Tyler Shough is pulling the New Orleans Saints out of the dark ages at quarterback post-Drew Brees. Now that it seems like it's almost over, we can look back and laugh at the years of misery that is hopefully behind the team. Are you really a Saints fan if you can't laugh at Ian Book's lone start?
Canal Street Chronicles' Ben Stassi ranked every quarterback who started a game for the Saints in the last five seasons. Shough ranked first on the list, and that's both a good and bad thing. It's great that he's the best quarterback since Brees, because he's the Saints' current quarterback.
At the same time, Shough achieved this ranking in just 9 starts. If that doesn't show you how low of a bar it, I don't know what is. One of the most interesting parts of Stassi's rankings is the fact Shough isn't followed up immediately by Derek Carr.
Jameis Winston over Derek Carr as a Saints QB is a respectably bold take
It was Jameis Winston who finds himself in second place on this list. It's a hot take, but it isn't a bad take. Where Carr has the clear advantage is in longevity. If you're getting into peaks, it becomes a conversation.
The Saints' two week flash in the pan start to 2024 set the world on fire, but it was just two weeks. And it came quickly crashing down. The seven weeks Jameis Winston was the starting quarterback in 2021 is a much larger sample size and feels sustainable in hindsight.
Winston was the first starting quarterback after Brees retired, and he had the benefit of having Sean Payton as his head coach. Payton had Winston playing with much better ball security. It wasn't a prolific passing attack, but it was an efficient one.
The Saints started that season 5-2, and fans couldn't have asked for a better start to life after Drew Brees. Then, Winston suffered a season ending injury. Prior to that, Winston was showing improved decision making, and that's all he ever needed to be a true franchise quarterback.
It was honestly the only time it felt like the Saints found an answer at quarterback post-Brees before Shough entered the picture. That feeling just never truly existed with Carr. It could be due to personality, lack of sustained production, lack of success, or a lack of all of those things.
Carr will have the edge in all of the stats, but Winston's time as a starter felt different. His peak was football that felt like it could continue, while Carr's peak with the Saints plummetted as fast as it started.
We'll never know what would have happened if Winston remained the starter, and that unknown helps him to a degree. Just from what we saw on the field though, Winston's brief stint as a starter in 2021 is the highest high by a Saints QB on this list, aside from Shough.
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