One of the biggest questions for the New Orleans Saints ever since Drew Brees left was…how does the franchise handle the quarterback position? From Taysom Hill to Jameis Winston to Derek Carr and more, it has been a revolving door of candidates that took over at one point or another, but no true long-term starter has been set. This offseason, the Saints took a shot in the second round, selecting Tyler Shough to potentially be that guy, and after losing out on the training camp battle, Shough finally got his first start in Week 9.
Week 10 was his breakout, though, as he quickly found his stride against the Carolina Panthers, and looked exceptionally poised in the pocket while also making some plays out of structure that were quite impressive. Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees also thought so, saying as much in a recent interview with WWL Radio.
“Yeah, look, it was an impressive performance, and he’s one of those guys who’s only gonna get better each time he gets a chance to get on the field,” Brees began. “That’s the only problem, the only tough thing about the quarterback position is only one guy can play, and you need the experience and the repetition to develop confidence and all those things that come with it.”
Brees continued: “So, nothing replaces experience, so with each and every snap he gets, the better he’ll get, and I think it’s one of the reasons why he was drafted, and why we liked him so much, was, you know, seven years in college. Unfortunately, a couple injuries that sidetracked a couple of those years, but just a ton of experience being around some great coaches, in some great systems, and I think that was really the scouting report on him coming out was, obviously he’s a big strong athlete, he can make every throw, he can make plays outside the pocket, he’s tough to bring down, but also just I think his command of the offense and his poise, and I think you saw that on Sunday.”
This is enormously high praise coming from one of the best players in NFL history, and at his position. Brees has been complimentary of Saints quarterbacks over the years, but getting this level of analysis into why he believes Shough has some promise is very valuable. The type of insight former players are able to provide is something many should take into account, and Brees has made clear his stance on the rookie during his second start.