Saints Stars Explain What Makes Defense, Derek Carr Tough to Beat

New Orleans Saints veteran leaders Derek Carr and Tyrann Mathieu praised the opposite sides of the football at the first day training camp.

It was only the first day of training camp for the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday but it was immediately made certain that nothing would be easy for either side of the ball. Quarterback Derek Carr made big connections with wide receivers Chris Olave and Michael Thomas that would have had the Caesars' Superdome on its feet and also found running back Alvin Kamara for a big gain on a screen pass. All of a sudden, things are starting to look like the Saints of old. But the defense fought back forcing two fumbles and stacking up pressures. It was back and forth throughout the day.

When Carr met with the media following practice, we asked about what it is that the Saints defense does to complicate things for a quarterback. "The way they play their zones, the way they play theirs mans, how good the players are," Carr said. "How good the rush is... I have to be on time. I have to be accurate. All those things. You saw a play made today right on the ball. Great coverage! That's just not a layup. So now it's going to push us to even go harder."

Carr clearly sees appreciates the challenge the defense presents as well. "I told (head coach Dennis Allen) after one of the minicamp days, 'I absolutely love practicing here,'" Carr said. "Because it's so difficult. I have to be so on it every rep. There's no 'Oh, this is going to be open.'" 

This feels an awful lot like the "iron sharpens iron" approach of years past. No moment is being taken for granted by the offense because of how well the defense is constructed and how well the unit executes. 

Jun 13, 2023; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) looks on during minicamp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

For all the praise Carr had for the defense, safety Tyrann Mathieu threw back at his quarterback during his media availability. "I think an underrated part of his game is his scrambling ability," Mathieu said of Carr. "His ability to kind of move the pocket and then he can make every throw, too. As a defense, you've got to cover a lot of blades of grass when you're dealing with a quarterback that can make every throw."

There is a lot of respect for Carr in the Saints facility and that extends to the players who have to try to make his life difficult every practice. Even defensive end Cameron Jordan reiterated his intent to bring Carr back to Las Vegas for a Super Bowl this season. But when on the field, the competition between the units is driving precision, intentionality and improvement.

And just as much as Carr highlights the difficulty he sees the defense present, he will do his best to make things challenging for them right back. "Hopefully we're doing that to them too," Carr said. "Hopefully they have good coverage and we put a ball out there and they get mad at themselves because we were able to hit it. As good as it's been going against them and all that, hopefully we're doing the same thing to them."