Tyler Shough - QB, saints Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-16 | Full transcript (primary source).
Tyler Shough addressed the media during a press conference on September 16, 2026, following the New Orleans Saints' season opener. The discussion focused on his performance and the team's offensive cohesion after their first game of the season.
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Transcript
Shough: Yeah there was a lot to clean up just as a whole offensive unit and especially myself I wish I would have just kind of gone through my operation and had cleaner feet earlier on. My feet were too quick and I was trying to be too perfect and you know like I said after the game they did a good job early on but I feel like once I settled in and it's the first game you know I'm not going to be perfect there's going to be new stuff so I just kind of took that pressure off myself and just played football and and that's part of it you know I'm still pretty early when it comes into that aspect of it and I had a lot of fun being able to kind of had some adversity man there's some some of that stuff just happened so it was good to be able to to build off that and the whole offense we just kind of were not on the same page and we were able to just kind of get things going.
Reporter: Are you able to pinpoint like when do you feel like you started you know slowing things down at all?
Shough: I mean to be honest I feel like even earlier on some of the the processes were fine and we just kind of were out of sync a little bit and some of those didn't land and once you get things going and get a rhythm had that big play to Chris that's an obvious you know just game-changing moment where you can go out there and make a big play and I felt like we got rolling after that but I feel like every single play even there was there were some negative plays after that but I was able to just kind of keep going and that's my whole goal is just keep going regardless of it's a good player bad play.
Reporter: You talked about Chris right there and I know he mentioned after the game on Sunday that you know they're from all you all were trailing on Sunday he said he kept telling you that you're the best quarterback in the league and that he believes that I mean was he part of that you know effort to kind of help you get through the adversity and whatnot and what do those comments kind of mean to you during those tough times?
Shough: For sure yeah Chris means a lot to me and I love the way he approaches the game he studied the whole time he obviously had that you know the deep one that he obviously wanted back and I had some plays I wanted back so it's like man this is just football how do we kind of keep going together and it's I'm able to connect quite a few times after that and his words definitely encourage me because you know I'm just not stop trying to be so perfect just go play and that meant a lot at the moment and at the same time you know I'm talking to all the guys talking to myself and I'm going to do that every single play you know because we have to reset even if we get a big one we still got to get in the red zone we got to finish the drive we got to finish those plays so that's the best part about it though is it's such a such a long such a long game so much can happen and you know we were right back in it.
Reporter: Sunday was kind of a testament to the two of you and how your chemistry has grown in the offseason the fact that you know both of you all had big performances on Sunday and how has your kind of chemistry with him developed from the past few months leading up to that last game?
Shough: Yeah I mean one from just a physical you know seeing his body language seeing his chemistry seeing his route detail that's just increasing naturally through the reps and then also our relationship has gotten so much closer just spending every single day doing recovery together working out talking to each other and all the guys we spent all that time in the offseason and this is where you know that shows up when you have some tough moments and that's why you that's why you do it and it was a lot of fun to be able to bounce back with him and and everybody but at the end of the day you know I got to find a way to just clean that up earlier and and continue to learn and get better from that and we're going to do it and be able to finish out.
Reporter: Obviously he's like he's been playing at a high level for a long time in the league Chris but like the two of you've connected a lot of like explosives what makes him good in the vertical area of the field?
Shough: Yeah there's definitely a trust factor with him putting out there that he's going to go out there and make a play or at least you know it's knock it down it's going to be you know him or nobody and I feel the same way about you know Devon Baylight too he's going to go out there and make any contested catch and and and and that's the best part about it is you know we have that that chemistry and we're going to go stretch it we're going to take some shots and stretch the field and be able to kind of change different layers of it so that's just a credit to him for being the playmaker that he is and trusting him in those moments because he's going to go get it.
Reporter: With Baylight in particular I mean when you have somebody just with his catch radius things for lack of a better term like what does that what does that do for you just kind of knowing that you kind of just like it's like an area ball almost?
Shough: Yeah I mean it's the same thing with him it's like you you put in the general the general area he's going to go make a play and he showed it in the game I mean I wasn't making exactly perfect throws and then he's going out there diving making the really tough catches and and we just got to be better and I can be better on some of those easier throws where we can kind of get the ball moving you know on that curl route earlier in the game and stuff like that so that's part of it we got it got it cleaned up and and was really was really really encouraging to see him go out there and make some plays down field because he's he's a difference maker when it comes to those.
Reporter: And like that slot fade the big game you know is is he really good at just stacking yeah because it seems like you know he's able to just get in front of a guy and they just have no way to even play.
Shough: Yeah I mean not ideal obviously from a release pattern whenever you go inside but you know having that understanding that it's going to be a red line ball and he's going to go out there and make a play and trusted him to go do it and we were on the same page there so it's really really really cool play that he made with kind of re-stacking and getting out there and diving.
Reporter: When you went to Louisville obviously you heard a lot about Lamar did you ever meet him did he reach out to you I mean obviously you have a connection because of being there but just kind of relationship or uniqueness of you all both being Louisville guys.
Shough: No I didn't get to meet him I think he was there maybe the year prior stopped by um but I'm a huge huge fan I feel like he's playing the game at such a high level that's different than a lot of the guys in the league he's um his ability to obviously separate and make plays but he's so under control he he can throw it anywhere on the field and watching him growing up was really really cool and then now being able to go to Louisville see his legacy there um that's it's awesome so um it's going to be a really good test for us and and as a whole unit and we got to be ready to go especially against um their whole entire team top to bottom.
Reporter: Yeah I mean I would say number 14 stands out for sure and um he's he's a difference maker when it comes all over the field being in different spots um their front is big they're they're strong they move they move um quite a bit um their DBs are are really good at tracking the ball I feel like they have really good body control and make plays and um there's not a lot of weaknesses I would say they're they're really really good so we got to be um on our on our toes and ready to go um starting fast and then also just being detail orientated and still focusing on us and executing better too.
Reporter: What could be translatable I mean obviously you and this offense have done your best work when you've gone into no huddle when you've been trailing when it's been third and long things like that what of that can be translatable to like you know what what is it that works so well in those situations that you can build up?
Shough: Um yeah obviously like not not the most ideal situations but for me there's just an element of um we know what's going on and how we make a play like everyone knows what's going to happen and now let's go make a play and um you know early on and and some of those downs on the early downs there's going to be different looks that's your handle that you got to manage and handle and stay ahead of the chicks or excuse me stay ahead of the sticks on and um and that's where you got to be dialed on that aspect and you can't be in third and long because there's too many there's too many different packages there's too many different um things that can happen and um so we'll be better from that standpoint but when it comes late in the game that's where you know you just go through your operation go through your process and it's a lot of fun.
Reporter: A lot more under center this week what's kind of the benefit doing that and how do you think that went like what's different for you versus like playing so much shotgun last year?
Shough: Yeah I mean definitely I feel like that's um something we've been working on and trying to be more multiple from that standpoint run game drop back um action screens all you want to be able to do all of that so we're going to continue to do that and and try and hone it in and um game one was able to get some good stuff off of it and some stuff that we got to work on too so um expected but at the same time you know the sense of urgency is there especially for myself to continue to clean that up.
Reporter: Was the first time you really did a lot of that at least in the college level?
Shough: Was that probably Louisville yeah that was with Jeff Rom and um yeah that helped me out so much I mean from a vantage point from a drop perspective um action screens I mean being you know going there and being at Louisville with him and it was great just for my development and coming into the league you know not having to be super brand new um right away and um there's always going to be new things that we're going to have but um it helped me out a lot.
Reporter: Um and then uh Bryce Lance obviously made a couple big plays in that game um the two-point bridge you didn't get it but uh for the coaches to have trust in that situation and for you to have trust in them in that situation what does that say about him?
Shough: Yeah I mean he loves football man you guys got to turn on the tape like every single catch he's like first down like he's like signaling first down he's like like getting up to the ball he's like going there I mean even in these joint practices he's like celebrating getting in the dude's face like I'm like anybody's like this soft-spoken guy and he's competitive man I'm gonna like keep trying to feed him as much as I can he's he's in the right spot he knows what he's doing especially you know for a rookie that's just awesome it gets us going um and he's made some really really big catches and obviously the one at the end that's not really on hand they just match it out well and try to give him a chance um but man I was really proud of just him that game coming in you know you're not really getting a ton of touches but he made those catches in some big moments.
Reporter: What do you see on that one from him?
Shough: Uh him just being friendly coming coming back to it again getting um to his depth throwing a good route um obviously had a guy come free and he just made a big-time contested catch um in a really tough scenario.
Reporter: There was this kind of idea about Bryce coming out that he was just a deep threat small school wouldn't would take time to adjust to the physicality does that surprise you at all the contested catchability the physicality that he plays with even blocking him in the run?
Shough: I wouldn't say it surprised me man I you see it every day his continual progression and I think coming in you're like man this you know he's kind of like Bambi at first where you know you're seeing him run he's like these long strides and he's like oh there's maybe he's got a little bit and then every single practice in week he's like making a tough catch going up his route detail is like really really I mean there's nothing really you can say about him that's like he needs to work on this and I mean more than anything we all can work on a lot of things but you know he's been he's done a really good job stepping up um in that role so he's going to continue to contribute.
Reporter: I remember again I think everything kind of comes and goes and technology changes every year and maybe y'all don't do this maybe it's silly at this point but I remember a few years ago I think it may have been Jayden Daniels at LSU with all the transfer portal stuff and guys playing in new stadiums they're doing like virtual reality you all these stadiums are kind of new to you do y'all do anything like that to simulate what it may be like before you even get there and play there?
Shough: Um no not necessarily um I mean the main thing is when you go out there you're just looking for the play clock and the timeouts and the um the actual game clock so a lot of that stuff and and it's just kind of like ambient noise and visuals and um it's going to change every week but yeah I mean when you go play division opponents there's a familiarity of you know where you're at the locker room but that's the cool part especially earlier on is you're going to some new stadiums but um I was more concerned about just all that and but it was Detroit they had a great atmosphere great um great stadium it was a it was a good environment.
Reporter: How do you feel like y'all handled the the noise and the silent cadence stuff like that?
Shough: I thought um I thought the operation and the penalties were cleaner um we just had a couple miscommunications on some protection stuff and that was got those cleaned up and and that was on me being you know being a little bit more um just being louder um when getting up to the line of scrimmage and and you know we got those cleaned up and we're going to continue to work on that and that's really where some of those kind of protections broke down where um just got to be better with our communication that way um those were that's when it was kind of loud and it's tough but at the same time I feel like our operation and everything else was was smooth and we just got to execute better um once we get going.
Reporter: So much was made up about like the slow starts the soft season and kind of wanted to correct that like when you went back and looked at it was is there anything that you can just really like kind of put your finger on with with why it kind of just came out so?
Shough: Um yeah I mean we just got we had that you know early third down that we I feel like again my feet were too fast on and we just connect that and you keep going but there's there's all there's one play here and there that you know maybe it's it's you know 11 guys where we can all um be better on and for me I think it's just one play after another how do we kind of continue to stack it and we were able to kind of do that but uh I think more than anything it's just hey first open guy gets it details how do we get going uh if the shot's there take it and then let's let's keep going um so I think more than anything is let's not try and be too perfect um let's try and get into the best play possible but at the same time let's go up there and let's execute.
Reporter: Alton being a full participant today that's going to change things for you possibly this Sunday um in what ways?
Shough: Uh I mean he's a difference maker at every position to be honest he's um his his physicality his speed his one-cut ability his his presence just in the huddle just from just all that stuff he's got the experience and then they have to respect all that stuff so having him you know Trav um Jawan Noah I mean there's a lot of I mean there's a lot of weapons especially you can put in the backfield and you got you know Chris and Bryce and and Navon and um it'll be good to have have him back um potentially and we'll see we'll see how we go.
