Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
The New Orleans Saints kicked off their mandatory minicamp practices on Tuesday, moving into the next phase of their offseason. In the process, the team welcomed in fans for the first time since the season ended, and for the first offseason since 2023.
Despite the fans, the noise, and the excitement, the team’s young quarterbacks didn’t let themselves feel the pressure to impress. Instead, second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler and rookie passer Tyler Shough focused on the assignment at hand, handling head coach Kellen Moore’s situational work.
“I’d say the first nine days were really about the scheme,” Moore said following practice on Tuesday. “Just introducing the schemes and getting a feel for what the concepts are and how to read… go through those progressions. Today was really about understanding the situations and how we apply those schemes into those. So, we really hammered that with the QBs. They did an awesome job understanding what second-and-long feels like and how we play that situation versus how we play a third down when we know we have fourth down in our pocket.”
With such a focal point on the practice reps, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the excitement of impressing a crowd take the passers out of the moment. The temptation to ignite the crowd with strong-armed downfield passes would have overcome your everyday young player. However, that was not the case for Rattler and Shough.
Both quarterbacks remained poised and with their minds trained on their objective. Each did well navigating down-and-distance work and taking what the defense gave them or what was necessary for the situation.
The duo looked to checkdowns in short-yardage situations and didn’t lack for a shot here or there. But only when there was a situation that made sense.
Shough did launch one deep, but he did so on a second-and-seven in plus-territory knowing there was a third down to play. Meanwhile Rattler, on a third-and-seven, caught wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. in stride for five yards through the air, but the ball placement gave him plenty of space after the catch to get the first.
Not a lot of dangerous passes could be counted in this practice despite the chance to get the crowd going. It may not have produced an onslaught of exciting plays, but the quarterbacks were making throws and decisions that go a long way toward winning football games. Which is what Moore is expecting of his young passers.
“{It} feels like he just wants us to play point guard, distribute,” Rattler said of Moore. “… And not overthink stuff. Just go out there, go through your reads. Take one if it’s there. if not, get to two. If it’s not open, scramble.”
Moore’s attention to detail has the Saints digging in what feels a little earlier than usual and with some added elements like heat in noise. But the quarterbacks aren’t just meeting the task, their responses to it are promising.
