The New Orleans Saints have arrived in Paris, France, with much-needed momentum after Sunday's 34-27 victory over the New York Giants.
Fresh off ending a three-game skid, the Saints face the Pittsburgh Steelers in an international matchup that requires adjusting to a seven-hour time zone difference.
Head coach Kellen Moore noted Monday that arriving early gives players time to acclimate before Wednesday's practices and offers a team-bonding opportunity following their game in New Jersey.
Reflecting on the win over New York, Moore praised the rushing attack, takeaways, and mid-game execution, but stressed the need to finish better after nearly losing a 34-10 fourth-quarter lead.
He also addressed rookie Jeremiah Wright's performance, injuries, and his history with Steelers coach Mike McCarthy from their time in Dallas.
Here is what Moore had to say about the Saints' arrival in Paris, Sunday's victory and preparations for Pittsburgh.
Full Transcript from Monday’s Presser
Opening Statement
Bonjour. We're here.
We just got here. Good travel, all that. Our guys were able to get out on the field and walk around and get a light lift in at the hotel.
Obviously, there's a little bit of an acclimation process, but I think it's a great setup. It's an awesome opportunity for our football team to spend some time together while focusing on a really good opportunity to play out here in a great atmosphere. It's been a really fun week.
Q: Why was it important for the team to arrive in Paris early?
I think there's a few elements. The acclimation thing is important. For our guys to get here, have a couple days to get acclimated, and then it allows us to have a normal workflow.
Wednesday through Sunday is going to be as normal as possible. I think that's going to be a great opportunity for our guys.
There's always an added bonus of guys having an opportunity to spend a little bit more time together. The bonding element of a team atmosphere, I think it'll be great for our guys.
This is obviously a continuation of an extended trip going from New York to here. I think this will be great.
Q: Will you have to make any adjustments to team activities because of the events and protests taking place in Paris?
There's not really anything organized from a team bonding standpoint. I think it's more our guys having the opportunity to spend some time together, and that'll naturally, organically occur.
I think guys will have different opportunities to share a meal or spend a little bit of time outside. That's at their discretion.
Our guys are smart. They understand this is still a business trip. At the same time, there'll be a little bit of time for these guys to explore. I think that's an important part of this thing. Go explore. You're in a different country, a different culture. It's a great opportunity.
Then we have a normal week, just like we always do.
Q: How has the seven-hour time difference affected your process of reviewing Sunday's game, both for the coaching staff and the players?
We'll go through our process as similarly as possible. Obviously, we haven't gotten through all that yet.
Essentially, it was game, back to the hotel in New York — in New Jersey, technically — and then we flew out.
We just got here. We went through the acclimation process a little bit. We'll start getting into some meetings and some film to review the game and get ourselves moving forward toward Pittsburgh.
Q: Do you feel a little lighter or relieved after Sunday's victory?
I'm just proud of our guys. NFL seasons always take their different courses, and there's emotions related to every game. Everyone has the same goals and aspirations.
I thought our guys obviously did enough to win that football game, so credit to them.
I thought that middle eight was a critical part of that game. It put us in position. Obviously, we know there's going to be opportunities to focus on some things we need to improve on, certainly the finish.
Ultimately, we got it done, but we want to finish better.
I thought our guys were really resilient and stuck together. I thought there was juice and energy, and I love that.
I love the turnovers on defense. I love running the football on offense. I love the kickoff team creating another turnover. That unit's been special.
I thought there were some big plays throughout that game.
Q: Do you have an injury update on Cesar (Ruiz), and did Kaden (Ellis) and Jordyn (Tyson) make the trip?
They're on the trip, and I do not have a detailed medical update yet.
Q: Was it difficult managing the injured players during a long flight immediately after Sunday's game?
The medical evaluations coming out of the game, you obviously have more time to go through that process.
We had to get a few guys through the evaluation phase, and then obviously the travel.
I think this is an important part, getting out here. It's not a perfect setup with the travel and all that sort of stuff.
But for us to be able to do it coming right out of the game, get here, now our guys get to get acclimated. They'll get adjusted to this time zone pretty well.
We'll get the different place, tourist thing out of our system here quickly and then get into a full week.
Q: What contributed to the improvement in the running game against the Giants?
I think all 11. At the end of the day, it was all 11.
Physical up front. I thought our running backs ran really, really hard. Receivers getting into the safeties and some of those things, and tight ends battling.
I thought we had a good mix there. We've got to continue that. We've got to build on that.
I thought some of our combination blocks, when we were able to get those going, were very effective.
Q: What did you think of rookie offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright's performance in his first extended playing opportunity?
I thought he did some good things. First time really playing an extended period of time. Proud of him for stepping up and taking advantage of the opportunity.
I thought that was a good first start for him as far as getting out there and playing some football.
We know these seasons, guys have to hop in there and take advantage of an opportunity and continue to get better. Jeremiah was able to step in there, and that's what you need in this league.
You're going to need guys to be called upon, and you never know when your opportunity is going to present itself. You've got to take advantage of it. Good job by him.
Q: Was the middle eight against the Giants the best stretch of complementary football your team has played this season?
Yeah, I think that's a fair assessment.
We've had moments, and certainly that's what the NFL is. There's highs and lows in every season, every game. That's just how it is.
We want to play more consistent football. We've got to get there.
I thought that was a big deal. I thought our defense had some stops in there to control the game, got that long field goal, and then the kickoff unit creating that turnover was special.
We were able to score right before half, and then the third quarter, I felt like we came out playing the way we needed to play.
Q: What do you like about the team's practice facility in Paris, and will the Saints have an opportunity to visit the stadium before Sunday?
The whole organization and the league have done a phenomenal job of getting ahead of this thing, putting us in a really good setup from a proximity standpoint of the hotel and the training facility and where we'll be able to practice.
I feel like it's going to be a great setup for us.
We already went over there for a little walk. Our guys got some fresh air and walked around the field to see where it's at.
We'll go to the stadium Saturday so our guys can see it and experience that a little bit, so Sunday's not the first time.
It'll be a great opportunity. This is going to be a great environment for us.
I think this is really well set up. Appreciate everything our organization's done, Mrs. B's done, to help set this thing up for us to have a great week.
Q: What does facing Mike McCarthy mean to you, considering your previous coaching relationship with him?
Obviously, both of our staffs have a healthy dose of carryover. We have a lot of ties.
Mike was awesome for me. Being a younger coach, I was a first-time offensive coordinator, then he came to Dallas, and I was able to stay on and learn so much from him.
He's a great family man. I appreciate the way he operated.
It'll be great to see him and great to see a number of the guys over there on that staff who I've spent a number of years with.
Q: How many croissants have you eaten since arriving in Paris?
It'll probably happen fast here.
All I see is Doug in his little cafe over there. That's all I'm seeing on my screen this entire time.
Doug's already rolling. He's going all in. I think he's already had a croissant today, too.
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