I’ve seen enough.
Kellen Moore might not be ready to name the New Orleans Saints starting quarterback, but I am.
Spencer Rattler is the guy. He’s earned the right to start the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals in two weeks.
The second-year signal caller from South Carolina has been the most consistent, efficient and productive quarterback on the roster since the Saints started training camp a month ago. He opened camp as the starter with the ones, and his primary competitor, Tyler Shough, has been unable to unseat him.
I fully expect Moore to name Rattler the starter when he and the Saints brain trust get around to making the decision later this week.
“Ultimately, I know I have to make a decision, and it’s a challenging one, because these guys have put everything into this,” Moore said. “They’ve been very, very close.
"We’ll watch (the game tape) tomorrow. We’ll navigate it, and we’ll make the decision early.”
As has been the case throughout the preseason, the Saints’ 28-19 loss to the Denver Broncos on Saturday did little to delineate the competition. Rattler didn’t exactly light up the Denver defense, completing 5 of 8 passes for 43 yards for a 76.6 passer efficiency rating.
More importantly, he managed the offense well against the Broncos starting defense and avoided negative plays. As much as anything, that might be the recipe for success this year because this Saints team figures to have little margin for error.
“Obviously, it’s not my decision to make,” Rattler said when asked about the QB battle. “I’m just trying to put my best foot forward. I feel confident (in my ability), but obviously there’s more out there to get.”
If this QB competition were a boxing match, it would be decided on points. No one recorded a knockout. Three preseason games and weeks of workouts did little to separate the two.
In three exhibition games, Rattler completed 69.7% of his passes (30 of 43) for 295 yards with one touchdown pass, one interception and one lost fumble. Shough completed 67.9% of his passes (36 of 53) for 333 yards and a touchdown. He also had an interception, a lost fumble and a rushing touchdown, which came Saturday on an 11-yard keeper around left end against Denver.
“Obviously, it’s close, because we haven’t made a decision yet,” Shough said. “I think both of us have done a really good job, as far as week to week, day to day, just competing. We’ll see. Whatever the case may be, I’m going to be happy.”
It’s a difficult call no matter which way Moore goes. As I see it, Rattler has two things working in his favor. His experience from a year ago is an important trump card for a veteran offensive unit that probably isn’t enamored with the idea of waiting for a starting quarterback to figure things out. Likewise, Rattler’s ability to extend plays with his legs will be crucial for an offense that might have issues upfront. Starting left guard Trevor Penning and right tackle Taliese Fuaga are nursing injuries, and the starting offensive line has looked ominously leaky at times throughout the preseason.
While Shough has shown steady growth and improvement, he’s still not quite there. You can see the traits that led the Saints to select him in the second round. The athleticism. The arm talent. The poise and maturity. There’s a lot to like, but understandably, he’s still a little rough around the edges.
Throwing Shough to the wolves right now would be a mistake. At the risk of using a Dennis Allen analogy, Shough needs more time to bake in the oven. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Patrick Mahomes didn’t start as a rookie. Neither did Jalen Hurts. Those two guys have combined to win the last three Super Bowls.
Shough eventually might be the man for the Saints, but he’s not now. His time will come. Nothing he has done so far should diminish your or the Saints’ opinion of him.
But, at least for now, Rattler should be the starter. He’s earned it. No. 2 is No. 1.