot of enthusiasm and confidence 0:08:30.320 --> 0:08:32.880 to the locker room because they see how he's operating 0:08:32.920 --> 0:08:35.480 this offense. And as you know, Mike, I mean, this 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:38.160 is a quarterback driven league for a large to a 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:40.960 large extent, and you've got to have a good one. 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:44.400 And Derek Carr, certainly with four Pro Bowls, has and 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:47.360 upgraded that key position for the Saints. He's the best 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:50.920 quarterback they've had here since obviously Drew Brees left a 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:51.640 couple of years ago. 0:08:51.920 --> 0:08:56.000 Specifically, how does Derek Carr change or improve the Peak 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:57.240 Carmichael offense. 0:08:58.200 --> 0:09:01.320 Well, what he does that is and it's what Drew 0:09:01.360 --> 0:09:04.680 Brees was excelled at. Is he's great at getting to 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:09.760 the line of scrimmage. Leaning on that experience of ten 0:09:09.840 --> 0:09:13.000 years in the league, he's seen everything. He knows how 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:18.720 to read defensive coverages, defensive formations, and the Saints system 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:23.400 is so sophisticated they allow the quarterback if they're willing 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:26.360 to make changes at the line of scrimmage. So you'll 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:28.600 see Derek Carr doing a lot of what Drew Brees 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:30.920 did getting the Saints in going to the line of 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:34.480 scrimmage with a couple options, seeing how the defensive lines 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:36.280 and he's going to be making a lot of checks 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:38.040 at the line to get them in the right play, 0:09:38.440 --> 0:09:40.800 and that's something they didn't have the last couple of seasons, 0:09:40.800 --> 0:09:44.240 and it really limited their offense. And that's unusual, Mike. 0:09:44.280 --> 0:09:47.440 I mean, the Saints for years under Breeze and Peyton 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:49.719 were top five offense. I mean, really, I wrote a 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:53.480 book on that offense. I'm still maybe I'm biased, but 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:56.000 I think it's the greatest offense in the league history. 0:09:56.000 --> 0:09:58.199 I mean, they were in the top five for fifteen years. 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:02.160 That's almost impossible to do. And they're been down in 0:10:02.200 --> 0:10:06.200 the low twenties the last couple of years, really foreign 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:08.640 territory for them. And they think Carr can get them 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:11.679 back into that top ten because he's so good at 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:14.079 reading defenses and getting them in it out of right play. 0:10:14.559 --> 0:10:17.360 All right, Jeff Duncan, who does Derek Carr look to 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:19.360 throw to coming up this Sunday. 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:23.040 Well, they've got some emerging guys. I mean the big name, 0:10:23.080 --> 0:10:26.040 of course, is Mike Thomas, who's back at wide receiver 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:30.640 this year. He's really missed most of the last three years, Mike. 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:33.440 I think he's played ten games in three years with 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:36.440 assortment of injuries. But he's not going to be the 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:39.400 Mike Thomas that was the offensive player of the Year 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:43.000 in twenty nineteen. You know, he's thirty years old now 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:44.679 and he's going to be more of a I think 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:48.040 a third option in this In this offense, the main 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:50.560 guy is going to be Chris Olave, who had an 0:10:50.600 --> 0:10:54.559 outstanding rookie season a year ago, is very smooth receiver 0:10:54.679 --> 0:10:57.040 out of Ohio State. And then the guy that I 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.520 think people need to watch is Juwan Johnson, the young 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:02.600 height end. He came into the league as a as 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:06.120 a receiver. He's converted to tight end and really made 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:10.640 a great transition to that position. And both those guys 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:14.679 Alave and Juwan Johnson have really shown early on a 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:17.679 strong connection with Derek Carr. I think he trusts them 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:20.160 a lot and they're going to be his go to 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:21.120 receivers this year. 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:24.840 I'm intrigued in looking at the roster. I think like 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:29.000 a lot of people didn't realize Jameis Winston was back. 0:11:29.960 --> 0:11:34.120 What is his role as the backup quarterback? And why 0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:36.240 do you think he decided to come back or they 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:37.760 decided that they wanted him back. 0:11:38.640 --> 0:11:41.000 Well, they love having Jamis in the building. I mean 0:11:41.000 --> 0:11:43.840 he's a great team player, and he gives them a 0:11:43.960 --> 0:11:48.760 veteran quarterback with experience behind Derek Carr. Fortunately, Derek Carr 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:50.640 has been very durable in his career. I think he's 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:54.000 missed four games at nine seasons. So hopefully they don't 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:56.560 have to go to the backup. But if you do, 0:11:56.640 --> 0:11:58.400 and we've seen that in the past. I mean the 0:11:58.440 --> 0:12:01.599 Saints have had to play three quarterbacks each of the 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:05.480 last two seasons, so it happens there are injuries. And 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:08.000 having a guy with skins on the wall the way 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:10.880 Jamis Winston does, and the fact that he's been in 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:13.760 this system now for four years, he knows it like 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.360 the back of his hand. That's really reassuring. I think 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:19.200 for Pete Carmichael and Dennis Allen to have a guy 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:22.640 with that experience. He's not played that well the last 0:12:22.679 --> 0:12:25.400 couple of years, but he's had injuries Mike and those 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:28.080 you know, you hurt your back like he did last year, 0:12:28.840 --> 0:12:32.559 everything comes off your spine right, and it really limited 0:12:32.640 --> 0:12:34.360 him I think a year ago, and he's healthy. He's 0:12:34.360 --> 0:12:35.480 looked a lot better this year. 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:40.520 Alvid Kamara's suspension Jeff two part question, how does the Saints' 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:44.360 offense change without Kamara and who's going to run the 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:46.319 football for the Saints on Sunday. 0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:49.520 Well, they don't have an Alvin Kamara. When he's going 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:51.679 to be out these first three weeks, it's going to 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:55.199 change how they approach their offense. Jamal Williams was signed 0:12:55.840 --> 0:12:59.679 in free agency to carry the load and be carry 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:02.560 the load while Kamara's suspended, and then to be the 0:13:02.559 --> 0:13:06.880 main backup. Jamal Williams led the NFL in rushing touchdowns 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:10.560 a year ago with seventeen. He's a proven commodity from 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:13.560 his years in Green Bay and Detroit, but he's not 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:17.760 Alvin Kamara. He doesn't have the elusiveness, the dynamic past 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:21.160 catching ability out of the backfield. But they will have 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:23.560 to adjust the offense without him, they won't be the same. 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:26.559 I don't think they'll lean on the running game as 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:29.120 much as they do when Dalvin Kamara is available. So 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:33.480 it's a definite disadvantage for them without Alvin Kamara that 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:37.280 they don't have a playmaker like him. Their other running 0:13:37.280 --> 0:13:40.280 back will be Kendre Miller, a third round pick out 0:13:40.320 --> 0:13:44.280 of TCU who has a lot of potential. You know 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:47.280 a lot of people wanted the Saints to take ty J. Spears. 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:50.079 I'm sure you're seeing up there his dynamic ability out 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:52.440 of the backfield. Kendre Miller is a little bigger version 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.480 of Taij. Spears, but he's a guy that I think 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:57.880 down the road will get more carries, but early on 0:13:57.960 --> 0:13:59.200 it's going to be Jamal Williams. 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:03.520 Another surprise I think in looking at the twenty twenty 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:06.360 two Saints was how good they were on defense. Dennis 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:10.800 Allen's a defensive guy, Joe Wood's an excellent coordinator. What 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:14.200 does a Dennis Allen Joe Woods defense look like. 0:14:15.640 --> 0:14:18.440 It's very much like what they ran here under Greg 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:21.840 Williams for a number of years. They're very base and 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:25.840 that they're not real exotic. They get after you physically 0:14:25.960 --> 0:14:29.760 upfront with their front seven. One of the characteristics of 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:34.760 Dennis Allen's defense is their defensive lines, very physical, very 0:14:34.800 --> 0:14:37.360 big prototype players. And what I mean by that, Mike, 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:41.600 is their defensive ends, Cam Jordan, Carl Granderson, Peyton Turner. 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:45.480 These guys are like trees in there. They're six to 0:14:45.600 --> 0:14:50.120 five across the front line. Brian Brazi, their first round 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:53.560 draft pick from Clemson, is a six to five defensive tackle. 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:56.320 You just don't see interior linemen that tall for the 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:59.800 most part, so they like to play basic. They don't 0:14:59.840 --> 0:15:02.680 like to blitz very much. They get after you with 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:05.880 that front four on the defensive line, and they have 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:10.680 tremendous sticky Manda Man coverage on the outside. They're very physical, 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:13.520 and now there's a downside to that. They get a 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:17.520 lot of holding pass interference calls in the secondary, but 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:19.760 they'll live with that. That's the cost of doing business. 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:22.160 The way they play, they feel like it's kind of 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:25.960 like the old Rick Patino basketball philosophy. They're going to 0:15:26.040 --> 0:15:28.960 hand check you all game and hope the officials don't 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:31.680 call everything. That's the way the Saints play defense. They 0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:34.880 get after you and they put it on the officials 0:15:34.880 --> 0:15:37.360 that have to make those judgment calls. Makes it very 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:40.840 difficult for your passing attack to get much timing because 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:44.680 they really try to throw you off your routes and 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:48.120 re route you in their pass coverage. And those guys 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:51.720 on the secondary are six ' one six ' two big. 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:55.120 They're big across the board on defense. They don't like 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:57.560 little guys on this defense, and you'll see it when 0:15:57.560 --> 0:15:59.480 they come on the field. They look the part. 0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:03.640 Jordan eight Pro Bowls, one of the best defensive linemen 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:07.160 of the era. Why has he been so special, Jeff. 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:10.280 Well, he's just an incredible story. I mean, the guy 0:16:10.480 --> 0:16:15.840 never misses not only a game, he hardly misses a snap. Mike. 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:17.960 I've never seen a guy as durable as he is. 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:20.760 I think he's missed one game because of injury in 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:24.200 his career. That's an extraordinary It came into the league 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:27.600 in twenty eleven. And the thing that makes him unique is, 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:30.360 you know, he's not your typical Like I mentioned earlier, 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:33.800 He's a big guy, big physical guy. He's not your typical. 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:38.560 He's not gonna win with speed, blind blinding speed off 0:16:38.600 --> 0:16:41.520 the edge, you know, like like a lot of these 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:44.280 defensive ends that get to the quarterback. He's all physical, 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:48.760 strong hands, plays the run extremely well, always has his 0:16:48.960 --> 0:16:52.600 eyes on the quarterback so he doesn't get fooled a lot. 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:55.040 You don't see him get out of position on a 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:59.320 jet sweep or a screen pass. He diagnoses all that. 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:02.560 He's so small and he just never misses a play. 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:04.960 I've never seen a guy he just plays every down, 0:17:05.840 --> 0:17:09.640 every game. He's always there, and you know, for coaches 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:13.400 to have that kind of reliability and durability after all 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:15.280 this time pretty remarkable. 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:24.480 More with Jeff Duncan of The Times Picky You in 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:28.000 New Orleans momentarily but right now a word from our 0:17:28.040 --> 0:17:31.520 friends at Duncan. It's always game on with Duncan, so 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:34.640 grab a coffee and kick off the action. Whether that's 0:17:34.720 --> 0:17:37.280 drinking a cup of coffee on your way to the 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:40.520 game or grabbing one to go before watching the game 0:17:40.560 --> 0:17:44.000 at home, Duncan is always there to help you get 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:46.439 your game on. Just like the pros, we need to 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:48.520 be at our best come game time, which is why 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:51.800 Duncan is the most important part of your game day 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:56.000 ritual because it's always the best call for football America 0:17:56.200 --> 0:18:06.480 runs on Duncan. Continue with Jeff Duncan, columnists with The 0:18:06.520 --> 0:18:09.280 Times Picky Union, New Orleans. As we begin to wrap 0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:13.920 this thing up, looking at injuries to begin this week, 0:18:14.040 --> 0:18:17.200 Week one of the NFL season. Who are the Saints 0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:21.080 concerned about injury wise as we enter this week? 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:25.240 I think they're going to be almost one hundred percent healthy. 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:29.240 The two main names that most people will know Marshawn Lattimore, 0:18:29.320 --> 0:18:33.479 their shutdown corner easily their best corners had a great camp. 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:37.159 He tweaked his knee out in Los Angeles as they 0:18:37.160 --> 0:18:41.160 worked against the Chargers. Hasn't practiced since, but Dennis Allen 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:43.600 has said he expects them to be one hundred percent 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.000 per Week one, so I expect to see him. And 0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:49.960 then Taysom Hill, the gadget utility player that's so critical 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:53.640 in their offense. He had an oblique strain a few 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:56.240 weeks ago and has not practiced since then, but he 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:59.160 also is expected to be okay for Week one. Those 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:02.720 are really the only names of note injury wise. I 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:04.240 expect those guys to be on the field. 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:07.359 Jeff, who are the rookies that the Saints will be 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:10.320 counting on even as early as this Sunday. 0:19:10.640 --> 0:19:13.399 Well, there's a couple of surprising guys on the roster. 0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:17.560 Mic that both their place kicker and their punter are 0:19:17.720 --> 0:19:20.760 undrafted free agents. I mean the punter is a guy 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:22.720 named Lou Headley, who's got to be one of the 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:25.520 most interesting stories in the NFL. He's a thirty year 0:19:25.560 --> 0:19:29.199 old rookie from Australia, owned a tattoo parlor, was a 0:19:29.240 --> 0:19:32.879 scaffolder in Australia and then decided he was going to 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:34.199 give it a go and try and make it as 0:19:34.200 --> 0:19:37.399 a punter. He was a rugby player in Australia and 0:19:37.440 --> 0:19:40.840 he beat out Blake gillickin the incumbent punter, so he's 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:42.800 gonna be punting for this team. And then their kicker, 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:46.639 Blake Rupie, beat out Will Lutz. The Saints traded Will Lutz, 0:19:46.680 --> 0:19:50.040 the veteran former pro bowler, to the Denver Broncos, and 0:19:50.119 --> 0:19:53.600 they're going with two young guys as specialists. So those 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:55.280 guys will be ones to watch. I mean, they've never 0:19:55.280 --> 0:19:57.720 done it in the NFL, but they've had great camps. 0:19:58.240 --> 0:19:59.879 And then the other guy that I think will be 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:03.399 prominent will be Brian Brazie I mentioned earlier, the defensive tackle, 0:20:03.760 --> 0:20:06.600 first round draft pick out of Clemson. He's gonna I 0:20:06.640 --> 0:20:08.600 don't know if he'll start, but he'll be in there 0:20:08.600 --> 0:20:12.399 on passing downs, a really good interior pass rusher at 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:13.560 the defensive tackle spot. 0:20:13.720 --> 0:20:15.399 I want to go back to lou Headley for just 0:20:15.440 --> 0:20:18.880 a second, and the story is crazy, by the way, 0:20:18.920 --> 0:20:21.840 but I want to ask something more specific. Is he 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:26.240 an Australian style punter in terms of that side winding 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:30.200 or does he do more of the American style punting. 0:20:29.800 --> 0:20:34.600 Now, No, he's definitely Australian style, So he has a 0:20:34.640 --> 0:20:37.440 bunch of tools in his tool bag, right. I mean 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:41.080 he's going to kick, side, backspin, all of that, and 0:20:41.119 --> 0:20:44.080 that's something that was very intriguing to Darren Rizzy, the 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:47.240 special teams coach. He talked about it this week when 0:20:47.240 --> 0:20:49.960 we talked with him. They're excited about what he can do. 0:20:50.119 --> 0:20:54.159 Placing the ball using backspins, not traditional at all the 0:20:54.200 --> 0:20:57.280 way Blake Gillikin was here. So that's something new and 0:20:57.280 --> 0:21:00.639 we've seen it already in the preseason two different muffed 0:21:01.160 --> 0:21:04.760 punt returns by opponents on Headley's punt. So it's something 0:21:04.800 --> 0:21:07.480 that the Titans, I'm sure are very aware of and 0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:09.600 they'll have to focus in on because that ball is 0:21:09.640 --> 0:21:12.320 going to be coming in all sorts of crazy angles. 0:21:12.760 --> 0:21:16.520 Jeff, to wrap up, as the Saints look at the Titans, 0:21:17.000 --> 0:21:20.639 what do you think their biggest concerns are about Tennessee 0:21:20.880 --> 0:21:22.200 entering this game on Sunday. 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:25.360 Well, I think it has to start with that physical 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:28.560 running game with Derrick Henry and now Tyse Spears the 0:21:29.359 --> 0:21:33.440 preseason he's had. We're very familiar with him here from 0:21:33.480 --> 0:21:36.760 his days at Tulane and seeing him as a one 0:21:36.800 --> 0:21:40.960 to two punch with Derrick Henry. The Saints rushing rushing 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:44.080 defense Mike really dropped off last year. I think they 0:21:44.200 --> 0:21:48.360 finished in the twenties. Yards per carry was way up 0:21:48.400 --> 0:21:51.880 against them, yards per game all that. It just kind 0:21:51.880 --> 0:21:54.440 of came out of nowhere. They've been a top five, 0:21:54.600 --> 0:21:58.680 top ten run defense for years under Dennis Allen. They 0:21:58.680 --> 0:22:01.480 didn't tackle very well. All that has to be a 0:22:01.560 --> 0:22:05.880 concern going against this physical Titans offense. I think everything 0:22:06.000 --> 0:22:11.320 starts there, and if they can control the Titans running game, 0:22:11.359 --> 0:22:14.439 I think they feel like they'll be in good shape defensively. 0:22:14.800 --> 0:22:16.879 But that's a big challenge with Derek Henry, as we 0:22:16.920 --> 0:22:19.600 all know, I mean, he can just wear down defenses. 0:22:19.960 --> 0:22:22.639 And they've got so many new faces in their front seven. 0:22:23.240 --> 0:22:26.160 They lost both their starting defensive tackles to free agency, 0:22:26.600 --> 0:22:29.720 Caden Ellis. They're one of their best run defending linebackers 0:22:30.160 --> 0:22:34.640