Latest news with #NFLPARookiePremiere
Fox Sports
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough ready for ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'
He played for five different head coaches during his seven years in college — three years each at Oregon and Texas Tech, and a final season at Louisville — so learning a new offense is old hat for New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. "Yeah, a lot of familiarity," Shough told FOX Sports at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event when asked about picking up another new scheme. "Obviously, it's all new terminology, but [it's just] different ways to get things done. From a run support perspective and passing game, there's different things. But all of it is pretty much the same thing." Selected 40th overall in the 2025 draft, Shough (pronounced "shuck") will compete with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener for the starting job after veteran Derek Carr announced his retirement in early May due to a degenerative shoulder injury. "We'll rotate all of these guys," new Saints head coach Kellen Moore said about the three-QB competition. "We'll give them all opportunities. We'll be very patient with it and make sure all these guys get a chance to compete at a really high level." Shough got a jump-start by traveling to New Orleans even before rookie minicamp. "I wanted to get there early," he told FOX Sports. "I got there a couple days right after the draft, just to hang out with the guys. I couldn't be at the facility, obviously, so I was training at Tulane. … It was great because I got my feet wet a little bit already. I got to meet people and rekindle with some of my former teammates, like [Saints tight end and Oregon alum] Juwan Johnson. "It was really fun to get there. And now, rolling right into minicamp." With Carr gone, the Saints have one of the youngest and most inexperienced quarterback rooms in the league. At age 25, Shough is six months younger than Haener — and one year older than Rattler. Here's something else they have in common: None of the three has an NFL win on his résumé. The Saints, however, have three coaches who played QB at the NFL level in Moore, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien. In addition, senior offensive assistant Scott Linehan threw for more than 7,000 college yards at Idaho. In OC roles with Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, Moore molded talented quarterbacks with differing skill sets. That experience should help as he tries to get the most out of Shough. "He's extremely intelligent, and he knows the position like the back of his hand," Shough said about Moore. "The thing that is most attractive to me with him as a head coach is who he's been with and what he's done as a player and as a coach. "You've got Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts. All three have different styles but have been successful in their own right. So I'm just excited to continue to learn the playbook and continue to grow with my teammates and go from there." Dan Manucci, who was Shough's private quarterback coach from eighth grade until his time at Texas Tech, said the QB has always been very mature and focused in his approach. Manucci thinks those qualities, along with Shough's 42 games played in college, make him ready for whatever the NFL has in store. "He's had a lot of reps and can make every throw known to man," Manucci said. "He's creative in that way, and he's confident he can make those off-platform kind of throws because he's had a lot of reps in working on that." What also attracted the Saints was Shough's resiliency and ability to work through tough situations. He broke his collarbone twice and suffered a broken leg at Texas Tech. He lost battles for the starting quarterback job at all three stops in college before finally showing what he could do as the unquestioned starter in his 2024 season at Louisville. Playing in a pro-style offense under head coach Jeff Brohm, Shough completed 63% of his passes for 3,195 yards, with 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder then put his physical tools on display at the combine, where he surprised NFL scouts by posting a 4.63 time in the 40-yard dash, after which he hyped up the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium. He also showed impressive arm strength throwing the football. "My whole thing was I wanted to compete," Shough said. "It's the NFL Combine, so I don't know why you wouldn't want to compete and run. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I was just happy to be there. And for me, that's something I'm comfortable doing — extending the play and running. It wasn't something I did a lot at Louisville because they didn't ask me to. But in my previous time at Texas Tech and Oregon, that's something I did a lot. "I think it's necessary. You have to extend plays or create plays, but you also need to protect your body. And that's something I learned at Louisville. You don't need to take unnecessary hits, but you need to make plays when they're there." At rookie minicamp, Moore wasn't so much concerned with Shough's physicality, but rather how well he was prepared mentally. "He's done an excellent job," Moore said at minicamp. "For these quarterbacks, a lot of what you care about is how they command the huddle, how they command the whole operation when they come in here. Because it's a new system, a new language and all those things associated with it. He hopped in here and really did an excellent job of just taking control of it." Shough, the oldest player drafted in 2025, has been married for more than a year. His wife, Jordan, and their golden retriever, Murphy, are helping to keep him grounded as he makes this life transition. Shough wore No. 9 in college but has made a switch because future Hall of Famer Drew Brees made that number legendary for the Saints. No one has worn No. 9 since Brees retired in 2021. "No. 6 is good," Shough said, smiling. "It's an upside-down No. 9, so it's a cool number. I was happy with it." And he's thrilled with the chance to compete for a starting job in New Orleans. "I'm treating it the same way as if he [Carr] was there or not," Shough told FOX Sports. "I've got to continue to learn the playbook and grow. And I'm going to compete regardless, whatever the situation is. That's my focus right now. It's a great opportunity." Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? 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USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders speaks about Joe Flacco, friendly competition in the room
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders speaks about Joe Flacco, friendly competition in the room The talk of the Cleveland Browns since the 2025 NFL draft has surrounded quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He took a trip to the NFLPA Rookie Premiere, where he got a chance to speak with Kay Adams. Sanders spoke about the Browns' quarterback room, being on the same team as Joe Flacco, and more after mandatory minicamp. Here is what Sanders had to say about seeing Flacco and being in the same meeting room as the Super Bowl MVP, as he clearly wore some reverence for the veteran: "Wow. I'm really with Joe Flacco right now. We are on the same team!" Sanders then spoke about the room as a whole and their mindset heading into a four-way battle with training camp now just two months away. While the stakes are high for all four quarterbacks, Sanders stated that is not keeping them from bonding as a unit: "Everybody is cool in the room. Outside, everybody is trying to pit us against each other, but inside the room, we know we are one." It will be interesting to see how that room unfolds this summer and into the regular season.
Miami Herald
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Steelers Rookie QB Ready to Fill Massive Shoes
The Pittsburgh Steelers' chase for a franchise quarterback has fallen flat on its face since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 campaign, but Will Howard plans on filling that void. During an appearance on the "Up and Adams Show" at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere, the sixth-round pick reminisced about watching Roethlisberger play while growing up and said that he wants to become a franchise face with a similarly gritty style for the Steelers. "They need a gritty guy," Howard said. "Growing up, for me, watching the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was Big Ben. And Big Ben, he was that guy. He was Pittsburgh. He was the Steel City, the blue-collar, the gritty guy. I want to be that, too. I want to bring that edge, that energy. I think I did a pretty good job of it at Ohio State, and I like to pride myself on that. I'm gonna try and bring it to the Steel City." Howard will find it tough to work his way onto the field as a rookie if Aaron Rodgers signs with the team, but he can certainly lay the groundwork for a successful career in Pittsburgh by learning from the four-time MVP and treating the upcoming season as a redshirt year of sorts. The 23-year-old accumulated plenty of experience throughout college, first throwing for 5,768 yards and a program-best 48 touchdowns across 27 starts at Kansas State before transferring to Ohio State ahead of the 2024 season. There, he led the Buckeyes to their first national title in a decade while posting 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 16 games. Howard has seemingly turned heads within the Steelers' organization following rookie minicamp, and he's even rubbed elbows with Roethlisberger by appearing on his "Footbahlin" podcast while also keeping in contact with him as he becomes acclimated to his new surroundings. There's plenty of hype surrounding Howard in the early goings of his professional career, and he plans on exceeding even the wildest expectations placed upon him. Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Steelers Legend Doesn't Believe NFL's Aaron Rodgers ExplanationSteelers Fans Get Warning About T.J. Watt DealSteelers Insider Makes Brutal Justin Fields PredictionInsider: Mike Tomlin Could Leave Steelers Because of Aaron RodgersSteelers Almost Pulled Off Draft Trade This article was originally published on as Steelers Rookie QB Ready to Fill Massive Shoes. Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
NBC Sports
22-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Shedeur Sanders: People try to pit QBs against each other, but we know we're one
The Browns have one of the league's most intriguing quarterback competitions in the league, but one of the players taking part in it says the participants haven't lost sight of the fact that they are all on the same team. Deshaun Watson is headed for a reserve list due to his torn Achilles, but Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabril are vying for three roster spots so you might expect little collaboration between them. Sanders told Kay Adams at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere that the players are 'different characters,' but that he's been learning from his more experienced teammates as they work to get ready or the 2025 season. 'Everybody's cool in the room,' Sanders said. 'Outside the room, people try to pit us against each other, but, inside the room, we know we're one.' The early phases of the offseason program focus on conditioning work and learning the offense, so things will be heating up with the team on the field for OTAs, minicamp and training camp. That may lead to some changes in how everyone approaches one another and the Browns will be hoping that the setup pushes all the participants to their best.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Deion Sanders drops cryptic message to Travis Hunter as wedding nears
Deion Sanders shared a cryptic yet heartfelt message to Travis Hunter that sparked curiosity across the football world. 'Happy Birthday Son. Love ya, man, Sanders wrote to Hunter on X (Formerly Twitter). Be Greater & don't negotiate your Peace.' After guiding Hunter through a historic college career at Jackson State and Colorado, Sanders' words read like fatherly advice. The simple message comes during a momentous time for Hunter. He was the No. 2 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in last month's 2025 NFL Draft. The post also arrives as Hunter stands on the threshold of major life milestones. Advertisement In addition to his rising NFL stardom and having recently impressed at Jaguars minicamp in his home state, Hunter is also preparing to marry his fiancée, Leanna Lenee, in a private ceremony near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Outside of wedding prep, He was recently in Los Angeles with Shedeur Sanders and others for the NFLPA Rookie Premiere, further tying the Sanders family and Hunter together in the public eye. Related: Travis Hunter roasts Shedeur Sanders over being broke from NFL Draft slide Hunter leaves behind a legendary college legacy, highlighted by a historic Heisman Trophy win, eight major national awards, and a rare two-way dominance that made him the most decorated player in college football history. Advertisement Related: ESPN analyst sends blunt message to Kevin Stefanski regarding Shedeur Sanders future As he prepares to take on the NFL and married life simultaneously, Sanders' note serves as both a reminder to stay grounded and continue chasing greatness on and off the field.
