Darren Rizzi delivers “different” in his first practice as interim coach of the New Orleans Saints

“Our backs are against the wall and it sucks that we put ourselves there,” Carr said. “But what I saw today was a team – and I was really proud of the way we trained – because we came out and fought.”

“There's a lot of people trying to do the right thing and for me today I felt like whoever's next in line, they've got to be ready for a fight. We won't just lie down and die, lie down and let it happen. You have to defend yourself. We are in a difficult situation, but we have no one to blame but ourselves.

“(Allen) took the brunt because he was the head coach, but at the end of the day, everyone in our building had a hand in it. We all felt it, but today was a good training session. Today was a good day.” .

“This is the only option you have. You can either give up or just keep fighting no matter what. I just think we have a locker room full of guys that are just going to keep fighting no matter what.”

What happened Wednesday for the Saints was a feeling of “different.” Carr said that in a conversation with teammates on Monday, he emphasized that “different” needed to happen.

“I said whoever it is (as interim coach), whether it was good or bad, it doesn't matter, it just has to be different,” he said. “When you come into the building on Wednesday it has to feel different, there has to be a new energy because you leave no matter how many in a row that didn't go well, something that has to feel different on Wednesday. And this Wednesday felt different.” .

“Just because it feels different, does it lead to wins and all that stuff? No. But it usually gives good results later. Our plan is to get the good results now.”

“But whatever it is, the atmosphere of the building – the energy, the schedule, whatever – you have to start doing things differently. (Rizzi) said: Look, we have to do something different and we all have to commit to it. And we agreed to it.

“When that happens, in my experience it’s usually a good thing. When you come in with something different and a plan that points to winning – in my experience – we've all had periods in our careers where we won – and when you look at it that way, it reminds me of that. And that kind of gives you hope.”