The New Orleans Saints have yet to win a game and there are no moral victories in the NFL, but there are certainly pleasant surprises.
The Saints have taken both the Cardinals and 49ers down to the final possession through a strong start to the season for 2nd-year QB Spencer Rattler and a group that simply refuses to lay down, and that's caught the eye of NFL insider Mark Schlereth.
"I thought Spencer Rattler, and I liked him in college, I liked him coming out, there’s something to him, man," Schlereth told Mike Detillier and Charlie Long on WWL. "I know he’s not the biggest dude and all that kinda stuff, but he’s got some moxie to him. I enjoyed watching him play, man, I thought they played .. really well and I don’t think they're nearly as bad as everybody predicted they were gonna be."
Hear the full interview with NFL insider Mark Schlereth in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
To this point the Saints are 0-2 and face a daunting pair of road games against the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills. It'll likely take a continued run of impressive play from Rattler, who has completed 62% of his passes (52-80) for 421 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He's operated well within the pocket and has been sacked just four times, which is tied for 4th fewest in the NFL through this stage of the season.
The result is that the conversation around Rattler has shifted from how long he'll hold off rookie Tyler Shough to just how high the ceiling is on the 5th round pick from 2024.
But Schlereth also points to the veterans, who sure don't look like they're playing on a roster that thinks its among the worst in the NFL. Despite an uneven start to the season due to penalties, mistakes and an ill-time turnover, team leaders like Alvin Kamara, Demario Davis and others have kept this team competitive. It's a reflection of the early culture new head coach Kellen Moore has established, and wins should soon come along with that.
Related
"They are gonna fight and that’s big, and so look at Kellen Moore and all his staff, that’s a tip of the cap to those guys," Schlereth continued, "because they were supposed to be really bad and those dudes are competing their butts off.”
The Saints (0-2) travel out west to face the Seahawks (1-1) at 3:05 p.m. (central) on Sunday. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.