Last week's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw Tyler Shough pop off two explosive touchdown that introduced a different element to a section of the fan base. Devin Neal had the best game of his rookie year, showing he could carry a full workload. Seeing these two play that well makes it hard not to envision them as the future backfield of the New Orleans Saints for years to come.
It's a bit of a rushed decision, and they'll certainly need to justify it through consistency to close the year. However, it's not too early to start thinking about a Shough-Neal duo. They certainly aren't.
Shough is firmly in quarterback of the future conversations, and that's not hasty. The latter is where it feels like we may be getting Neal is getting an opportunity to prove his long term value to the team. There's a reason he was viewed as one of the steals from this past draft.
Tyler Shough and Devin Neal are ready to put the Saints on their back
Looking at Shough and Neal moving forward is partially about the talent, but it's also about the mentality these players have. For them, it sounds like they're already prepared and eager to be the engine for the offense.
Shough recollected sideline conversations he had with Neal, and the message couldn't have been more clear. "We were talking to each other the whole game, 'Hey, we're going to win this thing. Me and you. Let's put [the team] on our backs, go out there and win it."
Neal detailed he and Shough's relationship and how it bolsters the on-field product. "I just think we kind of play off each other, in a weird way. We have that connection, especially off the field, I think that helps on the field as well."
The duo also went around telling the offense "it starts and ends with (them)." As young players, they're already showing themselves to be leaders. If Neal can contribute like he did against Tampa Bay moving forward, he'll prove himself to be a building block of the offense as well. That would give the Saints two natural leaders in their backfield.
Of course, emergence isn't solely determined by eagerness, but Shough and Neal also showed the ability on the field versus the Buccaneers. They told each other it's on them then went out and did it. The end result was 3 touchdowns between the two of them and almost 300 yards of offense.