Jameis Winston will get the start at quarterback when the Saints face off with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, but there are a few important things to remember.
Saints coach Sean Payton confirmed Winston would be on the field first in Week 2 of the preseason, but that was always the plan. Taysom Hill got the start against the Ravens, with Payton saying prior to that game that they'd "flip" things for Week 2.
"That's exactly what we're doing," Payton said after Friday’s practice held inside the Caesar’s Superdome.
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Winston and Hill each threw 12 passes in Week 1, with an even split likely coming this time around as well. Both quarterbacks led effective drives in the preseason opener, with Hill's bogging down in the red zone after a Latavius Murray fumble. Winston threw a touchdown pass to Lil'Jordan Humphrey, and was under center for a drive that saw Tony Jones Jr. run for 63 yards and a TD. Each threw an interception, but it's far more than just stats that will be evaluated in that QB battle.
"Move the team, decisions, protect the football, all the things that go into winning at that position," Payton said.
Winston and Payton have each given some insight into the evaluation process earlier in training camp, which includes decision grades and reports from each throw in practice after a review of the film from each day.
Hill spoke to that evaluation process this week, and made it clear that it's unlikely anyone outside the building will have the whole picture -- especially if it's mainly driven by analyzing stats recorded at practices. Those conversations inside the building are far more important.
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"Every play call is a little bit different, so you guys can look at statistics and you can start to say what you want to say about those statistics, but internally we know what our concepts are, we know what the play call was, and I know if that was the right decision and the ball went where it needed to go," Hill said. "So there’s so many things that go into playing this position that outside of this position you’re just not aware of."
Even without reading too much into it, Monday represents an opportunity for Winston a more extended run with the first-team group, and each quarterback will be looking to grab a firmer hold of that job heading into the final week of the preseason, for which the Saints have yet to announce a plan.