The New Orleans Saints want Tyler Shough to step up.

But not in the way you think.

For months, the Saints have been working on the rookie quarterback’s movement in and outside the pocket. They want him to step up, or climb, when edge rushers start to collapse the outside walls, keeping Shough safe. They want him to drift to extend plays. They want him to have a feel for when to take off and when to stay patient. All of this has been emphasized in practice, from the start of individual drills to even when Shough spent weeks running the scout team earlier in the season.

Every team hammers home footwork for quarterbacks. But the time on task has been especially crucial for Shough, the 40th overall pick who was dinged in the draft process by several analysts for having a poor reaction to

See Full Page