Peyton Manning sees a lot to like in second-year Saints QB Tyler Shough

Tyler Shough didn’t just win over New Orleans Saints fans after taking over at midseason, leading the team to four wins in their last five games and getting the most out of weapons like Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson. He got better week by week, and now he’s set to take a big step forward with the Saints having upgraded his supporting cast by signing Travis Etienne Jr. and David Edwards while drafting Jordyn Tyson.

And Shough has a big supporter in his corner. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and New Orleans native Peyton Manning sees real benefits going into Year 2 with the same head coach (Kellen Moore) and offensive coordinator (Doug Nussmeier) in his ear.

“I thought Shough had a good year, and it was good to play. There’s always different debates whether you sit for a year or play for a year,” Manning told WGNO’s Jon Sokoloff at the Manning Passing Academy. “There’s information to support both, but I know Tyler got great experience playing as a rookie that will benefit him even more. Same coach back, same system. Kellen, Nuss, and I love continuity for young quarterbacks as opposed to different coordinator or different head coach after their first or second year. Pulling hard for him this year.”

Manning obviously knows what he’s talking about. He’s one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history, having started right away as a rookie and gone on to win two Super Bowls while setting all sorts of passing records (which were later broken by Saints legend Drew Brees). That he’s paying close attention to Shough’s career as he starts to get off the ground speaks volumes. Expectations are much higher for Shough going into Year 2. Manning will be watching with the rest of us to see if the young QB can meet them.