The Saints, like all teams, pay attention to what their next opponents say.
Earlier this week, Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders appeared to make some unflattering comments about the New Orleans defense. The New Orleans defense heard it loud and clear.
“We will we come with a chip on our shouldersure,” Saints defensive end Carl Granderson said Friday. “You know, they were chirping a little bit. We heard what the quarterback said. . . said. So, you know, we’re going to (arrive) hot and ready to play. . . . It will be a good match, that’s for sure. We are going to get the (victory).
Asked Wednesday by reporters if he had a chance to study the Saints defense and explain what he saw, Sanders flashed a broad smile.
“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of them,” Sanders said. “When I smile, know that it means something. I’m maturing. I’m maturing. I could have given a decent answer, but now I’m just going to smile every time it’s just a few questions.”
The best approach for Sanders would have been to project a poker face and give a response that would have done nothing to attract the attention of the Saints defense.
So even though he says mature, the ultimate level of maturity would be to provide the most vanilla answer possible, congratulating the Saints and explaining that it will be a major challenge to beat them.
Instead, a Browns player provided the next opponent — for the second week in a row — a little extra incentive.
Gn sports
