After a three-turnover third quarter, no one was harder on New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough than himself. As a notoriously critical notetaker, Shough has continued to lead with ownership of own miscues and a plan for improvements. It’s one of the reasons he often doesn’t struggle with the same game element in back-to-back matchups.
While pressure played a large role in Sunday’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, especially on fourth-quarter third and fourth downs, no one is going to hear the team’s quarterback mention anything but his own contributions to the dismal final quarter of the game.
“I take ownership,” said Shough. “The ball’s in my hands every play. I control what can happen a lot of the time. I can’t control certain elements, but I can control a lot of those things. Two hands on the ball, turnovers, those things can be killers and big plays can be big things. It’s constantly a balance and it’s why I play the position.”
Ownership and accountability have been a large part of Shough’s leadership style. From owning mistakes to holding others accountable in practice by re-running plays to strive for perfection in that environment.
It’s why he has a valuable chance in Week 4, on Monday Night Football in front of a national audience to secure an important bounce-back game in an emotional environment.
The Saints will commemorate the 20th anniversary for the team’s famed “Domecoming” matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. It’s a celebration of the team’s triumphant return to their home stadium, now the Caesars Superdome, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
In order to prepare the team for the importance of this matchup, for the city that supports it, head coach Kellen Moore brought players together on Wednesday to learn more about the return and its impact on the community. The meeting consisted of a video and stories from people that were present for the game.
The approach reached the players in a meaningful way.
“It was emotional,” Shough said. “I got a little teared up just watching it. Seeing people who still work here, staff members, (Executive Director, Administration Jay Romig) talking about the impact on the city, the impact of that game, the significance of it. Seeing former players talk about those moments, you really feel just how important the Saints are and just how important our work is. It makes you really want to prepare and work hard.”
The glare of the national spotlight will be high, the intensity will be sky-high and the atmosphere will reach a boiling point on Monday night, offering the perfect environment for Shough and the Saints’ offense to announce themselves to the viewing world and rebound from a tough lesson learned in Week 3.
