The opinions and narratives surrounding New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough have been mostly gloomy since he was drafted in the second round, but one former Super Bowl MVP is out to shut those down.
Former New England Patriots wideout Deion Branch has seen Shough up close and personal, as he's the current wide receivers coach at Louisville.
And, on a recent episode of Up & Adams with NFL personality Kay Adams, Branch had plenty to say about the Saints' new quarterback.
Tyler Shough gets a glistening endorsement that should have Saints fans fired up
"Tyler's all that. I want to be the person to quiet all the grumblings," Branch said.
But what about the people who claim the Saints took the wrong quarterback? Obviously, there were still some other intriguing names available. Why Shough?
"You took the right quarterback, trust me. I promise you. You drafted the right quarterback. Tyler is an NFL quarterback ... he can make every throw in the book. I watched it. I saw it every day.
"As a former receiver, looking at this young man ... first guy in the building, last guy to leave the building. He's a pro-ready quarterback," Branch went on.
At the very least, this is pretty encouraging. Branch did, after all, play with the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady. He caught plenty of passes from Brady during his career, and had an inside look at the legendary quarterback on a daily basis.
Very few people would have ever dared to question Brady's work ethic, either. So, for Branch to highlight Shough's work ethic in addition to being able to "make all the throws" says a lot. This give fans even more hope that Shough was not a reach, in the end.
Finally, Branch issued a guarantee to the rest of the league and for folks who still might be doubting Shough:
"I guarantee you five-to-ten years from now we're going to pull up this interview and you guys are gonna be like, 'well, he said it.'"