Saints Player Roundtable in Paris: Kamara's Fashion, Jordan's Flag Football

New Orleans Saints players met with the media on Wednesday for the first time since landing in France. A selection of athletes were asked wide-ranging questions. Here is a lightly edited transcript of those conversations.

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How different is it (European football/soccer) from the NFL?

(Alvin Kamara) It's different. Obviously, this was probably the best game to come to. (Olave and other players went to a PSG game on Tuesday night) The atmosphere was electric. It's a little bit different. Our stadiums are bigger. But, I mean, the chants, non-stop, the whole game, it was crazy. I'd be annoyed if I was playing. It would make me mad. But it was amazing to experience, though.

If you had to convince the French people to be fans of the Saints, because maybe they have to look for their team for the first time, their NFL team, what would you say to them to convince them? You have 20 seconds.

(Chase Young) (after a lengthy pause) We have fun. And we have a great culture.

Alvin, you're now one of six guys in NFL history with 5,000 yards rushing, 5,000 receiving. What are these numbers beginning to mean to you as you continue to go along?

(Kamara) It's meaning I'm almost as old as Cam. Not as good, ain't he? Nah, it's amazing, man. I was having a conversation with one of my friends yesterday, and I was telling him that you play this game long enough that you start breaking records like this, and you don't really stop to think about the numbers and the touchdowns, the catcher's sacks, whatever it may be, until somebody says something to you or something like this happens, and then you start thinking back to games and years and reps. It's just, I mean, we are blessed to be in this position, but to break that record is definitely a blessing. It's amazing to still be doing it and still be feeling good.

Cam, yesterday you got to coach flag football youth here in France. What did you think about the level and the development of flag football players in the European continent?

(Cam Jordan) I love that flag football has sort of brought back the prominence of football. A little kid, you always play two-hand touch, and now my kids are playing flag football, come out to France, and they're practicing right in front of the Eiffel Tower. Legendary backdrop, not going to lie. But the kids were so avid about like, you know, they were in their teens, and like, you going to race me? I said, no, brother, I just got done with the game. But the skills and everything else, like they understand that flag football is a way that they can get themselves noticed. It's a way that they can exude their talents. Talking to one of the kids, he was like, I love soccer, but I love flag football. And I said, I'm glad you speak English (laughs). It was just awesome to talk to them, to know that, you know, they dream about flag football, starting to have dreams about, you know, Olympics already. My dream is to win a Super Bowl. So, it's just amazing to watch these kids take to flag football the way they did. I mean, flag football, everybody's equal.

Eric, I'm going to ask you the same question I always ask you back in the States. Best thing you ate on your off day here?

(Erik McCoy) (at the soccer/football) game yesterday. Honestly, we were at the PSG game yesterday, right? And I don't know if they call it a plate or whatever, but it was steak and potatoes just from the concession. Fire. Crazy. Fire. Caught me by surprise. But then just the little cafes, grabbing a chocolate croissant, I'll say. Those have been great. Enjoyed that. Had an eclair, vanilla flan. I'm a sweets guy, so just kind of staying in that category has been great.

Tyler, you get the opportunity to come to Paris multiple times now. Do you have a French routine? If yes, what does it look like?

(Tyler Shough) Oh, that's a good question. I don't have a routine yet. It's only my second time, but I think hitting some of the main spots and seeing some familiar faces has been cool. I saw the same driver that we had, a lot of the same media members, and kind of helping those people and trying some new food spots I think has been one of the coolest parts. But, you know, from this point forward, we're kind of business mode right now, so it was fun for a couple days to be able to experience it.

Eric and Tyler, apologies, I should ask this early in tandem. Eric first, you've played with Alvin a long time. When you see him catch that swing pass on Sunday and turn the corner, do you immediately think Six and Tyler, when you get it to him in his hands, do you feel like, okay, I got him in a good position to where he can score there?

(McCoy) Absolutely. I think through his career he's proven he's an extremely talented back, and for me it's like I got to get on my hot horse to try to make a block even though I'm not going to catch up. But I can make it look good at least.

(Shough) No, I'm throwing that thinking like good luck, Alvin. I'm trying to get out of my hands. I'm sorry. We got combo pressure, blitz off the edge, and we kind of had it built in, so he just made a really good play. I mean, to be honest, a good play there is three or four yards, and he turns that into a touchdown. So that's kind of the name of the game is how do we limit those negative plays and getting the ball to Alvin and getting the ball to Chris (Olave) in space is part of that, and they make the rest.

Alvin, you mentioned yesterday you were at the PSG Stadium. You've played in many stadiums during your career. I believe this is probably the first time maybe you've been to Stade de France for Sunday's game, a very historical stadium. How excited are you about playing there and the history of the stadium and what it represents?

(Kamara) Definitely excited. I was talking to a couple of people, and they said everybody's first response was that's probably the nicest stadium we have. That's probably the nicest stadium we have. So definitely excited for the scenery and to be a part of it. It's the first NFL game being played in France, so it's an opportunity for all of us. I want to win, you know what I'm saying? So we'll always have that to brag about, that we won the first NFL, I mean the first American football game played in France. We had a chance to win it, and then we'll be a part of history. It'll be just like the Rugby final (held in that stadium), a couple of other games, and we'll be able to kind of brag about that too. So you'll say that to the next people that play in Paris, that the Saints won in that stadium when they come.

Question for Alvin, but probably applies to anybody. How important off the field is fashion to you? I know it actually is important, but what does it mean for you to kind of express yourself in that way? And especially here in Paris, are you going to kind of up your game a little bit more for like a tunnel walk on Sunday?

(Kamara) During the season, I'm kind of mellow with it, but I think especially with the NFL, I think there's a lot more focus on these tunnel walks and guys stepping into fashion and really getting into it. And I think it's good. I mean, it's a good crossover for both worlds, the fashion world and the sports world. It's not only football, basketball, all these other sports, but specifically with the NFL, I think there's, like I said, it's a good crossover. And I don't know if I'm going to up my game really. I think I'm just going to do what I do.

You got something in the bag?

(Kamara) I really don't. You'll be surprised. I don't really – it's not too much planning when it comes to outfits. Compare our fits. See what he's wearing and then see what I'm wearing.

It was a question for everybody.

(Kamara) Cam got a little bit. CO (Chris Olave), yeah, you got to talk to CO. CO was telling me – CO spent like $100,000 yesterday shopping. I'm telling you. Yeah, you know he just got paid. CO. I was like, slow down, bro.

(Shough) I go window shopping.

I've got a question for Tyler. You went to the Stade de France a few months ago. Does it help you pre-game to have already a vision and an image of that stadium in your routine? Is it something for a quarterback that is important?

(Shough) I wouldn't say from a routine-wise. It's going to be different at every stadium. But I think the coolest part was going into the locker room, and you see all the French national players. Pogba, Mbappe, all these guys that are just like the history of what we were talking about. The history of what's been played there in the rugby. And you see kind of all that stuff that's been on the walls. So that's really cool. And being a part of that kind of gives you chills that way. So you obviously get to look and see the environment. But for quarterback and offense, you get inside the stadium. You're looking for the game clock. You're looking for the clocks and stuff like that. So I think that was my favorite part last time.

This is kind of a question for all of you if the answer varies at all, but, Cam, I'll start with you. And then if anybody has a different answer, go for it. But just curious about how you manage the time change and avoiding jet lag getting on the right schedule.

(Jordan) I think the Saints did a phenomenal job of getting us here early enough to where we can have our bodies adjust. As players, if you would have asked me to, like, you know, we came in Monday morning. If you would have asked me, like, hey, be a ball player yesterday, I'm not going to lie to you. It wouldn't have happened. Like, I would have been out there just looking like a jellyfish or something. But because we've had enough time, like actually had a decent amount of sleep last night, I felt better. So I can imagine how I'll feel come Sunday. So I think, like I said, I think our Saints organization did a phenomenal job handling this trip.

Give me some specifics. When you landed, what did you do?

(Jordan) I have no idea. I was in a cloud, brother. You got to stay up as long as you can when we first land. So trying to stay up later into the night, trying to stretch that out, and then that way you can have a full night. But everybody's been different. So you talk to some people, it's like, man, I woke up at 3 a.m., I got a good night's sleep. But I think the biggest thing is game time, feeling ready to go. That's what you want.

(Shough) Yeah, they said when we landed they'd come and stay up. I went to sleep for five hours. I'm going to get my sleep so I can be ready the next day. CO, what did you do?

(Olave) Shoot, I took a long nap too. I took a long nap once we landed. But, yeah, I feel like I'm good now after a couple of days. So I feel like I'm going to be good on Sunday.

(Kamara) Yeah, that's what I did. I've done the Paris thing a couple of times and had to come and be ready to do other stuff. Walk the runway. Be on schedule. I'll say that, be on schedule. So I took a nap from like 1 to 5 and then stayed up until like 3 and then set my alarm for like 9 and then to regular. I think, I mean, it's piggyback. Everybody kind of hit on the head, but I think piggybacking off what Cam said, I mean, we're getting out here with enough time to acclimate. So, I mean, again, shout out to the organization.

We know that the team is learning French. Who is the best French speaker on the team and who is the worst?

(Shough) Oh, who's the best? We have an (equipment manager) guy named Nolan. He's a short, red-headed guy, does not like anything French at all. He's a little Irish dude with a mustache. He's been learning French since he found out that we were going to play. So we had some French people come and try and help out with the cuisine. So, I don't know, you probably won't ever talk to him, but he's the best French speaking guy I've ever seen. He learned it in a short amount of time. Who's the worst? I mean, it's got to be one of these dudes up here. I say Chase probably. Chase don't speak a lick of French. Whatever I say, if a girl walks up to him, you don't have to say nothing. He just smiles and it's all good.

Question for Chris. If you score a touchdown, what kind of celebration you will do in Stade de France?

(Olave) Oh, nice. Ballet. I ain't got nothing planned right now. I still got to do some research.

Question for Chris right here. You've been vocal about wearing the Guardian cap during the games now. Is it important to you to maybe be an inspiration for younger players to hopefully wear it more in the future?

(Olave) I wouldn't say inspiration, man. That's just the route that I went. With all my head injuries in the past, I just wanted to be safe and put it at the forefront, really, of the game. And let's try to put safety at the forefront of the game. Like I said, they get inspired by that. I try to make them feel safe. Try to pass it down to the younger generation. But I just try to put it on for my kids and try to protect my brain in the future.

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