NEW ORLEANS -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the New Orleans Saints' 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals:
Different vibe: Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro expressed his frustration about the "embarrassing" performances the defense has put out there too often this season -- mostly because he said he can't put his finger on exactly what's missing because the players have "turned over every leaf."
"I came in as a rookie [last year and] the team was different. It was a different vibe. I don't know if it's when you lose guys that have been together. Just something's changed," said Vaccaro, who referenced the veteran departures of players such as Roman Harper, Malcolm Jenkins, Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma and Jabari Greer. "You've gotta think that just because you've got great players on paper, not everybody's always gonna mesh together right away. ... So eventually -- shoot, at this rate, if we all stay together -- we've gotta get that chemistry."
Still 'annoyingly optimistic': Saints quarterback Drew Brees shared some of that frustration but insisted he's still "annoyingly optimistic" -- especially because the Saints remain tied for first place in the woeful NFC South. Brees addressed his teammates after the game and said they have to stick with what they know works -- working hard and preparing during the week.
"I'm confident we're gonna be able to come out this week with an extra day ... and because it's 'Monday Night Football,' really have the opportunity to come out and make a statement as to how we see the rest of our season going," Brees said of next Monday's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Payton blames self: Coach Sean Payton said he told players after the game that he's obviously not doing a good enough job if the Saints keep swinging up and down as much as they have this season. Vaccaro said Payton promised to make some changes this week, without specifying. Payton made it clear that the offense, defense and special teams all deserved blame.
