Jonas Sanker on starting, playing with physicality

Jonas Sanker on starting, playing with physicality | New Orleans Saints

going into this week knowing that you’re going to be starting alongside Justin Reed. Like what are the the feelings that you have knowing that it’s just week two in the NFL for you? Um just excited. Um just been preparing all summer and had a lot of time to kind of get uh used to the system and just used to the way they do things. So uh really just excited, ready to get rolling. What’s some of the advice that you’ve gotten from Justin? He said he was in the same position his rookie season. Uh just to play fast and just, you know, trust what you see out there and not overthink anything. So, keeping it simple. Does anything change from your preparation week one, week two? No, I think you know that that same focus and preparation has to be consistent, you know, throughout the whole time whether you’re starting or not, just to create good habits. So, nothing really changed. One of the things that praised you about was playing physically, having a physicality, but doing so in a disciplined way. Where does that balance come from for you? Um, I think just, you know, just a that’s just a mentality. I don’t know really where it comes from. I think that’s just, you know, a lifestyle. And I think, you know, I have that I’ve had that approach, you know, my whole life and just, you know, really when I tackle any problem, just to do it head on and full force. So, yeah, that’s really that’s really it. Do you feel like you’re just prepared for this moment because of, you know, all the opportunities you did get in in the preseason during training camp? Do you feel like you are ready for this moment? Yeah. No, I’ve had a lot of opportunities and you know, uh, the guys on our team, you know, competing against them, you know, I feel ready to, you know, play against anybody. You know, we we got so much talent on this team and, uh, being able to compete with them is just really, you know, giving me the confidence to feel like I’m ready to compete against, you know, anybody. Give me your impression of the 49ers offensively, what they do, and just kind of seeing that, you know, I know you’ve been studying that Kyle Shanahan offense all week, so kind of what what you’ve seen, your observation of that. Yeah. No, they do they do a great job, you know, getting their playmakers the ball. Um, you know, great job in, uh, their different run schemes. They’re big up front. Um, you know, they’ve got guys outside on the perimeter, too. So, just a really well-rounded team, and, uh, it’s going to come down to, you know, being physical, um, doing our job and just doing it every play and having good eyes. What’s this journey been like? I mean, you played eightman football to get to the NFL. Um, it’s been a long journey. Um, you know, I thought my path was going to be basketball for the longest time, but you know, feel good about where I’m at. So, and your nickname in college? Nickname in college? People really just used to call me yo. I never really had no crazy nicknames. Your coach had told me he called you the messiah. Uh, I guess you could say that. But, um, that was kind of a thing he had cuz like early on, you know, he felt like, you know, I was a a know-it-all. You know, just felt like I was the smartest guy on the field. Um, but you know, he kind of just kept it going. He used to joke about it, but you know, we had a really good relationship and I felt like I learned a lot from him and uh, yeah, that was just, you know, a really positive thing. I was just his little inside

New Orleans Saints safety Jonas Sanker speaks with the media ahead of Week 2 vs. the San Francisco 49ers from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Thursday, September 11, 2025.
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