Brandon Staley - Defensive Coordinator, saints Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-17 | Full transcript (primary source).
Brandon Staley, Defensive Coordinator for the Saints, addressed the media during a press conference on September 17, 2026. The discussion focused on the team's unorthodox player rotation strategy and its impact on depth and performance throughout the season.
Transcript
Staley: Curious about the rotations you guys do, it's a little bit unorthodox and I'm wondering like are there other teams that you've seen do that that inspired you? Like where did you kind of get the idea to rotate, take your starting quarterback up the field or starting linebacker rather than like defensive linemen who rotate all the time? When you think that you have starters, multiple starters at one position, that's something that we've done in the past, especially when you want to develop the depth on a team throughout a season. It's really hard to develop as a player without experience on the field. And so when you feel like you have capable starters, then you want to make sure that they get the opportunity to go out there and play because we think that it not only adds value to the game day operation, but over the course of a long season. So I think the characteristic of a good defense or offense is having depth within your unit. And the only way that that really can show itself, it's not when just the guy gets injured, it's being able to use those individual talents throughout the game. And we feel like there's a real advantage to that throughout the course of a long season.
Staley: Is there a rest element in play there too? Like you can keep that pressure throughout the course of the game? Certainly for the front, that's definitely an aspect of having a fresh group that can play full speed every snap. But then there's also an element too, if a player was coming off an injury and you're worried about him having to play 70, 75, 80 snaps in a game, making sure that he can get back into a flow without overdoing it, that could be an aspect of it too. When you feel like you have guys that deserve to be out there, you want to make sure that they get out there. And then the other thing too is we try to define when that's going to happen so that everybody has an expectation of when that substitution is going to happen so that everybody can get into rhythm. So yeah, that's the answer.
Unknown: You did that in Los Angeles as well, aren't the Chargers?
Staley: Yeah, wherever I've coached. Yeah, when you feel like you've got good enough players, the defensive line is an easy one. That's typically a rotation position, but when you feel like you have guys that are good enough to play, you want to get them out there and get them exposed as much as possible. And so that wasn't always the case last year. We tried to play a lot of people last year too, but this year we feel like we've got multiple guys that deserve to be out there.
Unknown: Do you see both Sean Payton and Ben Johnson's influence in what he's doing? Is it leaning kind of more toward one direction?
Staley: I do. I think that that's a fair assessment of the flavor that you see on the silent tape. We're all a blend of our experiences. He's very fortunate he's had some really good football experiences for sure, and they got off to a great start last week.
Unknown: You go from Jameer Gibbs to defending Omar Jackson, or can't we have challenging as that two-week turnaround?
Staley: Every week in the NFL, you're going to have a group of names like that that are among the best in the league. Certainly with Lamar, you're talking about a two-time MVP, one of the really, I think, transcendent players in the league since he's been in it. And in that same breath, Derek has been that way at running back. You're talking about a really unique player for the position who's been a multiple-time alt-pro, one of the most productive runners in NFL history. So as a tandem, they're a handful for sure. And every down, there's danger. So that's just the NFL right now. There's a lot of special players in the league.
Unknown: When is Derek's self-station?
Staley: I mean, Derek, I think the one thing I think of is just his ability to force missed tackles. And then when he forces missed tackles, typically explosive runs follow. So for his size and his speed, that combination is really, really unique. And then I think he's got really good vision. You don't run for as many yards as he has without having a really good feel for the game and the eyes for the position. That's what leads to so many of these big runs is his feel to cut the ball back on his own play or bounce it on a gap play and make it where it's him versus one guy. And typically, he breaks that tackle, and then it goes a long way. And I think what people underestimate him is when he's going full speed, his full speed is really fast, even though he's obviously a big guy. So a tough back, a tough cover for sure. And him and Lamar pairing up together, that's a tough tandem running the ball because Lamar himself just adds such a run game element. Whether he's designed or not, it makes the running game even more dangerous.
Unknown: Have you adapted your philosophy against running quarterbacks like Lamar or Jalen Hurts over the years? Or have you always had a philosophy and you've stuck with it? Or have you learned through trial and error what has worked and what hasn't?
Staley: What I've learned is the special players with the special mobility do add a different dimension to the game. And no play is ever over. And really, players like Lamar, they're at their best at the critical junctures, whether it's the third down, red area, two minute. So I first came in the league. It was kind of the beginning of all of that. And I can remember when I was in Chicago, we played Baltimore in Lamar's first ever pro game when he was a rookie. And so I've seen the growth of him certainly as a player that turned into a two time MVP. But being in the division with Pat Mahomes certainly when I was in Denver, having to face him several times when I was with the Chargers and then at the Rams, like, hey, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson are in your division. You just know that all these players now at that position have that extra element, whether you're talking about Josh or Jalen. You mentioned a couple of them. Man, there's so many of them now that have that. So it's an 11 on 11 job because it used to be you could play 10 on 11. And you can't do that anymore. With enhanced when you play against that.
Staley: Oh, man. There's too many rules to go over in one press conference. But the main thing is you've got to play as a team. And it's going to take everybody to play a full game. Because against players like that, I mean, the rule is you've got to be ready to win the game in two minutes against the special players. And no down is over. And no situation is safe. And you need all 11 guys that respect that over the course of a 60 minute game. It's one of the toughest things that you have to battle.
Unknown: If the battle pulling back too much on aggressive quarterbacks like that, because you're also kind of shielding.
Staley: Yeah, I mean, I think you've got to make sure that you're at the level of the quarterback. I think you have to rush more physical. You don't want to rush more cautious. You actually want to rush more physically. But you've got to rush in a direct nature against the special players because you don't have much time to get there. You want to make sure that he feels the pocket where if he feels air in the pocket, whether that's outside or inside, then his instincts take over and he runs the daylight. And that's bad for you. So you want the pocket to be tight. I'm certainly not telling you anything revolutionary that any defensive coach wouldn't tell you. But there is an aspect of no matter what your rush plan is, you have to respect that truth. You want the pocket to be tight. The more air in the pocket, the worse it is for you.
Unknown: When it comes to Lamar, the conversation is always keeping him in the pocket, but he's also one of the better pocket passers in the league as well. How do you pick your poison when it comes to defending that?
Staley: Well, I'm glad you mentioned that because this guy is one of the top throwers at the position. He's just so spectacular doing the other stuff that some people, I think, minimize his ability to beat you from the pocket. He's got a very strong arm, and this was even coming out of Louisville. He's got a very strong arm. He's got a very quick release. So he doesn't need a lot of room in the pocket. He can make tight window throws because his release is so fast. And he can drive the ball. He can drive the ball to all parts of the field. If you take a look at his highlight reel, you're going to see 50 and 60 yard touchdowns where the ball is traveling a long ways because he's got a very strong arm. And I think when I watch him on film now, you just see a player with all the experience now. He has seen so many defenses. He's been in so many situations. He's just playing with a ton of confidence because he's got a bigger inventory to draw from now. So he's one of the top players in the history of the game, and that's just a fact.
Unknown: Is there a lot of pressure on the secondary, just in particular?
Staley: I mean, you have a lot of one-on-one probably plaster for an extended period. I wouldn't put the pressure just on the secondary. There's pressure on everybody on the field when you play against a quarterback like this. There's pressure on every player, every coach, and that's what the great ones do. And he's certainly one of them.
