The air in New Orleans hangs thick with possibility, the kind that crackles before a lightning strike. What if the key to unlocking the Saints’ future isn’t found in a seasoned arm, but in the steady hands of a rookie? What if history, echoing from the bayou to the Hoosier Dome, holds the playbook?
Jim Mora Sr., the architect who first taught the Saints how to win, just dropped wisdom hotter than a crawfish boil, and it’s aimed squarely at new head coach Kellen Moore and his unproven QB room.“We just said, the heck with it. We’re gonna stick Peyton in there.” Mora’s voice, familiar and gravelly even through a podcast mic, cuts straight to the chase.
Why Jim Mora sees a Peyton parallel in Tyler Shough
He’s talking about 1998, his first year coaching the Indianapolis Colts, holding the #1 pick, and staring down a choice that would define a franchise: Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf. The evaluation was brutal, meticulous. “Based upon our evaluations of both guys physically and emotionally and mentally, Peyton was the guy.” But knowing who was only half the battle. The real test was throwing him into the fire.
Jim Mora is all for the Saints starting rookie QB Tyler Shough (if he earns the job)…
Because once upon a time, Mora started a rookie QB…Peyton Manning…and long term, that decision turned out pretty great!
FULL Jim Mora interview in the attached tweet. https://t.co/r8bt92dvoR pic.twitter.com/GJZISyzWW5
— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) May 29, 2025
Mora saw something beyond the stat sheet, something Moore might recognize flickering in rookie Tyler Shough. “He’s smart. He’s—a—he’s a guy. I know he’s not a—he doesn’t act like a rookie.” That intangible, veteran-in-a-rookie-shell vibe is Mora’s gospel. Manning’s rookie year was baptism by interception—a league-leading 28 picks en route to a brutal 3–13 record. It was like watching a high-level raid boss in an RPG get repeatedly KO’d by basic mobs.
DENVER, COLORADO – OCTOBER 31: Peyton Manning looks on during a Ring of Honor induction ceremony at halftime of the game between the Washington Football Team and Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on October 31, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Painful? Absolutely. Necessary? Mora insists it was. “He had some rough days that first year… but we hung with him and it paid off.” Peyton Manning devoured the game, practicing relentlessly, “always looking for some kind of edge that would help him improve.” That relentless grind forged the iron resolve of a legend.
The payoff was seismic. Year 2? A historic 10-game swing to 13–3. “He played every [offensive] play, got better as the season went on, and it helped me for next year when we won 13 games.” Crucially, the locker room bought in instantly.
“His teammates—they didn’t say, ‘Oh, he’s a rookie,’ and all this kind of stuff. No. Because he’s a mature guy. He was then and he is now. And that helped him get along with the veterans.” That instant command, that earned respect—it’s the oxygen a young QB needs to breathe.
The fire-tested future: Will Moore trust Shough to blaze his own Manning path?
Fast forward to the Crescent City, 2025. Derek Carr’s surprise exit leaves Moore surveying a landscape greener than the Superdome turf: Spencer Rattler (showing flashes but raw, 1,317 yds, 4 TD, 5 INT in ’24), Jake Haener (minimal snaps, 226 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT), and the intriguing wildcard, second-rounder Tyler Shough.
Shough’s path mirrors Manning’s only in its potential for resilience. Seven college years, three schools (Oregon, Texas Tech, Louisville), multiple broken bones (collarbones, fibula), culminating in a stellar 2024 at Louisville: 3,195 yds, 23 TDs, only 6 INTs. He’s 6’5”, mobile (4.63s 40-yd dash), battle-tested, and crucially, possesses that Mora-approved “substance about him.” He played through pain, led teams, even orchestrated an NIL-funded marriage proposal—this isn’t a kid easily rattled.
Moore, an offensive savant with QB gurus Doug Nussmeier and Scott Tolzien beside him, faces his own Manning-or-Leaf moment. Does he play it safe? Or does he embrace Mora’s fearless, foundational philosophy? Shough might not be the Week 1 guarantee Manning was, but Mora’s advice is clear: if the kid earns it through camp, let him rip.
Attribute
Spencer Rattler
Jake Haener
Tyler Shough
Age
24
25
26
Height / Weight
6’1″ / 217 lbs
6’1″ / 200 lbs
6’5″ / 225 lbs
NFL Experience
7 games (6 starts)
8 games (1 start)
Rookie
College Completion %
68.5%
68.2%
63.0%
College Passing Yards
10,807
9,120
7,820
College TDs / INTs
77 / 32
67 / 18
59 / 23
Notable Strengths
Mobility, quick release
Accuracy, leadership
Size, arm strength
Concerns
Decision-making consistency
Arm strength
Injury history
Let him take his lumps. Let him build that unshakeable bond with his team through shared trenches. The Saints aren’t rebuilding brick by brick; they’re potentially planting an oak sapling, trusting the roots to dig deep through the storm.
Sure, the path might echo those early Manning struggles. There might be moments where the frustration boils over, echoing Mora’s own iconic, “Playoffs?! Don’t talk about—playoffs?! You kidding me? Playoffs?!” But the long game, the vision Mora champions, is about forging greatness in the crucible of real NFL snaps.
For Moore and the Saints, the choice isn’t just about who starts under center Week 1. It’s about whether they have the guts to bet on substance, to embrace the beautiful, messy process of building a legend, one potentially interception-laden, ultimately triumphant drive at a time.
The ghost of a rookie Manning’s struggles whispers a compelling argument from the Superdome rafters: sometimes, the fastest way up is straight through the fire.
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