NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Take One: Next phase of quarterback competition
Did Sunday’s performance against the Chargers impact the Saints quarterback competition in any way?
I believe it did. The race may have gotten tighter.
Things were far from perfect from both Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough. Neither of them were spectacular nor were they terrible. They both had good and bad moments, but it would be unfair to ignore the progress Shough has made throughout camp and in this competition.
On Sunday, despite some mistakes, he looked even more comfortable operating the offense and dealt with some difficult and adverse situations well.
It’s unknown what factor will decide this race. Plus, it’s important to never overreact to what happens in a preseason game.
The last piece of data that may need to be filled in would be Shough getting first team reps in a preseason game. Maybe that’s the direction Kellen Moore goes in this week.
Take Two: Rattler Review
Rattler earned the opportunity to start Sunday. He’s had the best overall camp of any of three quarterbacks to date.
All in all, his effort Sunday was okay. He made a couple of nice throws and made some good decisions with his feet that extended plays.
His opening drive was good until a penalty stalled things out. Then, he and the offense were handed a gift on a muffed punt inside the red zone. They left that drive with no points after Kendre Miller was stuffed on fourth down. To not score there was really disappointing.
That was the closest Rattler would get to the end zone all day as the offense never really threatened at any point after that. His lone turnover came on a sack where he fumbled the ball after getting hit. That wasn’t totally his fault, but he said after that he probably should’ve ran on that play.
Overall Rattler finished with 28 snaps. Those drives ended with three punts, a fumble and a turnover on downs at the goal line. He didn’t seem too happy about his performance after the game
Take Three: Shough highs and lows
All things being considered, Shough’s NFL preseason debut wasn’t bad. He dealt with two difficult situations and responded well.
The first came on his first drive. To have your first NFL drive be a two-minute drill before halftime is not ideal. Yet, Shough handled it like a pro. With 1:38 on the clock and one timeout, he calmly led the team down to their first points of the game after nine plays when Blake Grupe kicked a field goal. His only real blemish on the drive came when Kevin Austin broke free on a double-move, but Shough overshot him by a few inches on the throws.
The second situation came after his biggest mistake of the game. On third & six, Shough went to Dante Pettis on a throw to the flat at the sticks. The cornerback read it beautifully and jumped the route to make the interception and returned it for a touchdown. Like a lot of rookies, Shough telegraphed the pass, so much so that the corner abandoned his deep third responsibility to jump the route. Treyton Welch was running a corner route and was wide open on the play.
Shough didn’t stay down long and bounced back right away. He followed that disaster with his biggest play of the game when he connected with Mason Tipton on a double move for a 54-yard touchdown. Shough went 4-4 on that drive.
In all, Shough played 29 snaps. Those drives ended in a field goal, two punts, a touchdown and a pick six. Certainly not perfect and with a few highs and lows but an effort he can build on.
Take Four: Patience will be key
Just because one of these players will win the competition doesn’t mean they will win a lot of games. There will be growing pains with whomever wins the job. Rattler only has six career starts, and Shough is a rookie.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see both players play a significant amount of games this season. In fact, that feels like the most likely outcome given where both Rattler and Shough are in their respective developments.
Take Five: Other Observations
Shough has now played in three game-like situations with Sunday’s preseason opener and two scrimmages. His performances in those instances were significantly better than his practices. Trevor Penning, Will Clapp, Mason Fine and Bub Means were all injured in the game. Hopefully, they won’t be out for a long stretch of time. The Saints didn’t do much to help their young quarterbacks in the running game. They finished with just 61 yards on 20 carries. 22 of those yards came from Rattler.Velus Jones, Jr. speed and versatility are going to be hard to keep off the roster. Isaiah Foskey needs to start contributing soon or he could be on the outside looking in. Alvin Kamara, Chase Young, Erik McCoy, DeMario Davis, Justin Reid, Rashid Shaheed, Chris Olave, Alontae Taylor, Davon Godchaux and Carl Granderson didn’t play.The Saints are trying to coordinate a joint practice with the Rams this week.
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