Saints quarterback Tyler Shough
On what it means to get a win like this in New Orleans:
“It was huge—for me it was, and just personal for all the guys. Coming back here, I felt like we had played well on the road, but we wanted to show the fans what we could do here just as a team collectively. Just the resiliency. It was a lot of fun. I was proud of everybody throughout the whole game, especially against a really good team, two playoff teams kind of back-to-back. It was just a lot of fun.”
On how he played the last two drives & what was different:
“I think throughout the game we just were not able to sustain some of the stuff and kind of get into onthe-ball scenarios, and they did a good job of mixing things up. But I think in those, we were all on the same page, and we were going to go drive down and score and everybody was clicking. So preparedness and operation field nod was going through my head the whole time. So I was operating, and I was proud of the whole offense, being able to sustain that and get down there. Obviously we’d like to get in the end zone as much as we can, but it was a great, great finish.”
On rising to the occasion:
“Yeah, I just, I felt prepared, you know, I felt prepared with it. And for me, I like being able to just, they know we’re throwing it, we’re going to throw it, and just go out there and get it. Yeah, Devaughn Vele, he had some insane catches. I had to put some better ball placement on him, but he’s unbelievable when it comes to just throwing it in his radius. All those guys stepped up. Chris Olave, he wasn’t getting a lot of action early on, but the way he kind of stepped up— it was unbelievable for him and Kevin Austin Jr. and everybody. I was just really proud of him. It’s tough whenever you’re not getting the ball early on. You have ebbs and flows. It’s a tough position, so the resiliency of those guys, the resiliency of the whole line, it was just a great effort.”
On his teammates saying that they are confident in him:
“That’s why I play football, really. I think that’s why any of us are out there is because when you can make the game simple as far as you’re out there playing with your boys and you’re out there operating on an every single day basis, that’s what’s fun to me. It means a lot coming from those guys because I have full trust in them, and we put them in some tough scenarios. They responded time and time again, and I think that’s how we can operate as a team when we’re playing together and trust each other.”
On the final drive:
“It was laser focus. We worked in that scenario every single day. Our defense knows that play like the back of their hand because they are, like, sick and tired of us. We do so much situational football, and that’s a credit to Kellen Moore and all the guys and” all the coaches. And we got the look that we wanted, and it was everybody on the same page, and it was a great finish.”
On how often they run situational football in practice:
“I would say every week. But, yeah, since training camp, every week, those end-of-game, end-and-a-half scenarios at least once per week.”
On how long the slide, get up, spike play takes:
“Usually you’re going for 13 seconds. Cutting off at 12 is a little bit risky. I mean, it can be done, but I knew how to get down. I may have sold a little bit because I know we didn’t have any timeouts. So, I mean, it definitely hurt, but I was good. And we had to be in that scenario. We were going to clock it.”
On the last play and Spencer Rattler playing a snap:
“Yeah, I was fine, but we had to do it. And, yeah, just got to be smart, get down earlier. But, yeah, it ended up working out.”
On ‘selling it a little bit’:
“Yeah. I mean, it was, I don’t know how to say any of this, but it was just a great effort. But, yeah, it was.”
On what he went into the tent for the first time:
“I took a knee on that fourth down, right on my hip. They put a pad on it. Yeah, it was definitely hurting, but I knew it was good as long as I could throw and move around. But, yeah, it should be good to go.”
On if they were playing a different defense that he felt he could take advantage of or if he needed to be aggressive:
“A little bit of both. We were obviously going to be aggressive as much as we can. And we knew we had to get chunks. A lot of the stuff earlier on, we were trying to keep the ball moving positively. But in those scenarios, you have to be a little aggressive that way, just with time management-wise and how much time you have on the clock. So it was great play calling by Kellen, great operation by all the guys.”
On the 17-play drive:
“It just builds confidence as an offense and sustainability, because that’s what I feel like the Panthers have been really good at, is just possessing the ball. And we knew that we had to do that ourselves. We had to sustain those drives. That’s the name of the game in the NFL, really, is you’ve got to stay on the field. Give your defense that break, and obviously you’re operating, you want to drive. So it was a really, really good effort by all the guys, because you get tired down at the end. You’ve got to mentally train, physically train, but you train for those moments.”
On Kellen Moore’s comment about building something and if he feels it in the locker room:
“Yeah, for sure. It feels like week Three within the locker room. It feels like we are gearing up, hitting our track. I think we’re just having fun. I think at the same time, we’re building something here that we all want to be here forever, and we’re here to stay. So it’s a lot of fun being around the guys every single day, but knowing we have to go back to our process. All the results come if we kind of continue what we’re doing process-wise and have fun day-to-day.”
On not having Vele or Cesar Ruiz for the game-tying and game-winning drives:
“Yeah, it’s tough. I’m not sure on the status of those guys, but obviously, they’re huge. They’re huge for us because of the plays that they’re making, who they are as individuals and people. So hopefully they will be good. But I was really proud of how everybody stepped up in that role. And nobody blinked. Audric Estime, Evan Hull, Kevin, all those guys, nobody blinked. They stepped up and made plays.”
On what he’s saying to the team when getting the ball back with one minute left:
“One play at a time. Let’s go get it. Everybody was on the same page—we’re not going to get it back all in one play, but how can we play each play for its own and go get it done? So, I could see it on everybody’s face, and I would just constantly talk to them, ‘Hey, let’s go win this right here. Let’s go win this.’ This is why you do it. Train, focus, and everybody operated really well.”
On coming out of the injury tent and what he was thinking:
“I just wanted to make sure I could throw, just grab the ball and throw. So, once I did that, I was good. And then once the adrenaline kicks in, you don’t feel it until you’re off the field.”
On if the coaches checked in with him:
“Yeah, the trainers communicated with the coaches constantly, so they came up to me, and I was just saying, I’m good to go, we’re good. So, part of it.”
On his level of confidence in Charlie Smyth when he came off the field:
“100% confidence. We had no doubt—he does that every single day in practice. He had been great throughout the game so far. I know just seeing it on his face, you’ve got to have a level of cold blood in this to kind of play that position. So, I had full confidence in him. You know, you’re waiting to see it go in, but, I think everybody knew what the result was going to be.”
On the touchdown to Olave:
“Yeah, I have full confidence in Chris. That’s my guy. That’s our guy. He’s going to win one-on-one no matter what. If I give him a chance, and, I’ve got to continue to give him more chances. He made a huge play, a great route, and a great catch. We got the look that we wanted on that, and it was just an unbelievable, unbelievable job. He came up big there.”
On coming back to Olave:
“100%. I told him I’d come right back to him. I’m coming right back to him. I could have put it out there a bit earlier, and outside, so part of that’s on me to make it not a bang-bang play. So, I was telling him, ‘Hey, man, all the guys, I’m coming right back to you. We’re going to get in the end zone.’ So, mentally, I think I’ve seen just him be so sharp, as just that guy, and I was really proud of him and how he responded.”
On what it means to him to show people he can fight through injury, given his past:
“Yeah, it’s just part of the game of football, and a lot of the injuries I have are fluke bone breaks that suck timing-wise. So, as I said, it’s part of it. You’re going to get bumps and bruises. You’ve got to play through stuff. I understand the narrative at the time, but I think, obviously, it’s helped me out more than anything, mentally, being able to just grind through all that adversity—being able to see a different point of view from that standpoint. So, I think everybody’s battling through stuff, and I think that’s why you show up every single day to go out there and battle.”
On what went well on the screen:
“It’s just a great play call. You know, he stepped up big there. Just extremely explosive. A great job on the O-line as well. It’s not an easy play to get out there in space and make those blocks. So, he just stepped up really big.”
On the growth from his rookie class:
“I think it’s twofold. Just the mental fortitude to understand throughout the season, going through, you know, our own process, having fun each day. It’s a long journey from January, training for the draft, going through interviews nonstop into OTAs, and you’re kind of just drinking through a fire hose, and you don’t really know what you don’t know, and I think there’s a lot of growth that is necessary through that moment. So, I think all the guys are seeing them flourish with their own process and their own, you know, kind of position, and it’s just a credit to the staff, the whole team. We’re brothers off the field. It’s one of the closest rookie classes and groups I’ve been a part of, and so I think we’re just having fun being around each other.”
On his comment about it feeling like week Three, and if that has to do with him becoming the starting quarterback:
“I’m just trying to do my job and operate within that realm. It feels that way because I think we’re playing off of each other really well, and I think everybody’s just having fun—coming to work each day, we’re having fun doing it. So, obviously, it’s a long season, and we still have a lot of football that has to be played. So, there’s just an encouragement of, you know, let’s keep going, let’s keep it going.”
On having big performances in the fourth quarter for three straight games, and how that impacts his confidence:
“For me, it is just a reminder of how important the preparation is and just, keep stepping up to the plate, really. We would like to continue to start faster, and how I can facilitate that. But for me, it shows resiliency of our whole offense and our whole team, the special teams, defense. Everybody is on the same page— we are going to grind it out. We are always in this game. So, it is just a whole confidence for the whole team.”
On if the team’s recent success is an example of the team’s staying the course:
“Yeah, I think staying the course is the right phrase. Obviously, settling in is a tough thing, because there’s so much change throughout the year with different guys. So, I think the message that you try and preach from Ted Rath, our strength coach, with Kellen, is one— going through your process, which I said before, and then just going for it. So, I think when you have that mindset of, I’m going to step up to the plate, and I’m going to attack each day, and whoever’s in, everybody’s kind of in that same mode of operation. So, if you can get everybody on the same page and we’re here to have fun regardless of the circumstances, we’re here to do our job, and then good things can happen.”