The New Orleans Saints still have a lot of decisions to make, and even more to prove, at the quarterback position heading into the 2025 season.
So what does the greatest QB in Saints history think about the starting QB battle between Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener heading into the preseason opener? Drew Brees is trusting in new head coach Kellen Moore.
"Kellen Moore, I love his style, I love his offense," Brees told WWL this week. "He’s got a ton of offensive staff around him with a ton of experience as well, so these guys are in good hands.”
Listen to the full, exclusive interview with Drew Brees in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
This week marks a reversal of sorts, with the Saints out in California for 10 days while Brees is in New Orleans hosting his third annual Nola Picklefest at the Morial Convention Center. The event will culminate with Brees and tennis legend Andre Agassi teaming up in doubles before a 1-on-1 showdown.
The Saints will head up to L.A. on Sunday for a preseason matchup with the Chargers, the team on which Brees started his NFL career. Moore is yet to reveal which QB will start that game. The Saints are also holding a scrimmage for their Friday practice at UC Irvine.
"We’ll see how this whole thing plays out, but the bottom line is they’re only going to get better with reps," Brees said. "The most important thing that they can get is just experience and more and more snaps, especially high level snaps."
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On Kellen Moore
“I always loved him as a player, you know, I can’t say I know him that well. We’ve met a few times and obviously I’ve admired his work as a coach from afar, but I loved him as a player and I think a lot of who he was as a player is carrying over to who he is as a coach. I mean, he was extremely bright, always like, got the most out of I think, his talent and the guys around him. I mean, I remember watching those games at Boise State … and they were beating teams all the time they probably didn’t have any business being on the field with, but they were finding ways and he was gritty and tough and would just find a way, and so I think he’s just brought that style to his coaching.
I think, you know, you see the smile, you see the mild manner and yet at the same time the dude is a competitor. He’s obviously a wizard when it comes to offense and building a system around a quarterback. He’s done it everywhere he’s been, from Dallas to Philly, obviously all the success he had last year with Jalen Hurts, so he’s a guy that’s going to take the skillset of the Q and he’s going to put them in the best position to succeed. He’s going to create a standard, which everybody needs to follow. He’s going to create opportunities for guys in the skill positions."
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On Alvin Kamara
“He’s such a special player and … I don’t see a slowdown at all. I mean, he’s always been in — he’s always been, obviously, extremely athletic, extremely powerful, explosive, but always such a smooth runner, always feet on the ground, never seems to take, like, always seems to just have this ability to make tackles. I mean, man, he takes hits, he takes punishment and he kind of keeps getting back up and keeps going. You’re always conscious of how many hits those guys are taking, especially at such a key position and a guy who’s so versatile. I don’t know if there’s a more versatile player in the league than Alvin Kamara, his ability to run the ball between the tackles, outside the tackles, in the pass game, down the field as well. I mean, I can think of so many big plays with him down the field catching the football above his head, so I mean, he’s obviously one of the biggest threats if not the biggest threat on the offense.”
What did you look to get out of the preseason?
“I always wanted to come out of the preseason feeling like we were sharp, we were in rhythm. You know, I think so many teams take the approach now, let’s just make sure we’re healthy, let’s get to the regular season healthy, but man, I always thought there was value in getting a certain amount of reps. You know, back when I was playing, it was, hey, the first preseason game it was 1 quarter, the second preseason game it was two quarters, three quarters in the third one and then maybe a series or two in the fourth. Now, it’s like you might barely get a series or two in the entire preseason and obviously you’re shorter by a game, too. I think everybody takes a different approach, but I always felt like I really liked the reps. I liked getting out there feeling like we were getting into a rhythm and I felt like that carried over to the season. I think the Saints are in a unique spot with their Qs, because it’s not — you’re trying to get these guys as many reps as possible so these joint practices are important, obviously every preseason start is important to get whoever is going to be the starter ready to go.”