NEW ORLEANS SAINTS WEEKLY MEDIA INFORMATION GUIDE WASHINGTON REDSKINS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS OCTOBER 8, 2018 @ MERCEDES­BENZ SUPERDOME GAME INFORMATION • ROSTERS • DEPTH CHART • TEAM AND PLAYER STATISTICS WASHINGTON REDSKINS (2-1) VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (3-1) MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2018 – 7:15 PM (CST) MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME – NEW ORLEANS, LA. TV: ESPN (WDSU 6 locally) – Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jason Witten and Anthony McFarland (color analysts) and Lisa Salters (sideline) NATIONAL RADIO: Westwood One Radio – Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Kurt Warner (color analyst) and Ross Tucker (sideline) LOCAL RADIO: WWL (870 AM and 105.3 FM) – Zach Strief (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (color analyst) and Steve Geller (sideline) SPANISH LANGUAGE RADIO: Louisiana Spanish Network (97.9 FM) – Marco Garcia (play-by-play), Juan Carlos Ramos (color analyst) and Victor Quinonez (sideline) touchdowns, zero picks and a 115.3 rating. Brees has THE MATCHUP 71,740 career passing yards. With 201 passing yards on After a convincing 33-18 win at the New York Giants, Monday night, he would become the NFL’s all-time leader. the Saints (3-1) return home looking to keep their grip on The defense harassed Giants QB Eli Manning into com- first place in the NFC South when they host the Washing- pleting only 5.3 yards per completion and in the fourth ton Redskins (2-1) on Monday night, in their second con- quarter, DT Tyler Davison had a sack/forced fumble that secutive contest against an NFC East opponent. was recovered by DL Taylor Stallworth. LB Demario Davis A balanced offense, attacking defense and efficient had his best performance as a Saint, leading the club with special teams spurred the Saints to their third straight win 11 tackles and two sacks. CB Marshon Lattimore recov- on Sunday. New Orleans ran for 170 yards, their highest ered a fumble forced by CB P.J. Williams and returned it total since Week Ten of 2017. The rushing attack was led 37 yards to set up a second quarter field goal. by a dominant performance from RB Alvin Kamara, who The Saints face a challenge from a reinvigorated Wash- carried 19 times for 134 yards (7.1 avg) and three touch- ington team under fifth-year coach Jay Gruden that fea- downs. In the passing game, Kamara led the team in re- tures a balanced offense helped by the contributions of ceiving with five grabs for 47 yards, for a game-high total two newcomers, the arm and legs of QB Alex Smith and of 181 total yards from scrimmage. Kamara set career- the hard-running style of RB Adrian Peterson. Defensively, highs in carries, rushing yardage and rushing touchdowns. Washington’s ranked third overall, eighth against the run In a solid follow-up to his AP NFL Rookie of the Year cam- and third against the pass. paign, Kamara has carried the load for the Saints rushing While the NFL’s fourth-ranked offense has been a key attack, carrying 56 times for 275 yards and a league-high ingredient in the Saints’ 3-1 start, several factors have five touchdowns. In the passing game, he leads NFL run- played a role in getting hotter after a season opening loss. ning backs in receiving and is third overall with 35 grabs The offensive line has given up only six sacks, while help- for 336 yards and one touchdown. Kamara is leads the ing support the performance of Brees and the league’s NFL with 611 total yards from scrimmage and is tied for total yards from scrimmage leader (Kamara) and receiving first in the NFL in scoring among nonkickers with 40 points. leader (WR Michael Thomas). The run defense is ranked QB Drew Brees was a model of efficiency as he com- third in the NFL, while DE Cameron Jordan has four sacks. pleted 18-of-32 passes for 217 yards, playing turnover-free Special teams have been aided by solid performances in football. With that contest, Brees hasn’t thrown a pick in the kicking game. Third-year K Wil Lutz leads the NFL in the last five regular season contests, the most consecutive scoring with 41 points and has drilled eight straight field games he has gone in his career without a pick, a time goals, including four in the second quarter Sunday to give spanning 203 pass attempts. In 2018, Brees has complet- the Saints a 12-7 halftime lead. P Thomas Morstead leads ed 122-of-161 passes (75.8 pct.) for 1,295 yards, eight the league with a 44.7 net punting average. Washington vs. New Orleans: Week 5 2 THE COACHES the Top 3 in the NFL in all three categories as the Redskins posted consecutive winning seasons for the first time since Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has posted a 115-77 the 1996 and 1997 campaigns. Gruden joined the Red- overall record (.599), including a 7-5 postseason mark skins after spending three seasons as offensive coordina- (.583) after the franchise had won only one playoff game tor for the Cincinnati Bengals, during which time the Ben- prior to his arrival. Payton holds the club’s top win total and gals averaged 10 wins a season, making three consecutive winning percentage. He continues to represent the Saints playoff appearances and earning an AFC North champion- as the model of stability not only within the NFC South, as ship in 2013. In three seasons together, Gruden helped he is the longest tenured head coach within the division, quarterback and 2011 second-round pick Andy Dalton post but also among the most accomplished within the NFL. a 30-18 regular season record (.625). He also spent seven Only New England’s Bill Belichick (2000), Cincinnati’s seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an offensive Marvin Lewis (2003) and Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy assistant (2002-08), helping the team to its first league (hired one week prior to Payton in 2006) have been with championship in Super Bowl XXXVII. He is one of the most their teams longer. Payton is also one of just eight active celebrated individuals in Arena Football League history, coaches to lead a team to a Super Bowl victory. The others having won six combined league championships–four as a are Belichick, Seattle’s Pete Carroll, Oakland’s Jon Gruden quarterback and two as a head coach. He was named the (Tampa Bay in 2002), Baltimore’s John Harbaugh, McCar- 1992 AFL Most Valuable Player and was honored with in- duction into the AFL Hall of Fame in 1999. Background: thy, Philadelphia’s Doug Pederson and Pittsburgh’s Mike Quarterback at Louisville (1985-88), twice being named Tomlin. The 2017 Saints yielded an 11-5 regular season team Most Valuable Player. Played quarterback for Barce- record, producing their first playoff berth since 2013, be- lona Dragons and Sacramento Surge (World League of hind a squad led by QB Drew Brees offensively and DE American Football, 1990), Tampa Bay Storm (Arena Foot- Cameron Jordan defensively, this team featured seven ball League, 1991-96) and Orlando Predators (Arena Foot- players selected to the Pro Bowl, tied for the most in club ball League, 2002-03). Coached in various capacities for history and four draft picks selected to the PFWA All- Louisville (1989-1991), Nashville Kats (Arena Football Rookie Team, two more than any other club. With RB Alvin League, 1997), Orlando Predators (Arena Football League, Kamara and CB Marshon Lattimore, the 2017 Saints were 1998-2001, 2004-08), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002-08), the first team to have both the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of Florida Tuskers (United Football League-2009-2010) and the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year since 1967. Cincinnati Bengals (2011-13). Personal: Born on March 4, The Saints defense saw improvement in virtually every ma- 1967 in Tiffin, Ohio. jor statistical category. New Orleans moved up ten spots in total defense, including from 32nd to 15th against the pass. After ranking 31st in opponent points per game in 2016, 2018 NEW ORLEANS-WASHINGTON New Orleans moved up to tenth in 2017, surrendering only STATISTICAL COMPARISON 20.4 points per game. Payton earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at Eastern Illinois, where as a quarter- League Rankings back he had 10,665 passing yards, at the time the third- Saints Redskins highest total in NCAA Division I-AA history. Payton was inducted into the Eastern Illinois Hall of Fame in September Record 3-1 2-1 of 2000 and had his jersey retired in a ceremony in Sep- Scoring Avg. (NFL Rank) 34.3 (3) 21.3 (23) Opp. Scoring Avg. (NFL Rank) 30.3 (28) 14.7 (2) tember of 2010. He received an honorary doctorate from Total Off. (NFL Rank) 418.3 (4) 383.0 (13) his alma mater in 2013. Payton was born December 29, Rushing Off. (NFL Rank) 104.5 (17) 137.7 (5) 1963 in San Mateo, Calif., and raised in Naperville, Ill., Passing Off. (NFL Rank) 313.8 (7) 245.3 (18) Payton has a daughter, Meghan and a son, Connor. Total Def. (NFL Rank) 390.5 (24) 278.0 (3) Rushing Def. (NFL Rank) 79.5 (4) 90.7 (8) Jay Gruden was named the 29th head coach in fran- Passing Def. (NFL Rank) 311.0 (30) 187.3 (3) chise history on January 9, 2014. He guided the Redskins Kickoff Return Avg. (NFL Rank) 21.9 (16) 14.6 (32) Punt Return Avg. (NFL Rank) 3.9 (31) 6.8 (19) to a 9-7 record and an NFC East title in 2015, becoming Turnover Margin (NFL Rank) -1 (17t) +2 (7t) only the sixth coach in team history to lead the franchise to Penalties 28 22 a playoff berth within the first two years of a coaching ten- ure.