Quarterback competitions are always an intriguing piece to the offseason in both college football and the NFL. For the New Orleans Saints, they are choosing between a young option with limited starting experience, a rookie, and a veteran backup who has spent multiple seasons in New Orleans. Kellen Moore needs to nail this decision for the benefit of the team in the short and long-term.
One of the options, Spencer Rattler, recently discussed the faith in himself to earn the nod for the Saints.
Spencer Rattler believes he should win starting job for Saints
The young quarterback doesn't lack confidence. That being said, training camp reports have consistently motioned that Rattler has been the top QB so far for the Saints with his performances. He's been decisive, pushed the ball downfield, and showed off his athleticism at times.
Rattler thinks that he's been the best quarterback for New Orleans this offseason so far. You expect him to relay that message, but it is still notable to hear that while he's locked into a competition with a rookie in Shough.
“I know what I bring to the table,” said Rattler, who noted that he has taken second- but not third-team reps on days when first-team reps were allocated elsewhere. “I was confident in what I can do in this competition. I feel like that brings the best out of me. And I feel like throughout this camp, I’ve been the best quarterback on the field.
“So I want to keep that going and keep showing the team, keep showing the guys, keep showing the coaches that I want to be that guy.”
-- Yahoo! Sports
Shough's confidence in himself to win job
The rookie also pointed to his own belief that he should be starting by Week 1 for New Orleans in discussions with Yahoo! Sports. Shough's training camp has been a mixed bag of results. He's had some impressive downfield throws, but a few mistakes and a bit of uncertainty has thrown some curves in his projection for the coaching staff.
That being said, Shough is a rookie, albeit an older one. It was expected that it would take time for him to get comfortable at the pro level. He's still got confidence in himself right now when it comes to beating out Rattler and Haener.
“I’m going to go out there and compete, have fun doing it, and it’s not going to go perfectly,” he said. “But I’m going to be the last one standing at the end of the day if I can do something about it.” -- Shough via Yahoo! Sports
Only time will tell who earns the job for Kellen Moore's unit. The preseason could decide that position for the Saints.
