Tyler Shough broke one New Orleans Saints record two weeks ago, and now, he has the chance to do something even greater. On Sunday, he could be the first rookie quarterback in franchise history to beat the archrival Atlanta Falcons.
It's definitely a surprising stat, and one that gets more intriguing the more you look into it, because not every Saints rookie quarterback has played the Dirty Birds. Spencer Rattler, who many are sure to compare Shough's first set of starts to, never played them his rookie year. In fact, he's never played them at all.
There has only ever been one Saints rookie quarterback to see snaps in a win against the Falcons. Larry Cipa had eight pass attempts for 20 yards in a 13-3 win over Atlanta in 1974, filling in for an injured Bobby Scott.
Tyler Shough's development is receiving praise from Saints staff
Tyler Shough has shown progress in each game. However, despite the success, Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier says that the rookie's development is a daily process. "This is still a young player; the learning curve is very steep. Every day he's learning something new. When you get out against NFL defenses, there are going to be different pitchers, things are going to change, and people are going to show you different things."
Still, Nussmeier reiterated that he has been impressed with Shough through his two starts. "I think he's done a really good job. We saw a lot of growth from his first start out in L.A. to his second start in Carolina, and I anticipate him to stay on that same course," He said on Shough's development.
Shough says that he's just been himself. "I think behind the scenes I've always done my best to learn and continue that same preparation process. But for me, it was just kind of utilizing that work that was put into this point and just expanding on it," he said when asked how he approaches the starting job. "Just vocalizing route detail or the sense of urgency at practice, just doing it my own way and having some energy and having some fun with it. I've really enjoyed it, but it's a continual process."