Former New Orleans Saints Guard and 4-time Pro Bowler Jahri Evans
"It's a great opportunity for Doug. He played in the league and has been a great coach. He was my first coach in the NFL and got me going as a player. He's very knowledgeable at the game. He really got that program at Syracuse turned around and got those guys winning. He's paid his dues and I think he'll be a good head coach in the league. He knows what it takes to win. He knows that it starts up front with the offensive line and as a former lineman, I think he'll do a good job as a head coach."
On being his first rookie protégé with the Saints coming out of Bloomsburg: "Coming out of college I was real raw. I was raw in my technique and knowledge of the game and defenses. What Doug would always preach to me was that I could be a good player but had to take the proper steps and improve in my technique. He would never let me slide in that. Even though I made a block and succeeded, he still let me know if my technique was bad and stressed for me to work on it. He would always want improvement. When you look back at it, it really helped me improve as a player when he stressed technique and worked with me after practice, showing me what I needed to do and making sure I did it right. He was a coach that I needed out of Division 2. He really got my career going."
On why he can be successful: "He has his beliefs and they are right. He was a great offensive line coach. You need to have a good line to have a good team. He was a guy who played in the league and knows the importance of technique. He's always been a very hard worker. I'm very happy that he's receiving this opportunity, especially as a New York guy. He will put the time in and do the things it takes to be successful."
On his successes with the Saints offense, specifically the run game: "He was crucial in the development of the run game. He was very precise on proper footwork and hand placement. I think he'll have those guys ready up front, even though he is the head coach and they'll continue to grow."
