Tyler Shough walked into Saints training camp with his offensive group in full view on Day 1, and the next month will go a long way toward shaping what this team becomes. But for Shough, the work that happened before camp matters just as much as what’s about to unfold.
He said the Saints made a point of being deliberate this offseason, building chemistry while also pushing each other in every setting.
“Being intentional about getting better, and having fun. That was Kellen’s whole deal, compete and connect.
We all competed against each other. Whether it was our team, groups, lifting, running and connecting, we spent a lot of time with each other.
That was one of my main goals, hang out, let’s all go to dinner together, let’s go to San Diego, let’s watch a movie. Because when we get to season, it’s really hard to find that time.
We’re in the facility, and that’s a big difference. One of the things I took from Drew (Brees) when were out there, he said “this is where the magic happens.”
Everyone is practicing. If you can spend time with each other, that’s when you can talk about all the little things,” said Tyler Shough.
Shough’s first season ended with a 5-4 record in nine starts, and now he’s entering Year 2 with a much bigger sample size and bigger expectations around him. Still, he’s not pretending the learning stops just because he’s got a season under his belt.
“I want to continue and grow and build off of how many reps I got, but at the same time, obviously I’ve only played nine games. It’s not like I’ve played 10 years.
I learn so much every single practice, every single rep, every single year. I feel like, you look back and I didn’t know anything.
I was just figuring it out, and I’m still figuring it out,” said Shough.
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