The QB who takes care of the ball will be the Saints starter
A veteran quarterback watcher looked back to the end of the Saints 2020 season.
And, looked ahead to 2021.
The evaluator asked to be anonymous.
He was frank.
“It was sad to see how simple the Saints passing game was at the end of last season,” said the QB watcher.
“The Bucs knew the routes were simple (in a 30-20 playoff win over the Saints) and they just sat on them.”
However …
“It was great, in a way, to hear Drew Brees say when he announced his retirement that he was battling an assortment of injuries that hampered his ability.”
The QB watcher, added.
“All of those injuries made it impossible for him to stretch the field, and very difficult for him to throw the football outside the numbers.”
So, moving on, if Jameis Winston is the Saints quarterback?
“The biggest beneficiary of Jameis at quarterback will be Tre’Quan Smith. He has a chance to be very dangerous if Winston can get him the ball downfield,” said the QB watcher.
And, what will Alvin Kamara’s role be in the Saints passing game?
“There were a lot of times last season when Kamara was the primary,” said the quarterback watcher.
“But, now teams will play more zone against the Saints, and Kamara might be more of a secondary option.”
The Saints, said the quarterback watcher, will still get Kamara the football, but the expanded passing game will allow New Orleans to have other options.
The quarterback watcher said head coach Sean Payton will put Winston in position to throw fewer interceptions.
The QB watcher said Winston will have to learn to get the football out of his hands quickly, and not hold the football, looking to make a play downfield that may not be there.
“Jameis wants to make things happen. He still thinks, I am Jameis Winston, the Heisman Trophy winner, and I can make that throw.” “Defenses will dare both Winston and Taysom Hill to throw the ball downfield. They know that both turned the ball over too much, and defenses will try to take advantage,” said the quarterback watcher.
So, who will win the quarterback job?
“I think it is the quarterback, who in the preseason, does a better job of taking care of the football.”
The QB watcher said Hill has spent his entire offseason concentrating solely on the quarterback position, which will certainly help his chance of winning the job.
So, is the Saints quarterback of the future currently on the roster?
“No,” said the quarterback watcher, somewhat emphatically.
“If Mac Jones (Alabama quarterback) had gotten past New England (in the first round) I think the Saints had a trade partner.”