By Ross Jackson
Following Friday’s practice, New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore was asked by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill about what it takes to create a conducive environment for quarterback development and young signal callers.
Moore’s answer included an element that has been in and out of conversation across the NFL airways for a few years now: virtual reality (VR).
The idea of quarterback VR training picked up steam again last season following Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’s early-season success as a rookie, which was partially tied to the usage of VR systems.
“These guys are just trying to find every way they can to learn,” Moore said. “Whether it’s the walkthroughs, the practice, postpractice stuff at home (like) virtual reality. Whatever it may be, they just got to utilize as many different tools they can.”
Moore said that he has used virtual reality at other stops, having spent time previously with the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles in recent years. But what the Saints have is slightly different, perhaps a bit more advanced. He’s also experienced a version of it himself as a player.
“When I was a player there’s a different form of it,” he said. “This one’s a little bit more interactive, a little bit more, for lack of a better term, video game-like. But it’s still interactive. When I was playing, it was more of a visual thing where it’s more of a point of reference camera that was really close to the quarterback and so you’re able to see it from that lens.”
The VR system was already in place when Moore arrived in New Orleans. So he and his staff added it to their repertoire of quarterback development along with additional strategies. It’s just one tool in a larger kit of approaches.
How it ultimately works for the young passers will be seen over time. But it’s clear that the Saints are pulling out all of the stops to make sure the quarterback room has everything it needs to develop, grow and succeed.
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