It's hard to make the New Orleans Saints versus Atlanta Falcons any more special than it regularly is, but having Drew Brees in the broadcast booth will do it.
Brees made his return to the broadcast booth a week ago in the matchup between the Packers and Giants. The Saints were on a bye week that week, but FOX didn't waste any time putting him on the first available Saints game.
We've heard Jonathan Vilma call many Saints games in the past, and you can typically hear the former Saints creeping out at times. It'll be interesting to see if Brees falls victim to the same pitfall. Brees is a professional, but sometimes old habits die hard. It may be even harder to fight the urge with who the Saints are playing.
Tyler Shough under more pressure with Drew Brees in the building
Typically, you don't want to put too much pressure on a rookie quarterback making his third career start, but these aren't your typical circumstances. There are three reasons this game holds more weight than a regular rookie's third start, and none of them are bigger than the man in the booth.
Brees will call a Saints game for the first time in his broadcasting career and on the field will be a rookie attempting to be the first franchise quarterback the Saints have seen since Brees. You can't pass the torch when you've been retired almost long enough to be inducted into the Hall of Fame or when there's been three other starting quarterbacks between Brees and Shough, but this has the potential to feel like a torch passing moment.
Calling this game also gives Brees the opportunity to evaluate Shough up close and personal, something Brees will undoubtedly be asked about multiple times throughout the game. Hearing Brees' opinions on Shough's performance will be the most interesting aspect of his commentary.
The greatest player in franchise history watching you and breaking your every move for the world to hear in real time is nothing light. Brees' presence only adds to the potential pressures, but there are other external factors that make this game bigger.
It's Saints versus Falcons. This will be Shough's introduction to the rivalry. Even the Saints fan who's dead set on losing games for draft position will make an exception in this game. in addition to the game being a rivalry, it's Shough's first game in front of the home crowd. Technically, he played in front of the Who Dat Nation when he entered halfway through the Buccaneers game. This is his first time as a starter, though.
Brees' presence adds pressure for Shough to perform. The rivalry ups the stakes in this matchup, and it being Shough's first home game is a memorable moment for his career. Any of these aspects alone would amplify the moment, but all three happening on one day make this far from a routine start for the rookie.