Kellen Moore on starting QB Tyler Shough, Rams | New Orleans Saints

Kellen Moore on starting QB Tyler Shough, Rams | New Orleans Saints

All right. So, we’ll start with medical. Um, limited for today. Alvin with an ankle, Devon Neil with an ankle, uh, Rasheed with a hip, uh, Alante with a shoulder, and then full practice, Jawan with a neck, and Chris with an ankle. I love it. So, uh, those were the the medical aspect of practice. Uh, and then, uh, roster wise, Evan Hull, we signed on practice squad, a running back, and then Kos Hayatt is Dline, we we released from practice squad. So, those were the roster moves there. And then uh obviously yesterday uh talked to both quarterbacks, talked through the sequence here. We’re gonna start Tyler. Uh really excited about this opportunity for him. Uh he’s been preparing um each and every week, you know, just as he as he would be if he was the starter. And so I feel like he’s ready to go. Um it’ll be a lot of lot of exciting opportunities for him. Obviously, he’s got to it’ll be his first experience starting and going through that full process. And obviously, there’s an element with that that you got to kind of navigate as you go. Uh but we’re really excited about that. Uh Spencer’s done some really good things and uh I think if anything Spencer’s proven that he can win games in this league, he can play at a really high level. He’s done a lot of good things and so uh you know this will be an exciting time for Tyler, but uh Spencer’s will always be ready and and uh he’ll continue to grow as well. These are two young quarterbacks that we feel really good about. Why did you Tyler for this game? Yeah, just felt like u you know there was an opportunity where Tyler I felt like was ready. Um, you know, I felt like, you know, at the end of the day, one of the more important aspects of this from a wider lens perspective is offensively, we got to find, uh, a little bit more success, a little bit more consistency. Uh, you know, I think, uh, that doesn’t have only to do with Spencer, that has to do with everyone associated with the offense. And so, we’re continue to build that and grow each and every week. And, um, you know, I think Tyler Tyler’s ready to go. He’s he’s, uh, prepared really, really well through this whole process. Um, you know, patience sometimes is you got you got to play that game a little bit. And, um, you know, he’s ready to go. You mentioned the desire to not flip-flop. So, is the intent here for Tyler to start the rest of the season or is it still a week toe in sju? No, Tyler starting. So, uh we’re not looking back on that. Obviously, um you know, the goal is to let Tyler play and get going. And uh you know, Spencer knows that his role is to be the backup and he’s supposed there to help Tyler in any possible way. He did an excellent job today uh running the scout team, preparing just like he would be, just a starter like any other week. And so, uh, you know, I feel like that room, the the good thing we got going is that room is a bunch of A+ people and and they handle it awesome. This decision was related to them individually and then to the team in like a team meeting or Yeah. Yeah. We just talked to those guys, uh, yesterday. Um, obviously it gets out at times, you know, anytime you make a decision like that. And so, u, you know, team wise, we had team meeting and we’re ready to roll. What did you see, you know, throughout these last couple of months or or weeks or even days that made you think, all right, like Tyler is ready for this? What specifically on the field of practice or whatever, really impressed you about and made you kind of give it a green light? There’s always little components that you’re growing each and every every player, whether it’s you’re playing or not playing, you have objectives each week that you’re trying to hit. And so, I felt like he’s taken the steps in the different areas that he certainly felt like he can continue to grow in. He prepared each and every week as though he’d potentially be the starter. I thought he went through that operation really well. Um, thought he handled the challenging situation on Sunday just hopping in there with very limited reps. Um, you know, he did a nice job there and gave us a chance. Ultimately, we weren’t able to get it done, but that’s a collective thing more than him. And then, uh, you know, so, you know, excited for him. What impressed you the most throughout his development process with your plan of doing? Yeah, I think just the work that he put into it. I think taking advantage of, you know, when you’re a scout team quarterback, you’re growing each and every play and, you know, treat the play like like it’s, you know, our offense and, uh, recreate it, put yourself in that situation, I thought it allowed him to test himself, test his boundaries, test his pocket maneuvering, and, uh, continue to develop as a leader, you know, running the scout team for the last few weeks. Given that he hasn’t started an NFL game before, what do you do differently from a play calling standpoint? Do do you have a a little bit of different mindset for him? We’ll talk through it as the week progresses. Um, you know, obviously I think an important aspect of this thing is our communication as the week progresses, things he’s comfortable with. Um, you know, as we build this plan and and get to the the end goal of the of Sunday. And so, um, you know, it’ll be an ongoing process. The biggest thing is just us getting together and getting getting aligned with, you know, objectively what we want to do. How much of it is like Tyler forced the issue with what he was showing versus like the offense just kind of needing to to find a little bit more? Yeah, I think I think you can say yes to both of those. Uh, you know, I think, uh, Tyler’s progressed really well. He’s done some really good things. Obviously, a lot of stuff that’s behind the scenes that, uh, we get to see each and every day. And, uh, offensively, obviously, you know, our objective is to score score more points. We got to find a way. Uh, you know, it starts with me just, you know, giving us that opportunity and putting a plan together. And so, I’m excited for where we can go with this. What What are your expectations for him Sunday? Yeah, I think Tyler just operated at a really high level. uh take full command of the offense, communicate, uh operate, and uh you know, obviously protect the football and give us a chance to go win this thing. How about for the rest of the season, too? Like, are there benchmarks or things you want to see as he develops over the course of the year? Every season’s going to take its own path. Uh obviously, he’s going to come out of this game. He’s going to have some things that he wants to focus on. He’s going to have to grow in. He’s going to have some things he feels really good about. And so, that’s going to occur each and every week. And I think the biggest thing is growth. Biggest thing is um you’re going to make a mistake or two. you get to grow from those. You don’t make the same mistakes. Uh Tyler’s going to be on that journey here and I think he’s going to handle it really well. When the season started, was there like a timeline or something that said we definitely need to see Tyler play this many games? No, not necessarily. Um you know, we’ve uh we haven’t reached our goal of victories as as the season’s progressed. And so uh you know, from a team perspective, we’re trying to find best way to be successful. Um you know, Tyler’s continued to develop. I think Spencer’s done plenty of good things through this whole process. And so, um, you know, we got to protect the football and give ourselves a chance, but other than that, um, we’ll keep going. I know it’s different for every quarterback. You you were around Dak and Justin Herbert who started right away, but I mean, is there a is there a sweet spot for for rookie quarterback development? Is this like a good time to to introduce someone, you think, if you could make a play? There’s plenty of good examples of guys who’ve waited to towards this time of year. Um, you know, there’s a lot of examples. I think the patience game obviously I think usually plays lends their hand positively towards these quarterbacks the more they get to you know experience things from behind the scenes continue to grow develop and then when they’re ready to go they go um I think Tyler’s in a spot where he’s been able to sit there and process for a little while grow individually and u you I feel like he’s going to go out there and play well and he’ll have to go through some experiences for the first time on the field in NFL game we get that but u he’s done a really nice job is there any advantage like him getting his first shot like big game as opposed to like having a full week to ramp up. I think sometimes, yeah, it’s it’s a sudden change type moment. It’s uh just go out there and execute and trust your training. I thought he responded well in that situation. Again, um not being with that group a whole lot in practice for a number of weeks, he was able to still give us a chance. He was able to execute um you know, this week with a full week. I think that’ll be good. I think um you know there’s plenty of quarterbacks that go through these different paths where you know you kind of get put out there in a situation you respond and then uh obviously potentially some more stuff comes moving forward. You mentioned not being where you all want to be right now victory wise in the season. Just what is it about Tyler Chuck’s skill set? What you’ve seen from him behind the scenes that maybe gives you a chance to change that? Yeah, I thought he’s uh he executes at a really high level. He u I think has great command feel for the game as far as a vision standpoint. Uh he can anticipate things really really well. uh obviously a lot of stuff we saw on his film going back to college and so um we feel like he he’ll go out there and execute really well. Yeah. Believe I heard you mention Monday that like one of the things you saw him improve on was just like I guess pocket feel. Um, like is there a benefit when you’re when you’re running that scout team and you’re not going up against I guess like you know carded close situations that just kind of like playing free learning that I think it’s one of the best things that comes out of being a scout team quarterback is the pockets aren’t going to be ideal. You’re playing against your starting defense and the goal in practice to make the blitzes and everything look good and so you’re going to be in some challenging compromised situations. You’re going to have to force yourself to adapt and hang in there and still deliver a throw. And so there’s plenty of good that comes out of that that you get to test yourself and put yourself in those situations. Ideally, you want to sit in perfect pockets and you know those will come with time and situations, but you know, when you have those hard situations, how can I handle them? Well, how do you know Tyler’s Pokemon answer? Um, I don’t know. I mean, I’m focused on this this week right now. I’m excited for him. I think he’s going to handle this thing really, really well. Uh, this is a journey for both quarterbacks. they they’ve gone through this journey um and navigated some some challenging situations. I think they’re responding the right way. Uh it’s about growth each and every week, getting better and putting ourel in the best position to be successful. Are there things that you look for like in a franchise quarterback, that idea of one, we’re we’re always navigating that. I think uh at the end of the day, it’s about putting your team in the best position to be successful. How you do that from a quarterback perspective, you lead really really well. uh you have great great command of the offense, you protect the football, you make plays u you know when you have to. There’s hard downs in this league and the guys that make plays on those hard downs, you know, that that becomes a big time factor. I’m sorry, just ask this one more time. I apologize. Um if things go well, you expect Tyler to start the rest of the season and not to be going back to Spencer at any point, right? Yeah, we’re not we’re not doing this back and forth thing. Uh I think certainly that’s the goal. Um, you know, I think u just the same way we talked about when Spencer went in there. We weren’t going to get into this whole debate each and every week. Tyler’s in there. He’s ready to go. Um, you know, that’s the whole objective and plan of this thing is let Tyler go and have let him have a ton of success and navigate the things he has to navigate. How would you drive before as a backup quarterback who then is put into a starting role? Like what what changes for a player in that? Like obviously there’s more that goes into the week itself, but also like the teammates work with you and all that. How’s that dynamic? Yeah, I think the interpersonal dynamic is obviously different. You’re uh spending, you know, a lot of time with those starter that starting group. You got to create some cohesiveness there. Um you know, the leadership, the communication part of this is is so critical because uh ultimately you’re leading that group on the field. And then off the field, obviously there’s different obligations, uh things that you have to do from a a leadership standpoint, from a media perspective, a preparation standpoint. Um you know, Tyler and I’s communication as the week goes on as we’re building this thing. And so, uh all things he’s capable of, he’s shown throughout this whole process. He’ll he’ll do just fine with all that. development potentially affect how you guys Yeah, I don’t think you worry about it one bit. Um, we have an awesome group of guys. Uh, yeah, we haven’t won enough games, but uh, the way this group practices still, the energy that it brings, Wednesday’s practice for you to walk in there and see how our guys are still practicing each and every day, each and every week, uh, it’s a really awesome group. And so, uh, we’re going to do everything we can to be successful each and every Sunday. Um, you know, there’s a business side of this thing obviously that gets, uh, gets caught everyone gets caught into, but, uh, there’s a part that we’re focused on and that’s all we worry about. How would you describe your approach to the trade deadline? Yeah, same thing. I I’m not going to get caught up into it. U, you know, obviously if there’s business discussions that come up, there’s business discussions that come up, but we’re just preparing each and every week, getting ready to play, getting ready to rock and roll. um Mickey and you know all those guys do an awesome job of from a you know personnel side of this thing continue to uh you know build our roster and and make the adjustments they need they need to make but um you know we’re we’re focused on Sunday right now. You haven’t had any of those conversations yet. We’ll have occasional conversations here and there and you know if anything pops up but um you know our job’s to get ready to play on Sunday. I mean that’s that’s the other part of this thing. the same pass. Played these guys a couple times last year when we were in Philly. Um, you know, once regular season, once in the playoffs, and this is as good of a defensive line as you’re going to see in this league, and they’re really young, and so they got tons of energy, tons of juice. They make impact plays. Um, they can do it from a variety of different ways, and u, you know, they’re playing as well as anyone in this league. Did you see your offensive line grow from uh joint practice just facing those guys and seeing I thought it was an awesome opportunity for our offensive line to to experience those guys um to navigate some of you know those challenging matchups that that you inevitably will face with these guys. Our guys responded really well. I thought it was excellent excellent work. The Rams rank around 13th or 14th in yards allowed but their points allowed per game is third fewest I think. Um what do you what do you see that they’re doing well in terms in that area? Yeah, I think uh as the week progresses and you’re building out your plan, you see recognize, okay, now you get to some of these hard downs, third downs, they’re really really good. Red zone, they’ve done some really good things. They they’re a really smart football team, so situationally they handle situational football really well and uh and they’re creating turnovers, you know, and so, you know, maybe some people have created some yards in some in some games. Um you know, they’re playing all the hard downs really really well. over the last couple days, you’ve kind of said not to buy too much stock in the joint practices, but does it mean anything at all? But at least in some capacity, Tyler seen this defense and he’s played him so far in the preseason. Like, does that matter at all? That’s a good question. Um, I think having familiarity with your surroundings never hurts. Uh, you know, spending a little bit of time, hey, you’ve been around these guys, you’ve been in that stadium. Um, you know, certainly I can’t see that as a negative. That’s certainly a positive. um you know what you can take away from a joint practice from August um you know probably fairly minimal just because of uh what both teams are asking their teams to do it’s fairly you know introductory uh systems and all that sort of stuff but uh you know I thought it was excellent work and I think it allowed our guys to prepare theirel for the season kind of wild to you that you were teammates with a quarterback that yeah it was a long time ago yeah obviously spent a couple years with Matthew in Detroit um you know It’s really remarkable what the type of quarterback that he’s been for such a long time and uh he’s one of the premier quarterbacks in our league. Um you don’t want to give him the ball too many times in some you know opportunistic situations. Uh he’s going to deliver and he’s delivered year after year and he’s still playing at as high of a level as anyone in this league. And and what what have you all liked from Stalber to kind of put him in some of those rush situations? Yeah. Yeah. I think uh just a really smart football player able to kind of handle some of those situations. He’s got obviously tremendous athletic ability um you know in those situations sometimes to you know these quarterbacks can all scramble on third down. There’s a critical component of that. They can all move uh when the play breaks down it becomes off schedule. I think it’s important that you have guys who can pursue the quarterback and so he’s earned those opportunities. He’s done a nice job. Um you I thought it’s been a positive role for him. This kind of midway point of the season. How do you feel like Trevor Cunningham’s guard has has gone? Like where can he still maybe develop a little bit? Yeah, I think I think there’s been plenty of good with Trevor’s uh allows him to play with the physicality. I think um you know, he’s continued to get better each and every week. You know, I think the big thing is just the consistency and you know, a couple of the penalties that showed up in this past game is um is something for us just to continue to grow with because uh there’s a lot of good in there, but we got to clean up the uh you know, those penalties which he knows and he’s he’s going to do everything he can to to solve those. Um, just in regards to trying to figure out the timing of when to have a rookie make his first NFL start, does the quality of the defense you’re playing not figure into that at all? Um, you have plenty of discussions. Obviously, uh, if you were following that trend line, this probably wouldn’t be the week. Uh, you know, these guys are playing really good football. Uh, you know, but, uh, you know what, I think, uh, Tyler did an awesome job through his whole preparation and I think this is a great opportunity for our team as a as a whole. So, uh, these guys are playing really good football. Um, they’re playing really good football. I’m excited about this opportunity for our team to go out there and play in Los Angeles, play complimentary football, and, uh, it’ll be a lot of fun. Does that idea like kind of get really like overblown sometimes? Like the the Giants started to dart against the Chargers, like that’s another team that Yeah, Chargers are a really good team. They’re they’ve won a lot of games and they’re one of the best defenses. So, um, it’s the NFL. There’s no uh there’s no soft landing for anyone in this league. Uh, every game’s a battle. Every team has challenges. Every team’s got really talented players. And so, uh, to think you’re going to create some, uh, you know, this isn’t, you know, the beginning of some college football seasons where you maybe play some different opponents. This is the NFL and every team’s really, really good. Is there any kind of advantage on Tyler? It’s always a good question. I think um, you know, there’s some unfamiliarity with the player, just how stylistically he may play or what he may uh, have preference of. as far as you know plays that he might want to execute at at that are different than maybe a different quarterback and so there’s always a little bit element unknown. you talk about the desire for like from your side play calling doing things differently improving I think is one of the use but with with Tyler are there naturally things that you’re able to do differently with a different quarterback I think there’s always going to be different preferences and you know as the week progresses and you talk through the game plan and you start talking about hey what are our favorites what are the ones that we want to attack or how’s he seeing the the defense uh there’s always it’s going to be a little bit of a different flavor you know, it’s natural. There there’s going to be things that feel a little bit different potentially and that’ll evolve week in and week out as we continue to progress. And with so many things that are, for lack of a phrase, option based like RPOS’s and things like that, do you see a difference in the decision making between the two quarterbacks, not better or worse, just a good question. I think uh both guys have from their background in college, I think both of them have had a lot of exposure to it. So, I don’t think it’s something that is one guy or the other. Um, you know, I think both those guys have a good good decision-m process. Um, you know, as the games navigate, I think we’ll naturally see their trend trend line, you know, maybe shift one way or or the other once you kind of get into live action and kind of allow them to react to those things, whether they run it or throw it or, um, the decision-m factor of that. But, u, you know, both guys, I think, have handled all that stuff really well. on on that interception with Tyler and and Chris, like what do you what’s the coaching point, correction point on on how that played out. Yeah, I think for both sides, you get to say, okay, what can I do in my my capacity and my role? You know, location of the football. Okay. U you know, Tyler can obviously uh focus on that part for himself. And then for for uh Chris, obviously, it’s the catch tuck, get it away from the defender. Defender made a phenomenal play on the ball, but uh you know, a lesson for both sides. Just in terms of ball security is that I mean obviously it’s something you talk about every week but after a game like that with all the balls on the ground I mean that has to be something. Yeah it’s a big part of this week obviously u it’s become a trend because it’s two weeks and so anytime something becomes a trend obviously now we got to do everything we can we got to attack the uh attack that because obviously it’s going to become a discussion point and theme for our opponents is that you know you can get the ball uh if you keep attacking it with these guys and so we got to do an excellent job protecting it. Kell, when you think back to maybe what Tyler’s maybe going through this week as he’s making, you know, he’s probably worked for us a long time, this this opportunity in your own career and maybe is there any special message because you played the position, you know, what he’s going through that you would relay to him this week or you already did maybe talking to him. Yeah, I think it’s a it’s a healthy ongoing week discussion. Um, you know, I think uh it’s the first time you kind of got to navigate some of this now. these guys in college football nowadays, they they deal with a lot more media probably than I used to deal with when I was playing in college, so they’re more accustomed to all the stuff that you maybe isn’t all the onfield aspects of it. So, he’ll do an excellent job with all that. And I think, you know, he’s what I respect is he’s done a really good job of preparing like he’s a starter each and every week. Um, you know, and and again, it’s one game, it’s one opportunity, it’s the first one for him. Um, you don’t have to make it any bigger than it is. Uh, and so, uh, I think he’s going to do a really good job. is um the impact that Chase has had kind of the one you envision camp and you resigned him. Yeah, Chase done a really nice job. He’s made some impact plays the last few weeks which has been great. All good. All right, thanks guys.

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore speaks with the media from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 ahead of Week 9 vs. the Los Angeles Rams.
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