Tyler Shough is quickly making believers out of the New Orleans Saints faithful.
That even includes at least one notable former Saints player, who said he thought about coming out of retirement just to play with Shough.
That player? Offensive tackle Terron Armstead, a five-time Pro Bowler.
Armstead, 35, recently said in an appearance on CBS that Shough was that inspirational when he got the chance to meet him.
Terron Armstead Comeback?
This is what Armstead said in regards to how much he believed in Shough:
“I am such a Tyler Shough fan. I’m such a Tyler Shough guy. He is everything you want from a franchise guy. He is the leader that you want. His accountability is through the roof. His willingness to compete, his desire to win, his desire to not lose, I’m telling you. There’s no bigger fan in sports than me with Tyler Shough.”
He then explained meeting him on a podcast episode:
“We sat for an hour in the episode, then maybe four hours after. We just hung out and talked. I had never thought about coming back from retirement before this moment sitting with Tyler Shough. Every negative that happened with the New Orleans Saints last year, he took ownership. It was before he even played. Tyler Shough made me think about going and getting an ejection on this (right) knee and then coming back to play ball and protect this man.”
Armstead didn’t do that, of course.
But man, it’s quite the strong endorsement from a big-time former NFL player.
Terron Armstead Career
Armstead was originally a third-round pick by the Saints in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
He turned his small-college journey into an incredible career.
Armstead started 93 of his 97 games with the Saints over nine seasons and made three of his Pro Bowl appearances with New Orleans.
He then played three more seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, totaling 38 games (all starts) and making two more Pro Bowls.
Armstead was considered one of the top left tackles in football at his peak.
He also shows in that interview above that he understands the role of an offensive lineman. The whole reason he wanted to come back and play was to help keep Shough upright.
Armstead sees the future of the Saints in Shough, and the last thing he wants is for Shough to be limited by the people around him.
Maybe Armstead would still get the job done, and maybe not — but we’ll never know that.
Just the fact that Shough made him feel that way, and strongly enough to share the story, is the kind of thing that should make New Orleans fans very excited about their second-year quarterback.
Saints’ Pro Bowler Raises Unretirement for Tyler Shough Reason