Tyler Shough didn’t push back on his boss. A day after New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson told the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club that a 1-4 start was not acceptable, the second-year quarterback said she was only saying what everyone in the building already knew.
“She wasn’t saying anything that wasn’t already known,” Shough said Wednesday. “She did a really good job of highlighting the expectations, and we have those same expectations for ourselves.”
Tyler Shough says the message was expected
Benson didn’t hold back on Tuesday. She said she “will not accept this level of performance as our standard” and put the responsibility on both head coach Kellen Moore’s staff and general manager Mickey Loomis’ front office.
Shough called it “fully expected” and said it comes with the job. “It starts with her and her leadership and who she is, and she wants greatness for all of the Gulf Coast and the Saints,” he said. “We want to make sure that she is proud of us.”
Asked if he shares her frustration, he didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, 100%.”
He also said it isn’t a topic in the locker room, and that it can’t change how the team works day to day. “You win a game and you’re the greatest people ever, and you lose some games and it’s the worst thing ever,” Shough said. “We’re going to have a really good chance to go on a run here.”
That run would need to start with the quarterback. Shough had his worst game of the season in Sunday’s 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, throwing for just 96 yards with two interceptions. He has five interceptions and five fumbles through five games, and he called one of Sunday’s picks “a stupid decision.”
Shough and a teammate addressed the offense before Wednesday’s walkthrough about cutting down the mental errors and penalties that kept leaving them in long-yardage spots. He said it was the offense’s best walkthrough of the year.
The Saints head to MetLife Stadium on Sunday to face the 3-1-1 New York Giants, then fly straight to Paris. “The only way we can change that is by having really good practice,” Shough said. From there, he said, the Saints have to “go out there and do our job and go win in New York.”
More on the New Orleans Saints
- New Orleans Saints’ 12.3% Play-Action Rate Raises Kellen Moore Questions
- Is Tyler Shough’s Job Safe? Where the Saints’ Quarterback Stands After a 1-4 Start
- Tyler Shough Drops Seven Spots in New QB Rankings as Turnovers Put the Saints’ Season on Him
- Will the 1-4 Saints Sell? Alvin Kamara Tops 4 New Orleans Trade Candidates Before Nov. 10
