Saints rookie Tyler Shough on response to pick-six, striking back with his own TD

USA Today

2 days ago

'Hey man, this is just part of it'
Tyler Shough's debut with the New Orleans Saints was far from perfect, but it's easy to argue he was the best signal-caller to take the field for the team in Sunday's 27-13 road loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
While he had a shaky start the included an interception returned for a touchdown, he showed resiliency and injected the first real sense of life in the offense with his 54-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Mason Tipton. He ended his day 15-for-22 passing with 165 passing yards, one touchdown and that pesky pick-six. He addressed that mistake when speaking with reporters after the game.
"I was on the sideline just smiling and we were like, 'Hey man, this is just part of it' and I'm throwing that (well) nine times out of 10 and that was exactly what we wanted," Shough reflected. "(Chargers cornerback Eric Rogers) made a really good play and jumped it. ... It was exactly what we were looking for, that off coverage. He had the same pick last week on a deep route. He did a really good job just sitting there and he read and it and made a good play on it."
While it certainly set back an already sputtering Saints offensive effort, Shough says that he and his teammates did not let it get to them mentally: "We knew we were going to get the ball back and just go driven down the field and score. Everyone was on the same page, so it was good. Stuff like that happens, and it's good to bounce back and let it rip."
While some fans may still remain hung up on Shough's mistakes like this one, it's hard to knock him too much after the flashes he showed with his arm that could be built upon as the rookie gains further experience.
It will be interesting to watch how he expands upon his opportunity when the Saints face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Noon CT/1 p.m. ET at the Caesars Superdome.