What are your thoughts about the Saints going into this week?
Bryce Young and Chris Olave have proven to be explosive. Shutting down that connection will be top priority this week for us to get a win. Turnovers have been the kryptonite for the young QB in his early career. 40 INTs is a lot through 12 games. Our defense looks to add to that number. I think the best part of this Saints team is this defense. Led by Joey Bosa and Marshon Lattimore, we have to make sure to keep the sacks and turnovers to minimum. Going to be a tough game, looking forward to it.
Over your career, what makes a team better at not turning the ball over as the season goes along? What kind of things you need to emphasize? How much of it is coaching? How much of it is a mental part? Physical part?
Howell is the perfect example of this. In his first 3 seasons, we have slowly reduced his TOs. Yes, he fumbles too much and he throws too many picks. But he gets better every game. I think a lot of it is mental for him. While he may not have the ABILITY like some of his competitors, but knows he has to beat them with his brain. His emphasis on patience and sliding has reduced the amount of big hits he is taking. Even when he is taking sacks, it's not optimal. Some of those, however, we would rather see him take the sack then force an error. We ask a lot of Sam. He touches the ball every play. Our trust in him has not wavered.
How do you see the competition level in the NFC East currently?
It's been brutal. I mean look at it. We are 8-4 in the division and stuck in third behind 2 of our losses. We have 2 more rematches, but our last 4 are some of the toughest on the schedule. We have to play every game like its win or go home at this point.
