Jameis or Taysom? Larry Holder Talks Saints QBs, Roster Depth & NFL Draft

Let’s face it - it’s difficult to imagine the New Orleans Saints without Drew Brees. His arrival when New Orleans was at its lowest point after Hurricane Katrina lifted up the city and forever transformed the Saints into perennial competitors. But with his retirement now official, Sean Payton and the Saints must decide on their new quarterback, and the team will look noticeably different moving forward.

In this week’s podcast, columnist Larry Holder of The Athletic joins host Rachel Jones for an insightful, upbeat conversation on where the Saints go from here. A battle will unfold between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill, but the Saints have plenty more unanswered questions.

What are the highest priorities in the 2021 NFL Draft? Mickey Loomis has said the Saints won’t be major players in free agency, but that could change in an instant.

Larry and Rachel also discuss their common backgrounds as LSU graduates and Daily Reveille writers, plus it’s the debut of the Random Round on Black and Gold Rush! Stay tuned until the end (25:40) for quick questions & answers that will peel back the curtain even further with each guest.

LISTEN FOR THESE QUOTES

(8:19) “Let’s go back to that day - We didn’t know if [Drew Brees] was going to pan out because he’s coming off of the shoulder surgery. He was ready to go to Miami, and they did not medically clear him, and the Saints did.”

(9:33) “Everyone thought Reggie Bush was going to be the savior, and then the legend of Breesus comes up. It’s definitely a kinship where they grew together and obviously led to the most significant success in the history of this organization by a landslide.”

(12:26) “People are looking at it and rightfully so, that it’s going to be Jameis vs. Taysom. It’s also bizarre for Saints fans that one of the people competing was a division rival for so long, and so there’s an uneasiness there. And then there’s an uneasiness with Taysom Hill, even though he went 3-1 this past year, it wasn’t aesthetically pleasing to the eye.”

(13:36) “Everybody’s going to be sitting out there jotting down every throw. It’s going to be daily stats coming out on these guys. I’m not saying fans are ready for a change, but I think this is kind of refreshing. You knew a change was going to come, and so I think there’s actually an excitement to see what’s next with Drew Brees at 42 retiring from football.”

(19:13) “These last few years when the Saints were really good, it’s because they had quality across the board. Now they have a really top-heavy team of superstar players.”

(21:48) “You have to adjust your eyes. You wouldn’t have to worry about Janoris Jenkins because he’s a good cornerback, well you’re gonna worry about what’s going on over there now … and of course you’re gonna worry at quarterback. So we are going to have to program our brains a little differently and say if the Saints get into the playoffs, this is good.”

(24:42) “Go to Vegas, put money down that I’m going to put a cornerback in their (draft) class. They’re going to have to go young there because young also means inexpensive.”

CONNECT WITH US / LINKS MENTIONED:

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Larry Holder Twitter

Larry Holder’s Saints Mock Draft 1.0

Drew Brees Tales: 15 years of anecdotes on the Saints legend, AKA ‘a truthful Uncle Rico’

The Saints may have stars, but the middle tier of their roster is falling apart

Rachel Jones Twitter

Rachel Jones Instagram

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