As Alontae Taylor began jogging off the field, he wasn't aware he'd set a new Saints record with his three-sack day in the win over the Panthers.
"Man, that’s crazy you just told me that," Taylor said flashing a grin when I asked him about the record. "I don’t know man."
It was a moment that exemplified Taylor's approach to this season. Commit where you can. Don't get caught up in any individual emotion or moment or success or mistake. Take every play, every series for what it is. Star in your role and see what happens. That process led to a game-high six tackles, 3 sacks, 3 TFLs and a pass defensed. Taylor became the first DB in Saints franchise history to record three sacks in a game, made all the more impressive by the fact that he'd logged just one in his first two NFL seasons.
"My main mission this season is one play at a time, one series at a time," Taylor continued. "You know, I did that, the guys around me, we all did our job, and that’s what allowed the sacks to come. Just super excited for the team, way to start the season.”
It was the highlight of a day that saw the Saints dominate in all three phases during a 47-10 demolition of the Panthers. The defense surrendered a field goal before halftime, then a touchdown that was initially ruled a fumble and a turnover before review deemed Bryce Young had found his way into the end zone.
It's a result that will surely be surprising to many around the league, but not to anyone within the building, who has maintained this is the culture and continuity and belief that's been there all along under head coach Dennis Allen and a rebuilt offensive staff.
"I don’t know that I saw the score being what the score was, but again, I had confidence in our football team to come out and perform well," Allen said. "I think they did that.”
For Taylor and the rest of the Saints defense this is just step 1 on a journey that they hope will return the team to the same field in February for Super Bowl 59. If they can reach that goal, it'll likely be a product of the selfless environment that's been installed around a core group of veterans, often looked at as weak links due to the age of several key players.
Taylor views it as a strength, in large part because of how those players approach their roles. Taylor knows he can go to a player like Marshon Lattimore and ask for advice. Rookies like Kool-Aid McKinstry and Rico Payton feel comfortable doing the same thing. Taylor has even gone to some of his team's pass rushers to ask for tips on rushing the passer, something that came up big on Sunday when he got home on a trio of blitzes to set his new team record.
"We can ask questions and the guys are gonna help us out because as a team we’re trying to make it to the Super Bowl," Taylor said, "and so these are the guys that are dressed out, these are the guys that could possibly get into the game, so we’re just going to make sure we help each other and reach that goal.”
Next up on that journey: The Cowboys in Dallas. Giddy up.
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