There really was no right or wrong choice.
Despite a New Orleans Saints fan base that was as divided on the [Spencer Rattler](https://www.nola.com/tncms/asset/editorial/d2fb5eb8-bf1b-47ca-bfb7-1c24493ca43d/) vs. Tyler Shough [quarterback battle](https://www.nola.com/tncms/asset/editorial/08cc7716-9dc9-4ad3-91c3-bba7f2a4985b/) as it was for Jameis Winston vs. Tayson Hill in 2021, Kellen Moore really couldn’t go wrong with whichever quarterback he gave the keys to his offense.
The QB race itself was as close as the unscientific poll I conducted on the social media website X earlier this week.
Fifty-one percent of the fans wanted Rattler to be named the starter. The other 49% preferred Shough.
A six-word sentence from Moore on Tuesday afternoon brought the back-and-forth debates to a close.
“Spencer Rattler is our starting quarterback,” Moore said.
And with that announcement, Moore finally put to rest the most-asked sports question in New Orleans this summer: “Who’s going to be the Saints' quarterback?”
Well, now we know.
“I worked my tail off to achieve this, and now it’s here,” Rattler said. “I’m ready to work with the guys and get this season going. I feel like we are headed in the right direction, and everybody is excited right now.”
Well, everyone except some of those in the 49%.
Ideally, those fans would accept Moore’s decision and rally around Rattler much like his Saints teammates did when the second-year quarterback led the game-tying drive in the second preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But some fans won't.
There will be those who will say “I told you so” every time Rattler makes a mistake.
And there are the pro-Rattler fans who would have say the exact same thing if the situation was reversed and Shough had won the job.
It'll be up to Rattler to silence the noise. He is going to make some mistakes, which should be expected from a quarterback who has just six NFL starts (and zero wins) under his belt. Shough, whenever he gets an opportunity, will go through his growing pains, too.
At some point this season, Shough might get his chance. If he doesn’t, it means Rattler is performing well.
“This is something you work towards your whole life,” Rattler said. “This is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid. It’s here now. I don’t want to waste it. I want to go out and make the best of it.”
Rattler, who won the job because of his consistency throughout camp, says he’s more comfortable and more confident in Year 2. He has 11 days to get ready for the season opener in the Dome against the Arizona Cardinals, the team based in his hometown of Phoenix. That makes getting the job in the season opener even sweeter. It helps that he no longer has to wonder if he has done enough to win the job.
“I feel like it’s a clear mind (now),” Rattler said. “Obviously I’m excited to be the guy going into Week 1. I want to lead this team, lead these guys and just keep fighting. That’s one thing I can promise, is putting my all on that field.”
Rattler knows the fanbase was split down the middle all summer.
“You’re going to see that in every competition around the league,” Rattler said. “You can’t listen to the outside noise. You go out in public and everybody shows love, and it’s great. We need our fans this year to support us as a group, big time. That starts Week 1, from the first snap to the last snap. We’re going to need them this year for sure, and I know they will bring the juice.”
It took two months and three days of training camp for Moore to decide. It’s a race that came down to the wire. Someone had to win it. Someone had to finish second. That runner-up finish went to the guy that many of us (me included) predicted at the start of camp would would win it. The Saints drafted Shough in the second round with the 40th overall pick, so we figured he was Moore's guy.
Shough's time will eventually come. But it's Rattler's time now.
“Obviously I’m super-disappointed as a competitor,” Shough said. “I’m ready to roll and support Spencer anyway I can.”
Will the entire fan base do the same?
Only Rattler can determine that.