1. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS GAMEDAY MAGAZINE 11
M
ike Sheppard, who has been coach-
ing in the NFL since 1993 and has
been with the Saints since 2002 as
quarterbacks coach, was promoted to Offensive
Coordinator from his previous post in the off-
season. Sheppard discussed his new role as
coordinator and broke down the Saints different
offensive groups going into the 2005 season.
Q: What kind of changes in offensive
philosophy did you want to implement
when you moved into your new position?
A: The first thing is that you implement the
things that the head coach wants implement-
ed. We've worked hard to simplify both in
terms of the volume and the verbiage—
making things easier. I know Jim (Haslett)
feels the defense got better at the end of last
year and one of the reasons for that is they
were playing new players and they simplified
for those players. All of the sudden, the new
players are playing better and the defense is
playing better. I think he felt that that was
what he wanted to see change going into this
year. We've cut things back and tried to make
things easier and it think that's helped us.
Q: How was those changes received
during offseason workouts?
A: My judgment was that the players were
excited about it. They saw that number one,
fortunately, I was excited for the chance to do
this. They were, in turn, excited that there
weren't going to be a whole lot of changes. So,
when they came in for offseason workouts,
they saw that the terminology was similar.
Everything was less, but it was things that they
recognized and they didn't have to go through
a whole new system. Indeed, it was the same
system, just easier. My take is that everyone
identified with it well and adjusted to it well.
Q: You are going to calling the plays from
the coaches' booth in the press box. What is
the advantage to seeing it from upstairs?
A: The two advantages are, number one, that
you are not bothered by the emotion of the
game when you are upstairs. You don't have
anyone tugging at your sleeve, nobody talking
to you directly, so therefore it is an easier
atmosphere for us to call the game. The second
thing is, you can it see it. It's easier to look,
watch and react during a game when you are
upstairs than when you are on the field because
you have a better view of what the defense is
doing or maybe what your guys did or didn't
do. The vision's just better so therefore you
have an easier time reacting. Downstairs, you
might think you know, and then you wait for
the pictures after a series to tell you if you were
right or not and what adjustments you have to
make. This way, you have your sight and the
pictures. The third thing is you have an easier
time planning. Upstairs, you're not coaching –
it's all strategy and it's talking to coaches about
what they saw, but you don't have to deal with
the players. It's probably easier to plan what
your next series is or what your next thought is.
Q: What is the process for you between
plays from upstairs?
A: We’ll call in the plays to Turk Schonert, our
quarterbacks coach and Turk will relay it to
Aaron Brooks. We are going to utilize a wristband
and it will be a much more efficient that it was
in the past and it just happens quicker. There is
a little bit of challenge with that from the quar-
terback's standpoint, and from the play-caller's
standpoint, too. You are relaying numbers so
the quarterback hears, 'Wristband 14', he'll
look down and read it while he's giving the play
to the huddle. Usually, when you are not on a
wristband, you'll hear the play, process the play,
step into the huddle and call the play. Now, you
are processing it in the huddle while calling the
play so there is not a lot of processing going on.
You're just trying to make sure it's being read
correctly. It's a little different procedure for the
quarterbacks. There will be an adjustment for
everybody, but it think it will be very good.
Q: You have most of the starting unit
back on offense in 2005. How important is
that for you in your new role?
A: I think it's huge. There is a lot of continu-
ity there. I believe if you've got the right
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS GAMEDAY MAGAZINE10
players, that all they do is improve. During
camp, you want to play those 15 players who
will be in your first huddle a lot as much as and
as early as possible so that they can get used to
each other. So much of the game is communi-
cation and when you have new players, a lot of
the time it’s harder. Fortunately, we have some
new players, but not a lot of turnover and I
think that's a great advantage for us.
Q: There have been some changes on the
offensive line and a strong emphasis on
the running game. How important have
those changes been to the run game?
A: Changes happen every year, it seems. We
have great confidence in Jermaine Mayberry
and the addition he'll make. I think LeCharles
Bentley, Kendyl Jacox and Wayne Gandy will
all get better. They are good players who will
compete and they'll improve. Montrae
Holland, he'll find a way on the field some-
where—he's a good player. He's competing
inside with Kendyl at the guard spot so the
new players on the right side—Jermane's a
good player who's proven, has a Super Bowl
appearance in his background and has been a
solid player for years. We're happy to add him.
Jammal Brown, our first round pick, we have
expectations for. I really believe as the front
line goes, we go. We’re fortunate to have a
great coach like Jack Henry (Associate Head
Coach/Running Game Coordinator) and the
line should be the strength of our offense.
Q: What do you want to see out of Aaron
Brooks at quarterback this season?
A: I think the biggest thing for us is that the
quarterback has to be efficient. He has to be
able to execute the run and the pass. He has to
be able to protect the football like good teams
do. Aaron has had a couple of years of protect-
ing the football very well. Two years ago, he
only threw eight interceptions and last year,
he lost the ball on fumbles twice. The number
one thing you want to start with is not hurting
yourself. If we, as a group, can eliminate penal-
ties—the pre-snap things which have hurt us in
the past—and protect the football well, we have
a starting point. From there, Aaron has to be
efficient in the passing
FEATURE:
“
”Mike Sheppard
on RB Deuce McAllister
…Deuce had a great spring
during offseason workouts.
He was faster and played
more decisive. He is the
lead dog in the running
game…
2005OffensePreview:
Left: Running Back Deuce McAllister
Above: Wide Receiver Joe Horn
Center LeCharles Bentley —continued on page 39
CHAINS
MOVINGthe
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS GAMEDAY MAGAZINE
11
M
ike Sheppard, who has been coach-ing in the NFL since 1993 and hasbeen with the Saints since 2002 asquarterbacks coach, was promoted to OffensiveCoordinator from his previous post in the off-season. Sheppard discussed his new role ascoordinator and broke down the Saints differentoffensive groups going into the 2005 season.Q: What kind of changes in offensivephilosophy did you want to implementwhen you moved into your new position?A: The first thing is that you implement thethings that the head coach wants implement-ed. We've worked hard to simplify both interms of the volume and the verbiage—making things easier. I know Jim (Haslett)feels the defense got better at the end of lastyear and one of the reasons for that is theywere playing new players and they simplifiedfor those players. All of the sudden, the newplayers are playing better and the defense isplaying better. I think he felt that that waswhat he wanted to see change going into thisyear. We've cut things back and tried to makethings easier and it think that's helped us.Q: How was those changes receivedduring offseason workouts?A: My judgment was that the players wereexcited about it. They saw that number one,fortunately, I was excited for the chance to dothis. They were, in turn, excited that thereweren't going to be a whole lot of changes. So,when they came in for offseason workouts,they saw that the terminology was similar.Everything was less, but it was things that theyrecognized and they didn't have to go througha whole new system. Indeed, it was the same
system, just easier. My take is that everyoneidentified with it well and adjusted to it well.Q: You are going to calling the plays fromthe coaches' booth in the press box. What isthe advantage to seeing it from upstairs?A: The two advantages are, number one, thatyou are not bothered by the emotion of thegame when you are upstairs. You don't haveanyone tugging at your sleeve, nobody talkingto you directly, so therefore it is an easieratmosphere for us to call the game. The secondthing is, you can it see it. It's easier to look,watch and react during a game when you areupstairs than when you are on the field becauseyou have a better view of what the defense isdoing or maybe what your guys did or didn'tdo. The vision's just better so therefore you
have an easier time reacting. Downstairs, youmight think you know, and then you wait forthe pictures after a series to tell you if you wereright or not and what adjustments you have tomake. This way, you have your sight and thepictures. The third thing is you have an easiertime planning. Upstairs, you're not coaching –it's all strategy and it's talking to coaches aboutwhat they saw, but you don't have to deal withthe players. It's probably easier to plan whatyour next series is or what your next thought is.Q: What is the process for you betweenplays from upstairs?
A: We’ll call in the plays to Turk Schonert, ourquarterbacks coach and Turk will relay it toAaron Brooks. We are going to utilize a wristbandand it will be a much more efficient that it wasin the past and it just happens quicker. There isa little bit of challenge with that from the quar-terback's standpoint, and from the play-caller'sstandpoint, too. You are relaying numbers sothe quarterback hears, 'Wristband 14', he'lllook down and read it while he's giving the playto the huddle. Usually, when you are not on awristband, you'll hear the play, process the play,step into the huddle and call the play. Now, youare processing it in the huddle while calling theplay so there is not a lot of processing going on.You're just trying to make sure it's being readcorrectly. It's a little different procedure for thequarterbacks. There will be an adjustment foreverybody, but it think it will be very good.Q: You have most of the starting unitback on offense in 2005. How important isthat for you in your new role?
A: I think it's huge. There is a lot of continu-ity there. I believe if you've got the rightNEW ORLEANS SAINTS GAMEDAY MAGAZINE
10
players, that all they do is improve. Duringcamp, you want to play those 15 players whowill be in your first huddle a lot as much as andas early as possible so that they can get used toeach other. So much of the game is communi-cation and when you have new players, a lot ofthe time it’s harder. Fortunately, we have somenew players, but not a lot of turnover and Ithink that's a great advantage for us.Q: There have been some changes on theoffensive line and a strong emphasis onthe running game. How important havethose changes been to the run game?A: Changes happen every year, it seems. Wehave great confidence in Jermaine Mayberryand the addition he'll make. I think LeCharlesBentley, Kendyl Jacox and Wayne Gandy willall get better. They are good players who willcompete and they'll improve. Montrae
Holland, he'll find a way on the field some-where—he's a good player. He's competinginside with Kendyl at the guard spot so thenew players on the right side—Jermane's agood player who's proven, has a Super Bowlappearance in his background and has been asolid player for years. We're happy to add him.Jammal Brown, our first round pick, we haveexpectations for. I really believe as the frontline goes, we go. We’re fortunate to have agreat coach like Jack Henry (Associate HeadCoach/Running Game Coordinator) and theline should be the strength of our offense.Q: What do you want to see out of AaronBrooks at quarterback this season?A: I think the biggest thing for us is that thequarterback has to be efficient. He has to beable to execute the run and the pass. He has tobe able to protect the football like good teams
do. Aaron has had a couple of years of protect-ing the football very well. Two years ago, heonly threw eight interceptions and last year,he lost the ball on fumbles twice. The numberone thing you want to start with is not hurtingyourself. If we, as a group, can eliminate penal-ties—the pre-snap things which have hurt us inthe past—and protect the football well, we havea starting point. From there, Aaron has to beefficient in the passing game and do a good jobin decision-making. If he does that, which hecan do, and the other 10 guys play well, we'll dowell on offense.
Q: Can you give an overview of the typeof weapons you have at your disposal atwide receiver?
A: Joe Horn had such a great year last seasonand I was real excited that we got him undercontract in the offsea-
FEATURE:
caption
—continued on page 39
DE-FENSE
DE-FENSE
DE-FENSE
DE-FENSE
2005DefensePreview:
Locking Horns
Saints defensive tackle Rodney Leisle and Seahawks offensive guard
Matt Miller go one-on-one during the preseason opener for both teams
on Aug. 12 in the Superdome. Photo: Michael C. Hebert
52 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS GAME
DAY MAGA
ZINE
NAME: April
AGE: 20
HOMETOWN: New Orleans YEARS ON TEAM: 2
Background…
HIGH SCHOOL: Dominican
COLLEGE: UNO DEGREE: Exercise Physiology
OCCUPATION: Hip Hop and Pilates instructor
and Fitness Coordinator
Favorite…
MUSIC: anything I can dance to FOOD: Seafood
MOVIE: The Little Mermaid TV SHOW: Sex and the City
FOOTBALL POSITION: Tight End
Personal Information…
Lifetime Goal: To become successful in both
my career and personal life.
Personal exercise regime:
Strength training, dancing, pilates, yoga, running,
and meditating.
Favorite Pastime: Spending time with my family
and friends.
Worst habit: Procrastinating.
Trait you admire most in other people:
Persistence
Who is the positive woman role model in your life?:
My mother
If you had the opportunity to meet anyone in the
world, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Oprah because of her motivation, persistence, and
will to help others. She inspires me to follow my heart
and never give up on my dreams.
If you were to be stranded on a deserted island,
what one thing would you want to have with you?
Pictures of my family and friends
What is your most outstanding attribute?
My most outstanding attribute is my ability to make
others laugh. Laughing is great for the body. If I can
help at least one person everyday realize that life is
too short to focus on the negative that means another
good deed has been done in the world. It is the most
rewarding feeling to know that you’ve helped brighten
up someone’s day. Focusing on the negative only
reduces our ability to fully enjoy life.
April
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© 2005; New Orleans Saints
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Q & A with Saints Offensive Coordinator
Mike Sheppard on his new role and what
to expect from the offensive unit in 2005.
Moving the Chains
8 Tonight’s Entertainment
12 Owner Tom Benson
14 Saints Administration
16 Head Coach Jim Haslett
18 Coaching Staff
20 Football Operations Staff
22 2005 Staff Directory
24 Louisiana Superdome Seating Chart and Facts
26 Saints Player Headshots
30 Regional Marketing
C O N T E N T S :
F E A T U R E :
34 Saints/Seahawks Starting Lineups
36 Saints Stats
40 Seahawks Player Headshots
42 Seahawks Alpha Roster
44 Seahawks Stats
Saints Defense
46
P H O T O G A L L E R Y :
Tonight’s Game
10
SaintsAlphaRoster
31
6
48 2005 NFC Final Results and Standings
50 2005 AFC Final Results and Standings
52 Spotlight Saintsation of the Game: Callie
62 FInal 2004 NFL Statistical Leaders
64 Final Frame
SAINTS VS. SEAHAWKS
August 12, 2005 Louisiana Superdome
SaintsTrivia
56