Reports: NFC team to start rookie in QB change-up
- The New Orleans Saints are starting rookie quarterback Tyler Shough after benching Spencer Rattler.
- Rattler was pulled at halftime of Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers after committing six turnovers in a two-game span.
- Shough was a second-round draft pick from Louisville, the highest the Saints have drafted a QB since 1971.
The New Orleans Saints are ready to get an extended look at their rookie quarterback.
Rattler, who beat out Shough for the starting role in training camp, was benched at halftime of Sunday’s 23-3 loss to the Buccaneers, which dropped the Saints to 1-7 on the season. The move brought an end to a tumultuous two-game stretch for the second-year signal-caller, who had six turnovers and took seven sacks in that span.
First-year coach Kellen Moore held off on naming a starter in the immediate aftermath of the game.
‘We’re just not executing and playing at a high enough standard, and we’ve got to find a way to move the football consistently, protect the football and score points,’ Moore said. ‘And so, this is a pure full offensive evaluation point. … I think we just got to evaluate this whole thing in the next 48 hours, find the solutions that give us the best chance to win.’
A second-round pick out of Louisville, Shough became the first quarterback to be selected by the Saints in the first two rounds of the common draft since Archie Manning in 1971. For the first half of his rookie season, however, he waited behind Rattler, who showed some promise despite running his record to 1-13. On Sunday, Shough stepped in and completed 17 of 30 passes for 128 yards with one interception.
‘Tyler went in there and looked the part,’ Moore said Sunday. ‘He made some plays. The one interception was unfortunate. Gave us a chance to convert there, and so we’ll obviously make that evaluation here quickly and make some decisions moving forward. But this had more to do with the whole offense just not playing well enough and hopefully trying to generate some form of a spark there.’
The Saints play at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
