Demario Davis is entering Year 14 of his NFL career as the New Orleans Saints kick off their new head coaching era and a shift to a 3-4 defensive scheme -- and he's also got some positive reviews of the French football market.
So what's the latest with the Saints defensive leader? Steve Geller and Bobby Hebert caught up with Demario after the first day of Saints training camp.
“Feel awesome, man, to be in Year 14 feeling this good," Davis said. "Man, I just — I’m so grateful to be in this position, grateful to God that he has given me this platform and he still allows me to stay sharp and stay crisp, ahead of the curve in terms of being able to fly around on the field, be able to understand what ways the offenses are trying to attack me and I’m just grateful, a phenomenal first day — I couldn't ask for anything better.”
Hear the full, exclusive interview with Davis in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
Davis is one of many players looking to adjust schemes for the first time in the better part of a decade, transitioning to Brandon Staley's system that prioritizes zone-match elements. Davis has experience in 3-4 systems dating back to his early years with the Browns and Jets, including his best statistical season in the 2017 campaign with New York before signing with the Saints.
The veteran is confident he and the rest of the linebacker group will pick things up on the fly.
"He understands how to pressure and how to get me 1-on-1 with the backs and stuff like that," Davis said. "I think I am one of the better pressure backers in the league.”
One other thing Davis is confident in: When the Saints inevitably play a game in Paris, the Who Dat Nation will show out. Davis was among the contingent that took a relation-building trip to France during the offseason, and he gives the city high marks. He had to work on some French and maybe get used to adding the "American" in front of football, but the culture can't be beat -- not unlike its sister city in New Orleans.
“That’s why we’ve got to get our game over there," Davis said, "because nobody will do it overseas like the Saints fans will and it’s gonna be like a homecoming, and I think when that game happens there, the black and gold is going to be up and down the streets, doing second lines. It’s going to be great.”
