Saints name Tyler Shough starting QB: Initial reaction and future implications

Saints name Tyler Shough starting QB: Initial reaction and future implications

[Music] Welcome back to New Orleans. Football presented by PJ’s Copy. Coming to you from their great location up here on Airline and Mey right across the street from Rouses. Come check them out. Get your day started. Beautiful location. Great place to sit and uh chat. Whatever you got to do, eat a beignet and uh start your day right with PJs. Um Tyler Shuck, future might be now, the future might be later. We’re going to find out what the future is. We’re going to talk about what all that means. Kell Moore announced him as the uh starter today. So, that’s a big one for them. We’re going to see where that goes from here. We’re going to talk about all that and what it means and and what we need to see over the rest of the season to decide whether or not that’s the guy or not for the Saints. So, we’re going to get into all that. We’re coming to you from the Asher MD Anderson Cancer Center podcast setup here. 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Um, I just thought there was going to come a time where there was going to be a lull in the season and the lull was going to be enough. I mean, you took this guy 40th. Like, we’ve made this comparison a bunch of times. I understand why there’s more hype around Jackson Dart and he’s younger and he was a hot prospect for longer. But these two teams, they took they took those two guys like 16 picks apart. If the Saints had traded up 10 spots, he would have been a first round pick. You don’t have one in seven teams with their first round pick on the bench very their top 40 pick on the bench for very long. And the other element being that they’ve got a you know they’re scheduled to have the number one pick next year. So it it you know look Spencer Rattler could have landed in a lot better situations than he did this year. But he had to be almost perfect to prevent this from happening. It felt inevitable. It’s I always thought the by-week maybe it’s happening two weeks sooner than the by-week. But now that it’s happening, the circumstances of this team, I’m ready to see it. Like they they need they need something different to look at. They need something different to find out about. And you know, I’m not expecting miracles. I I’m not expecting the team to be better. I don’t think the betting line moved based on this announcement. I don’t think the betting line should move based on this announcement, but I’m really curious. It is the highest draft pick the Saints have made since Archie Manning, and I’m really curious to see what he looks like. No, it’s time to see what the old guy can do. put put him in there. And happy birthday 26th a couple weeks ago for him. Yeah. Oh, I mean here here’s something though. I mean like I I understand I understand why Jackson does you different. He’s 22. Like he’s this guy’s 26. Older or younger? Jordan Love or or Tyler Shuck? Jordan Love’s been around for like six years. You’re going to shock me with this. Older or younger? I’m saying Jordan Love is older. Trevor Lawrence. I would have also guessed he’s older. Trevor Lawrence is older. Shaq’s older than him. I know. I know that. Jordan Love is older than Chuck. Jordan Love is 26. He’s a couple months younger, I believe. Bo Nick Knicks. Oh, Bo. Nick is younger. Is he older? He’s younger by he’s he’s Chuck’s older than him by a year. Okay. Yeah. I mean, but like he’s an old guy. He’s an old guy. He’s barely younger than Justin Herbert. You know what I mean? So, like I get I get why the perception isn’t quite quite the same. Um No, I get it. I get it. But it’s like I’ve said this all along. The Saints could have traded up. We were on alert. Will they trade up? The Giants traded up. They felt like they had to trade up. I thought the Saints might too. If the Saints had taken him 30th instead of 40th, there would have just been like this what’s taking so long narrative. But because he was a second round pick, it was like maybe he’ll play this year, maybe he won’t. But the point is they made a big investment in this guy. Yeah. I mean, like the the thing I’m just just to put a like I want to talk about what he means and not like that. But I understand that like in five years, Jackson Dart you feel like is entering his prime years to be a prime NFL quarterback. In five years, you feel like Tyler Shock’s probably like at the backside and he’s he should be at his prime right now. I mean, I think it’s I think it’s just I think that’s why it’s perceived different, but I’m excited to see what he can do. Um I liked a lot of the stuff he did in college. Um as we’ve said a million times, like guys that you you aren’t pressed to take in the top 10 usually don’t make it. Guys that you take in the top 10 usually don’t make it. guys that you take in the second round. It’s like three out of the last 10 have have become uh decent players in in the NFL. Derek Carr was was one of them. They don’t typically make it. So, the odds are significantly against this guy, but you bet on traits. There’s a couple traits here to like and there’s some stuff not to like. And I think we kind of saw all of that. We saw a microcosm of that in the second half of the last game. I I think we saw the easy arm strength down the field, the aggressiveness. It felt like it opened up. It felt like, oh, okay, you might be able to convert a third and eight now finally with with this guy in the game because he’s going to attack and he’s going to get you there. I feel like Rattler didn’t do those things necessarily. So, like there’s more air in the balloon, but you also saw like a couple panic plays and those are the things that I think are are the issues with him. So, we’ll just see over time with the weight of both things are and see which way they’re going and how they go. And to your point, yeah, it happened insanely fast. Like insanely fast. Like after that New England game, I was like, “Oh my god, he’s never going to open a door.” And it was like a sense of like panic of like they’re never going to be able to look at the other guy. I’m texting you. I’m like I I don’t know what’s going to happen here. Like he gave it his best shot and it’s like I I don’t know where it goes from here. Um I I don’t know if he’s ever going to get to the level they want, but it’s going to be too good to take him out. What happens if they don’t look at him and you’re like, “Yo, shut the hell up. You’re way too worked up.” Uh you know, I called out a little bit for that. That’s my role sometimes for New Orleans. Can I put that on my card? Talking Nick off the ledge. But like it felt it felt like it was like, “Hey, he’s never going to make a mistake. he’s never gonna make. And then then all of a sudden like it’s just like poof. I didn’t expect that either. And and look, I mean the other thing that’s so interesting about this is I don’t I don’t think Tyler Shuck’s going to be better than Spencer. That’s a high bar. Spencer Rler put a high bar out there. And I think Tyler Shuck could be worse than that. I expect him to be worse than that. Another part of the equation with Shuck is there’s not a ton of buzz around him because he didn’t light it up this summer. We didn’t have like the, oh, remember that second preseason game, the three touchdowns in the He didn’t have those moments. He didn’t have those moments in in training camp practices. He had some good scrimmages. He had some good moments, but, you know, he didn’t he didn’t up the buzz. So, I think we’re going to see growing pains. I think we’re going to see a work in progress. But what is really interesting, and this is one of many things that’s unfortunate to Spencer Rattler is Spencer Rattler went through the gauntlet. like this Rams game is going to be really tough on Tyler Shuck. But after this Rams game is over, I think I think Rattler played like six of the toughest games on the whole schedule and then the second half of the schedule gets so much easier. You get both Carolina games, you get Miami, you get the Jets, you get the Titans, you get both Atlanta games, a team they usually match up well. Like Shuck could even play not quite as consistently good as Rattler did and find the wins that Rattler could never find. And that that’ll that’ll be really interesting too in how all of this is viewed. And yeah, in fairness to to Spencer, if this is the last time he he starts a game, like just contextualizing it, I I would probably say that we probably saw a guy that that probably got to around being 24th, 23rd, 22nd best quarterback. I think you could stack the deck around him. if you gave him some a tight end that could consistently catch wide receivers that aren’t giving the ball away. Um I think that you could conceivably see somebody even that we would portray a little bit higher with with a little bit added help. Um I I don’t think someone asked me in our chat the other day like was he like how do you evaluate him when guys aren’t making plays? I don’t think that there was anything here that held back in an evaluation like you had an offensive line, the ball’s getting thrown, all that stuff. Like I think that perception of like if you win a game like we’re just going to you’re going to automatically perceive someone as being better. If you found a way to beat New England, we view that better. Like so I think you could have stacked the deck around him and got somewhere, but I think you’re still in the back half of that league. I I think you know the back half of the starters. Um I think the same thing is going to be true with Chuck and and you know I we’ll see where it goes from here, but I think you’re right. He set a great bar. Like I don’t think you’re you’re just throwing this guy away. like I I think that I I could see him popping up somewhere as a spot starter and and having people have the discussion all over again like should he be the guy like should they play him? So, um I think I think that there’s good potential there and he’s still he showed it. It’s just for me I think as you’re building a team and the circumstance they’re in, if you had like a builtout team and he falls into it, you’re probably looking at and like how do you get the punchers chances to go to the playoffs or whatever? But like this isn’t a team that’s in that situation. Like this is a team that’s rebuilding. You need everything. And unfortunately for these guys and for Tyler Shuck, you’re viewing them through the prism of everything else that is out there. So just kind of rolling this ahead. Uh this topic is presented by Rouse is a continuation of this conversation. Like right now they do have the the Rouses is the official supermarket of the Saints. They do have the number one pick right now. It’s drafts today. And um that opens the door to everything else. like you’re looking at Fernando Mendoza, Tai Simpson, Dante Moore, Lenores Sers, whoever else is is, you know, making a push late. Um, all those guys are in that mix right now and, uh, you have to judge him against all those guys, too. And that that’s I think that’s why the evaluation is like so important going forward. And it’s not it’s not the six games, it’s not the four games, it’s not the after the buy. Like you’re getting like a legitimate half a season, a little more actually cuz halftime of this game will be halfway through the season to kind of look at everything and see where where they stack up against all those guys. And that that’s the thing for both of them. It was never the battle between the two. It’s the battle between them and those guys. Like it’s everybody else. Um someone was asking me this. They’re like, “Well, what if what if he is like the 15th best quarterback?” Like, shock, and you get to the end of it and you feel like he’s the 15th best. All right, cool. But like, what if you feel like Fernando Mendoza like could be top 10? Like, there’s a huge difference between guy 17 and and guy 10. A huge difference between guy 15 and and guy eight. Like, you’re talking about what what is the the Jared Goff cut off and then like guy 15, 16, 17 is like Kyler Murray. That’s like a world of difference there. I’ll It’s funny. I my thinking was, you know, once you get into the seventh and eighth picks and stuff like that, like then you’re really projecting or whatever. Um, what if you love Drake May though? But but yeah, well, yeah, I mean, but what I was going to say is somebody pointed out to me um like the Justin Herbert year and you know, obviously what Bon Knicks has been for Denver. I mean, I suppose you could He was He was like once once in a generation. I’m just saying like you you could see the guy at pick 10 that you’re like this is this is the the guy. I think we like to think that the only things are one and two, but sometimes the teams find find those guys. Look, I what’s interesting about this is I think the schedule will help with this evaluation a little bit in that the schedule is so weak that if Tyler Shuck is the 15th best quarterback in the league or better, he can’t help but stack some wins. Like you can’t, unlike Rattler, who was doing good things and they were still losing games to better teams. How could he be really good and not beat Miami and the Jets and the Titans and at least one of the Panthers games and maybe one of the Falcons games? Like I don’t know how Shuck could be so undeniably good and they still end up two and 15 or three and 14. So again, wins will be a big part of the equation. Now the weird thing happens is what if Shuck is okay and you have the fourth pick, then we’re going to have show after show after show about like what do you do? Shuck was pretty good. But if like Shuck is great, then they’re going to win a lot of games and they’re going to he’s going to play them out of the top three picks. If he’s terrible and they’re losing to the Jets and they’re losing to the Dolphins and they’re losing to the Titans, then you take a quarterback at number one. I mean, I I think I think the fact that the schedule is so bad, um both extremes are are in play. I I think the weird the weird tweener would be if what if he looks pretty good and you end up with the fourth pick? What if he just looks okay and you have the fourth pick? Um, then then the quarterback class and and the scouting you’ve been doing on Saturdays, no days off or Nick Underh Hill comes into play. Like then then there’s got to be three good guys in this class or four good guys in this class. And I don’t know if this class has that yet. Although there’s a lot to be determined there. I think like if you’re picking up four and you like one of them, you still take them. Like you still take them like like it just okay. Like if if you aren’t looking at at someone, you’re like, “This is a guy that could be the guy forever.” Like it’s just kind of And look, like I’m not being funny here. You could draft someone and get younger. Like and that matter that matters too. Like it does. Like if you have the shot and you like a guy and you can get younger and you’re just like someone said this to me, they’re like, “If you’re not sure, you you get sure in the draft.” Like if you’re not sure about your guy, you get sure about the like someone you have to get sure about it. The other part of that too, like just realistically speaking, if you go through this season and you’re picking fourth and you don’t feel great about the quarterback being able to help you get to seven, eight, nine wins next year, like you’re going to get fired. Yeah. And I think that has to be part of the thought process. There’s nothing this year that’s been remarkable enough to buy you like everyone’s just kind of chilling right now because it’s like, okay, it’s year one of the rebuild. We’re not going to criticize too much. Like the coach has to grow into the role, all that stuff. But like there is literally been nothing to this point where you’re like this is so promising that that it’s worth it to go through it. Like they can think that about Blake Groupy. I haven’t seen that about anybody here right now where it’s just like I’m going to be patient and wait and see. Um so I think if you get to to next year and you’re sitting there coming into the trade deadline and you’re a one two win team again, man, you like I I I don’t I don’t know that you you you make it in the the third year. Like honestly, like you got to start winning some games and if your quarterback isn’t helping you do that, like you got to go. All right, we’ve the one part of this that is the hardest to to talk about, but that we haven’t really talked about. What are your actual expectations? Like, we know what it has to look like for us to believe he’s a guy. Do you think there’s any chance he can get there, especially with a team that we’ve seen really struggle this year? Well, I mean, I think that’s two different things. Like, do I think there’s a chance? Yeah, cuz like when they when they, you know, we talked about him in the leadup to the draft, like there was a lot of stuff that was like, hey, he’s got a good arm, he can run, he can move, he can do all stuff, but like the panic parcel of it is like, can you can you minimize the panic piece of it over top of everything else and then all this shines and the panic is o over here and you minimize it. I think if you can do that, he has a a chance. It’s just that panic piece of it usually doesn’t go away. And you know, I kind of feel like you either have it or you don’t. And again, it felt like he was getting like sped up in that game right there. I don’t want to judge too much off that. I’m not going to reach a conclusion off it because thrown to the fire out of nowhere. The most shocking piece of this whole thing is they just threw him in there. Yeah. I don’t I don’t feel like this was a plan. I don’t think it was a like a laid out, hey, we’re going to get to midway of the third quarter and if it’s not there, you’re going in. Like I think it just happened and we’re going to create a spark. And that kind of redefined how I look at the I’m I’m like way off topic here, but that redefined how I how I kind of look at the whole season because up until now everything felt orchestrated, planned out and it felt patient. It was like, you know, out of everything it was like, oh, they’re sitting here and they’re going to have this grand roll out how to put him in and it’s going to be this laid out thing. And you know, I kind of view them as them sitting back and looking at everybody else in the league and be like, look at how these idiots are handling handling the quarterbacks or whatever. um they’re rushing them, the Daniel Jones and all this stuff like and then it just turns out like you throw him in the to create a spark and that doesn’t even marry up with the idea of like we’re going to let the kicker just miss kick after kick after kick and not worry if we lose a game because of because of that cuz we believe he’s better on the other side. We’re going to take Pete Wernern out of the game. He’s our second best linebacker to develop Danny Stsman and Isaiah Stalber and if they miss a tackle or make a mistake or have a coverage error and it cost us like who cares? We need to get them the reps. we’re gonna take Iiki Adam out, our second best quarterback, and put Quincy Riley in and and who cares? Like they’re gonna develop and whatever. And I think Quincy Riley’s actually played well, but like that didn’t marry up with the idea of like you get to the second half of a Bucks game and you’re pressing and you’re like, you know what, we’re going to throw him in and see if it creates a spark so we can win a game. Like all of a sudden it’s like wait a minute like you have a kicker you wouldn’t attempt a field goal from from 59. How does that align? But like whatever. If you got there and it’s the right decision, who cares? and like you got him some experience and fine, but it was like extremely shocking to and not to mention if you’re orchestrating it, this is the worst possible week for anyone to make their first career start at LA. This is by far the toughest remaining game on the Saints schedule outside of Buffalo. It might be the second toughest game on their schedule. If you’re just talking defense, it might defensive front that he’s going to have to face. It might be the toughest team a quarterback is going to have to face all year on the road. like like this is not setting up Shut for success, but what it is doing is it’s throwing him in the deep end of the pool and like now you’re committed. Like now he’s got like there’s no going back and forth after this. Like you are spending the rest of this season evaluating Tyler Shuck now. I think that’s what you’re doing. If if I had to project onto Kell Moore and and and Doug Nusmeer and the decision makers, I feel like they were probably getting closer. You know how this works in so many decisions you make in life. Um, they were probably getting closer to doing it and they were like, “We might be ready to do it by the by-week. We might be ready to do it by Carolina week.” The week before the buy and once you started playing around with your head like we’re going to go to shucks soon. Shoot, let’s do it now. We’re like, we were already thinking about doing it now. I’m They got themselves ready to do it. They They got themselves thinking about it and and they were ready to do it. Definitely dangerous and it’s not like it’s And he I think he handled it pretty well. Like I think he played okay. Uh that’s dangerous though. Like and you’re throwing him out there like he’s not done any he’s not practiced with any guys. He didn’t take any reps with the the first team. Like this is not at all like I’m I’m shocked how they like I’m legitimately shocked how they did it. I didn’t I didn’t think it would be an impulsive thing at any point with that decision. But I mean I want to ask you one more thing because our next subject is about Kellmore and I want to get more into this. But I want to ask you one more thing. describe this because you scouted Chuck as much as anyone earlier than anyone, knew the Saints were on him early. Um, how much of what we saw in that game, which was the Saints down by two scores. I don’t know if they ran the ball once while Shuck was in there. He threw he had 32 drop backs in his in his 20 minutes of of football. He threw 30 pass attempts. Um, how much of the throws downfield that we saw do you you say dismiss some of it because of the game situation, but how much of that was No, that’s what he looks like. Like that’s Jamey. That’s what he does. No, he attacks. He attacks. I think we saw it all through camp, too. Like we do we do the throw charge or whatever and like he had way more down. I mean, obviously it’s accelerated on steroids and heightened and all that cuz because of the game situation, but he’s definitely a much more aggressive quarterback and I think we saw it in preseason. I think we saw it in camp. I think I think that’s just who he is. And I think, you know, a lot of times in camp they’re going down the field and we’re we’re charting it the full field drives and it’s like, you know, the Chuck drive lasts eight plays and and the the Rattler one would last 18 and it’s just kind of like, geez, this is really what they’re they’re going to do. Um, and yeah, I mean, I just think I think he attacks it way more. I think I think your third and long problem, I don’t know if it gets solved, but it gets you might have a new problem, you know, like I think the way it’s not getting solved would change, but he he’s going to try to fit that ball in there. Um, and he’s going to make more dangerous throws. I think it’s just how he how he plays the game. Uh, and it’s stylistically like I’m kind of ready to to see that like something different. So, yeah, it’ll be interesting. To answer your question though about like what do you do in the draft? You draft one or not? I mean, I’m not like ready to say like, yes, this is the the the the specific guy or whatever. But I think in theory right now if you’re telling me, hey, like would you what would be at the top of your draft list? Quarterback. Yeah. Quarterback. Like I’m taking one right now. I It’s just if Shuck plays well enough for them to have to be the team taking the third quarterback in this year’s class, that’s when it gets fuzzy. That’s when it gets I think where it gets fascinating is who winners. Cuz I think if like Tai Simpson and Dante Moore enter, they probably go before Mendoza. I would probably rather have Mendoza. I like right now he he’s just looks like the best package of everything, but you get the the potential guys in there. Did we bring the white board to PJs? I know you you’re doing more leg work on this and I’m just reading what you write, but I’m putting it down right now before Halloween. Mendoza is going number one overall next year. Those guys those guys aren’t going to do enough to to change that. That’s my prediction. That’s that that’s that’s my bold prediction with three three months of actual college football left to be played and then three months of fake guys in shorts and everyone trying to talk themselves into Lenor Sers. I think Mendoza is the number one pick. If sellers anyways I I still think he goes number one. Yeah, it’ll be interesting. Yeah. I mean like someone’s going to talk themselves in and I guess it depends who it is too. Like if you feel like you have time or you need someone, I I don’t know. Like if you need to be saved, you can sell yourself on sellers being the savior. And I hope I hope there’s three three at least three guys that teams consider saviors. That would that nothing would be better for the Saints than having three options. If if this is another Cam Ward draft where there’s only one sure thing, that’s where it gets dicey. I like Mendoza, though. I’m I’m a Mendoza head myself, so that that’d probably be where I go. Uh we’re going to hit a quick break. We’ll be right back. Ashner MD Anderson Cancer Center is proud to team up with the NFL in the New Orleans Saints crucial catch mission to tackle cancer and save lives. Together, they’re helping more people access the tools needed to detect cancer early and promoting prevention and early detection. Learn more at ashner.org/endcancer. Rouse’s Markets is voted best grocery store in New Orleans, best grocery store in Baton Rouge, Mississippi, GF Coast, Tibido, Poma, Hammond, Lake Charles, Mobile. Year after year, thank you for choosing us. Best grocery store on the Gulf Coast. Number one. Thank you. Thank you. The number one grocery store in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana. A million customers a week can’t be wrong. Welcome to Rouses. I used a home equity loan from Kesler Fedle to fix up the garage cuz living your dream means living your way. And the kids take off the field. 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Our next topic is presented by Bobby Avery’s Cajun Cannon Restaurant. What’s kind of your take on Midway Midway Checkpoint on on Kamore? What’s your take? Well, um, you know, if you’re just checking into the show now, rewind to the last segment where we were talking about how this this is one of the few times where it felt like he was kind of making something up on the fly. Uh, making the quarterback switch. I’ve, you know, there’s some things that I’ve really liked his his offensive mind, his offensive game planning, and I really like the methodical development. I like that they’re choosing playing Quincy Riley and Danny Stzman over trying to just win every game. I I this, you know, they’re they’re going to Tyler Shuck. They’re evaluating this season. They’re learning who they are. Um, I think it’s also very clear that he’s going through his own growing pains and he doesn’t have all the answers. And I think we’ve heard a little more frustration from him now that they’re one and seven. I mean, some of the quotes after this game and on Monday um where I think he was trying to be kind to Spencer Rattler and saying it’s not Spencer Rattler’s fault, it’s my fault. But the other stuff about why have you started uh taking the ball at the beginning of the game? Why did you only run the ball five times in the first half? His answers are we’ve we’ve been down 14 points in every game and I’m trying anything I can think of to be the team that scores first. And like I mean he’s starting to throw more. He’s starting to change his opinion on deferring. He’s changing who he wants his starting quarterback to be. I mean I think we’re realizing that he doesn’t have a very good team and he doesn’t have the answers for how to make them better right now. Um which is to be expected. We did not expect this team to be that good and we did not expect to make him be a miracle worker, but I think we’re seeing him swimming in it right now. I definitely think we are. Yeah, the change in tone again like the the the mid midgame going to going to shock thing like shock me. But yeah, I I I think you just hit it hit it on the head right there. we’re seeing more like for for a while it was just kind of like oh okay they’re cool just kind of going through this and they know what it is and you know I don’t think and now all of a sudden like it’s coming from him the frustration more so than even like anybody else you know I I agree with the growing pains part of it um you know the the the penalties are still a thing like that that’s kind of a a problem the the game planning generally I’ve been okay with it but I mean not really I mean like you can’t run the ball for whatever reason the only game that’s the biggest disappointment of his offense is they went into Buffalo, not to interrupt but to to make sure we sit on this point. They went into Buffalo and they ran the ball so well in Buffalo and his point was, we talked about it all week that not only did we think we could run against this team, but we want this to be our identity. We thought all along that would be their identity with the running backs and the offensive line that they have. They have given up even trying to run the ball. Like they have no not only do they not have a plan for running it, they have no confidence in being able to run it. Well, here’s the thing. What what I was going to say though like yeah they they go to Buffalo they run the ball they’re playing under center in that game and they’re they’re effectively running it and they become an outside zone run team which is the thing that works so well for this team last year and then every other game they’re just living in shotgun slinging the ball down the field they run the ball six times with the running backs in this game they have three runs early from Alvin that equate to 12 yards then he doesn’t touch the ball again for 27 snaps um that doesn’t make any sense to me they they aren’t doing any screens that doesn’t make any sense to me like when he was with the Chargers he ran screens tackler. So, it isn’t just like a thing. But then like I I was watching uh old press conferences from kind because you kind of look at Zeke and it’s kind of like when he was in Dallas and it’s like his usage is really high in year one and then it kind of goes down and I was watching these like press conferences and it’s just like repeatedly like how come you aren’t giving the ball to Zeke? How come you aren’t giving the ball to Zeke? How come you aren’t giving the ball to Zeke? And I’m just like huh this is what’s kind of going on here right now. Um you know I don’t really know what Kell Moore’s identity is either though. Like it just like when he was coming in, we kind of talked about like oh like shifted here and there, but like it’s weird because like he starts off in Dallas and like the motion numbers are insanely high and then they kind of just drop and then he goes to the Chargers and they’re back up to being insanely high and then he goes to to Philadelphia and they drop and it’s just kind of like you know what like who are you like who are you as a play caller? He’s he’s run heavy in Philly because of the personnel. Like is it is it the guy that he was in Dallas in year one? Is it the guy who he wasn’t? I I don’t know what it is. Like I don’t think he knows what it is here either. I think I don’t think he’s he’s found it yet. And I I can kind of understand why you don’t really know what the quarterback is. Like your weapons are kind of really inconsistent certain times. Like Alvin’s not pass protecting, so maybe that limits how how often you want to put him on the field. Maybe you don’t feel like Devin Neil can run the ball. Like it could be a million things. But like I think growing pains in general, maybe not just for him, but like the whole team are are there. Look, I I will say this, like it feels like they’re worse at everything than they were a year ago. I I don’t think they’re better. I thought they’d be better at running the ball. They’re not better at running. They’re not better at throwing. I would say they’re not showcasing a lot of I would say they’re better at blocking. That’s the only thing. Like they have a better offensive line right now than they did last year. But until McCoy got hurt again a week ago. Yeah. And credit to him, they they lived through it for for once. But um for a game at least. Yeah. And none of this is to dismiss him completely. Um um I don’t think anyone could have succeeded with this. I would have predicted a lack of success. Um there’s a reason why this is the, you know, third straight coaching regime that hasn’t been able to make this offense go because they’re down, you know, especially with the injuries they had in recent years. They’re just down on playmakers. You, one of the things we liked about him is his proven ability to adapt around what he has and the playmakers he has. He doesn’t have a lot to work with right now. And it’s just it’s interesting when you talked about what we saw in the preseason from Chuck and Rattler. Rattler was the guy who was doing a lot more of the 12play, 15 play drives, staying out of trouble methodically, getting the team downfield, and he chose that and he praised it every time. And I think that’s how Rattler won the job. I It feels like he thought he could maybe win some games with that style early on, and I think he’s realized he can’t. Yeah, I think I think he got probably married to the idea of like, and there’s stats that support this. if if you win the turnover battle, like the the winning numbers are insane, like insanely high. And I I think he married into like, okay, look, we can do that and and we’ll have a shot. And I think I think the best laid plan like just quickly quickly quickly quickly fell apart. Yeah. I look, I don’t mind it. I mean, I’m glad they hired a rookie coach. Like, if they had hired Mike McCarthy, he might have come in here and and hit the ground running a little more based on his years of experience. But they are going with a rookie coach just like they’re going with a rookie quarterback now. So he’s allowed to have these growing pains. I just think it’s it this is the stretch where we’ve seen him the most blatantly. I think the when they’ve reached 1 and seven and and you know they were kind of they were kind of like trending positive for a while during that first month of the season. The loss in Buffalo was considered positive. Then they got the win against the Giants. They they’ve definitely hit a backslide in the last couple weeks and this is this is the rut of the season. No doubt about it. Yeah. Uh all right, moving on to our next topic presented by Shaw Bear Insurance. Uh I like one of the building blocks I don’t know if building blocks the right term yet, but I think one of the legitimate bright spots of the last couple weeks has been Chase Young. It looks like he’s legitimately just opening it up like playing up to his potential. the two weeks in a row, two games in a row, been the guy that flashed the most, has made the most plays. He’s been around the quarterback. He’s been like getting off the line so quick that it looks like he’s about to intercept passes to the flats. He’s he’s been involved on three different sacks. He’s hitting the quarterback. He looks great. He looks healthy. He looks like he’s moving really really well. Um it feels like that that could be a guy if he continues to do this throughout the the rest of the year. Like they were asking me on uh Flynn and Hester this morning like who the Untouchables would be and I was like, “Ah, nobody.” Like if he did what he did the last two weeks every game the rest of the way or most games the rest of the way like he might be next year when we’re doing the top 25 like he would probably be the top guy on that list. I mean look who you’re talking to here. Like I never sold any of my Chase Young stock. I even bought up a little more when it was on sale during the first five weeks of the season. Um yeah I always thought this was possible with him. I I’ve never denied the talent. Like I always wondered, you know, it was injuries for a while, it was situation for a while or whatever. I did worry that the five-game hiatus during during a was gonna like undo all the positive momentum of a fully healthy offseason, but he looks now like I thought he was going to look like in week one. I I did wonder if missing five weeks would slow him down. And um so that’s, you know, like I very excited that they have a player who seems to be trending up. Real quick, let’s go back to older or younger. Chase Young or Tyler Shuck. Oh, Chase Young’s younger. No, Chase Young’s Wait, Chase Young’s older by about 190 days, but they’re both 26. But what were you going to say about him? It’s the consistency piece of it. And I think that’s always been like he’s always had it’s the consistency piece. Like if he can do it consistently, sky’s the limit for him. Like it’s always been that number two pick in the draft. like he me and Adam were talking about it the other day like who was the last like can’t miss guy and and we were like clowny and it was like yeah but Chase Young too was like kind of like defensive defensive pass rusher like he was in that conversation um and you know that like just viewed that way coming in like this is the guy like the the huge talent all that stuff like it’s just the consistency piece of it if he can do that like bang off he goes like I feel like the scheme fits him he’s playing well he feels good I I think he’s carrying himself with you know it just feels like he’s kind of approaching it with like from a place of joy right now. Like doesn’t feel like he’s frustrated or anything like I think he’s in a really good place. I’m kind of cautiously betting on seeing it the rest of the way. Another name in this same category. Couple good week stretch for Kool-Aid McKinstry. I think I I don’t think we think we’re going to put Kool-Aid McKinstry at number two on next year’s ranking the players on the roster list. But even if we’re putting Kool-Aid Mckin Yeah, no kidding. Even if Kool-Aid McKinstry is in our top 12 next year, I would think that’s huge, huge, huge. They need young players who you’re like, well, they have the that we consider assets that we would put on a what do the Saints have? Is Koolie McKistry do you believe that he’s going to be a an answer to what do the Saints have going into next year? Like well, this isn’t it’s it’s kind of wild though like if if there’s a real possibility like if if Alvin Deario she he’s probably gone as a free agent and Chris like if if One or two of those guys are gone. Kool-Aid probably ends up in the top five on that list. And that’s that’s not really about McCoyy’s here, too. Okay, let’s let’s not try to go through the Saints roster. Let’s like what a typical top 10 player is. Do you think he has the talent to be a top 10 player on this team in most years? He’s a top 10 player on the team right now. Yeah. I mean, like right now he is. Um I I think I think I feel, you know, building blocks a big word. Like I I I got to see a little more to get to like even Chase. I’m not putting him in a building block status either. Like building blocks is a big word, but I think Kool-Aid’s flashing like real potential and he looks like someone that I I would be comfortable with having as one of my starting quarterbacks. Like I don’t I think the idea of that being a need has been eliminated. I think he’s played well. I think he’s had some downs in in some games that every quarterback does, young quarterback especially. Um but he looks like Yeah, he looks like he has real potential. I’m glad he’s on the team. I don’t I don’t have the conviction even that I said when I was buying all this Chase Young stock like Kool-Aid’s worried me every once in a while that like two good games oh it’s happening and then two games are like well he’s still a working pro like I’m I’m not sure but the one thing about him is he carries himself with a tremendous amount of like poise and common is like he carries like corner is like almost like a position right behind quarterback where you’re like the way someone carries themsself makes a big difference and and He he seems to to feel and and move like he believes he’s a number one corner and he’s not afraid of any matchup in the league. And he like it was the two plays on the uh goal line stand where they after they got shut down on five running attempts the first time they decided to throw at him twice with maybe rookie of the year achan one of them and he he denied both of them. Like I I think he is perfectly comfortable in those moments and that does go a long long way to have a guy like that. very encouraged by most of what we we’ve seen. For the most part though, like look, we’re kind of looking at it. Hey, do they are they going to need two corners? Are they going to need one? Are they going to need three? Like what’s it going to be? I I think he’s somebody I’m extremely comfortable with starting on most teams. Like, you know, obviously some teams have different rosters, but like most teams, he he’s a he’s a solid starter right now with the arrow arrow pointing up for him. Uh we’re going to hit a quick break. We’ll be back with the Gordon uh Get Gordon question of the day. Big news from the home team. Introducing our newest sponsor, the Mortgage Brothers. With over 30 years of combined experience, the Mortgage Brothers are the quarterbacks of home lending, calling the right plays to get you across the goal line. 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It is now time for the get Gordon question of the day presented by Gordon Mccernin. Injury attorneys. If you need help, make sure you get Gordon. Car wrecks, whatever. Uh, make sure you get Gordon. Question of the day comes from our guy Wesley. He said, “Why did the Saints not run the ball?” Um, I think they just outsmarted themselves here, man. Like, you know, I know he said he they some of them turned in they were RPOS’s and it was better to throw it than than run. I get it. Um, you know, I think he said some of them were, you know, extensions of it with the the wide receiver screens and all that stuff. Okay, cool. I get it. I just think there’s always like and coming from the guy who who’s introduced a phrase that I had never heard in my life before mixed down football like somebody that talks about it all the time to only run the ball six times with young quarterbacks against a blitz happy team with the center out. Like it just felt like a very easy way to to kind of take some pressure off and and maybe create some advantageous looks. I I just think I think they outsmarted themselves in this one honestly. Yeah. I mean, look, you could say when you look at the final rushing totals, oh, yeah, they were down in the whole game, but sort of kind of. I mean, it was what, 7-3 at halftime. Yeah, it was a close game. And and they only had five like designed runs in the in the first half. Um, five non-QB runs in the first half. And then even Tyler Shuck entering the game when it was 17-3. He came in in the third quarter, he was down 14. Like, he could have gone on a 12play drive to begin his Saints career and then it would have been 17-10. And it’s like, all right, this is anyone’s game. like it it’s very weird. Uh I mean you made the point earlier in this show about Alvin being off the field quite a bit maybe partially because of their you know concerns or frustrations with his pass protection but so you put Deon Neil on the field for that but he had zero carries. Taesm Hill was available as runner. he had two like there were opportunities to run the ball in this game and if you want to stop having third and 15 and third and 16 and stuff like that then having a run game would help like I I don’t know it’s it again we we know that they wanted that to be part of their identity and and their lack of confidence in it is probably the most disturbing part yeah it’s crazy and and you know like the the pass piece of it is definitely a thing but this is also a team that like will just do like a basic slide right and not have the tight end chip on the back side as he goes out into his route and just rerun it right into the back field like you know I don’t know um it just felt I felt like they outsmarted themselves on it a little bit and it’s just something you got to establish you know I always I always I just never understand too like you you anytime you talk to a play caller and I’ve never called plays at an NFL game in my life I only call plays on Madden but like I know I can go press the buttons I want to press and get to the play I want to get to like if I want to run the ball I can run the ball uh like it’s just you know it’s like well the flow of the game the opportunity wasn’t there But like why not? Like you create the opportunity if you want to run the ball and build off it and if you want to go under center for a series and set up some play action and um I don’t you know it’s just kind of surprising it got away from I was doing a Terron show yesterday. You guys can go make sure you’re listen to to uh listening to Terron too. Um, but he was just like, “Yeah, it looked like it was just like one of them games where they decided they were going to go half and half and just evaluate the quarterbacks like like a preseason type game.” And it was just like weird, but like you don’t do that, you know? That that isn’t what they were actually trying to do. But that’s what it ended up looking like it because it’s like, “Oh, we’re just going to we’re going to have a shootout.” And I just don’t I don’t understand how it happened. Well, I did specifically ask Kell more about it yesterday and we talked about this earlier in the show also, but it is worth reiterating. Part of it was you said maybe outsmarting himself, but it was by design that they decided to try to attack this team with the pass. He said for two reasons. One, he said he thought he liked some of the matchups there. But again, this whole we have been down in every single game this year. We have not scored first in any of these games this year and we wanted to be aggressive early and try to score first and throwing was was part of our approach. So he very much it was the approach. It was the approach. uh he very much came into this game saying what we’ve been doing hasn’t been working so in this game we’re going to go down the fail and here’s the worst part on that opening drive first of all Rattler started eight of eight in this game and he did convert the third and nine and he did convert the third and eight the things he hasn’t been doing and then Rattler was the one who fumbled after they crossed midfield on that opening drive um on a scramble and and I got to think that that sort of blew up part of the plan and and maybe was part of the part of the thing that frustrated more enough. So he was pressing probably as a as a player. He started pressing trying to chase points was terrified of getting behind and but like I think it just made it worse. It made you one-dimensional and then like now you got they’re teeing off on you. Like it’s just not it wasn’t a it wasn’t a good situation. I it just wasn’t it wasn’t his best game as a play call. It just wasn’t. I mean three points to tell you that. Yeah. Yeah. Um all right. Well, it’s going to do it for today’s show. Make sure you come check out this PJ’s location, Airline Highway in Mey, across the street from Rous’s in in uh Old Me. Um, talk to you next time. [Music]

Nick and Mike analyze the Saints’ QB change.
– Thoughts on the timing?
– What’s next?
– How does it impact the draft?
– Mid-season review of Kellen Moore

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