Here's five takeaways from Redskins defensive coordinator Joe Barry's Nov. 5, 2015, press conference at Redskins Park in Loudoun County, Va.
1. No matter how many new faces there have been on the Saints' offense over the years, they still have one similarity: Drew Brees.
And Brees, of course, has been and continues to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Purdue product can put points up in bunches, and while he's had No. 1 target Marques Colston by his side since joining New Orleans in 2006, Brees likes to spread the wealth around.
Through nine games this season, five different Saints have recorded at least 30 receptions. Colston has the fewest in the group above 30 while the speedy Brandin Cooks leads the team with 45 catches.
"I used the phrase last week, Drew is the guy that stirs the drink – he really is – for them," Barry said. "He's so good when you look at… Every week you start the week and look at their main targets, you look at their guys. …He doesn't care. No. 83 [Willie Snead], kind of an obscure guy that came in. He's playing out of his mind right now. He's got 41 catches. I think Drew does such a great job, the great quarterbacks do. They don't' let you get a bead on any one guy. He's going to spray the ball. 'You take this guy away, I'm going here. You take this guy and this guy away, I'm going here.' He does a wonderful job."
And if team's overcommit to playing the deep ball too much, Brees does a good job utilizing screens especially with the running backs.
"I think whether it's No. 22 [Mark Ingram] or No. 28 [C.J. Spiller], they're very good screen backs," Barry said. "They do a good job of mixing in the screens out on the perimeter even with No. 10 [Brandin Cooks]. Every offense evolves, no question. I don't think just because they've lost some great players over the years… They've replaced them with some really good players. I don't think Drew and Coach Payton are ever going to get away from their system."
2. The plan for now is to roll with Jeron Johnson in the starting lineup.
Johnson was expected to compete with Duke Ihenacho from the day he was signed in March to compete for the team's starting strong safety spot.
The Boise State product, however, would fall behind due to a training camp hamstring injury.
Then the team decided to go with Trenton Robinson after Ihenacho went down with a season-ending injury in the season opener.
But last Sunday, the team went back to Johnson and he didn't disappoint, convincing the coaches he deserves more playing time.
"I tip to my hat to Jeron," Barry said. "[He] came in, competed his butt off. I don't think things went the way he wanted to, but he kept working. He kept battling. He kept grinding. We made the switch. He actually played about 47 snaps on Sunday against New England — did a good job. He's earned the right to play and he'll continue to play, no doubt."
3. Barry has seen "some good, some bad" in both Trent Murphy and Preston Smith.
That's to be expected of two young players, as Murphy is in his first season as a full-time starter while Smith is still learning the ropes of life as a professional football player.
As they progress into the second half of the season, and as they're expected to continue to swap reps and even give Ryan Kerrigan a breather at times, Barry wants more consistency out of both.
"My big message to the team today, ironically, was consistency," Barry said. "Consistency — a great quote — 'Consistency is the truest measure of performance,' and you can't be, in this league, one day up, one day down. I think that's the hardest thing for young players."
Barry added that each had as their ups, but that there's been downs too often as well.
"I think it starts with us as coaches," Barry said. "Coaches, players, we're always striving for consistency and have that consistent level. I think that would be everybody, but you asked those two, absolutely, striving for consistency, every single day."
READ MORE: Murphy, Smith To Split Up Reps
4. The defense has had a hard time of late stopping the run, but the team is on to the third quarter of their season.
Barry said the team has broken down the season into four different quarters.
For the defense, the first quarter of the season went well, as they won two of their games and did a good job bottling up the run.
The second quarter wasn't so kind, though.
Effort hasn't been an issue, but tackling has been.
"I think our guys playing their butts off," Barry said. "I don't think it has anything to do with… we're not busting things. Again, a little bit, it has to do with you have to defend 37 runs. That's going to take its toll, but bottom line in the National Football League, when the ball is handed off, you've got to get off blocks and you've got to make tackles. Last week, they had a big, physical back. He broke some tackles but we've got to have a tackling plan when we play against a guy like that and we've got to get the guy down."
The Redskins face a similar back to LeGarrette Blount this week in Mark Ingram.
The 5-foot-9, 215 pounder is a bruiser who is averaging more than four yards per carry this season.
"Mark Ingram is a heck of a back, physical runner," Barry said. "We've got to whip blocks, play physical and tackle, bottom line."
READ MORE: What They're Saying: New Orleans Saints
5. Barry "absolutely" wants to keep Kyshoen Jarrett on the field in some capacity.
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the entire season has been the play of the sixth round rookie.
Not expected to really play any role on defense this season, Jarrett has not only played well, but he's been contributing at nickel corner instead of safety.
While the team will soon return DeAngelo Hall, and already returned Chris Culliver last week, Jarrett will still have some sort of presence on the defense.
"I think it was good to have Cully [Chris Culliver] and Bree [Bashaud Breeland] back last week," Barry said, referring to the Patriots game. "They couldn't play a lot, being out the extended amount of time that they were. They got in there and it's just good to have that group have a nice complement together. No question, Kyshoen, you look at what he's done for a late-round rookie, the things that we've asked him to do and the things that he's really had to do for us, he's done a great job. He'll continue to be on the field, no doubt."
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