Carr says he apologized to Saints OC for outburst

Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff WriterOct 16, 2023, 06:49 PM ET
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METAIRIE, La. — Saints quarterback Derek Carr said he apologized to offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael for a sideline outburst in the fourth quarter of New Orleans’ 20-13 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Carr appeared to be gesturing in frustration as he came off the field late in the game and spoke to Carmichael on the sideline. In a video of the encounter that appeared on social media, Carr spoke briefly to Carmichael, pulled off his helmet, then gestured toward the end zone after Carmichael walked away.

“I apologized to Pete actually on the airplane,” Carr said Monday. “I was talking to Pete, but I wasn’t talking about Pete. Pete and I know exactly what I was talking about, and why. When the game’s on the line, that’s when you have to be on every detail of your assignment. And I was a little upset at some of those things. It had nothing to do with Pete, he just happened to be the one that walked up when I was a little angry.”

Carr admitted he was “livid” after the game. The Saints totaled 430 yards of offense but went 0-3 in the red zone and missed two field goals. Carr acknowledged there were miscommunication issues that led to some of the stalled drives.

“Until we get on the same page, there’s going to be sucky feelings,” Carr said.

Carr said he spent Sunday night and Monday morning speaking with receivers Rashid Shaheed, Michael Thomas and Chris Olave to try to work out some of the problems.

“We corrected things, you just don’t want to correct them after a loss,” Carr said. “And so we all take that responsibility, and if someone’s pointing fingers, and if we come constructively to each other and [they] can’t take it, that’s on them as a person. We have to be able to sit at the table and have a conversation. We have to be able to do those things and move forward. So far it’s been super positive.”

Carr wasn’t alone in his frustrations about lack of attention to detail. Linebacker Demario Davis, a team captain, addressed the team after the game and asked everyone to look in the mirror and ask if they were giving enough.

Carr said Davis asked: “Did you do what you did last week, this week? Or did you just enjoy … the week too much?”

Davis downplayed the speech on Monday and said he was just trying to send an encouraging message to the team, but it clearly resonated with Carr and running back Alvin Kamara.

Kamara said the preparation and sacrifice from players like himself, Davis, Cameron Jordan, Carr and Thomas are clear, but he can’t speak for everybody on the team. Only each individual knows their true level of effort, he said.

“I don’t know what everybody else is doing to prepare, but there’s a certain type of sacrifice that you have to make to come out here and play at a certain level, an elite level. I just hope everybody’s doing that,” Kamara said.

Kamara said the message was said in hopes that everybody is making that same sacrifice every week.

“I think Demario kind of said it lightly, but it needs to be elaborated on,” Kamara said. “Because we keep having this conversation about preparation and guys got to execute, this and that. It’s like, OK, well, if it’s not happening, what’s the next conversation? Because you can’t keep saying it.”

As the Saints move forward, hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday night, Kamara wants Davis’ message to continue to resonate.

“Everybody needs to be able to raise their hands and say ‘You can count on me,'” Kamara said. “That might need to be the message. Can I count on you? If you can’t raise your hand and say you’re doing everything you need to do to be ready and we can count on you to play and give your all, then … that’s where we need to start.”

The message around the locker room before and after the game has been for each individual to do their job, or someone else will.

“I think everybody received it, everybody heard it and everybody [is going to implement that]. And then the guys who don’t, Just like [coach Dennis Allen] said, there’s hungry guys in this league,” said defensive tackle Khalen Saunders. “All around the league, on this team alone, on the practice squad. Everywhere you look, there are guys that are ready, and if that doesn’t motivate you, then you might not need to be here.”