re: At what point do saints start tanking?

Watch his mannerisms on the sideline when things aren’t going well and/or they are in danger of losing. He sincerely looks like he’s going to have a mental breakdown and I’m not exaggerating it. The end of the bowl game against Tulane game is a good example of this.

Also. The painting of his fingernails with sayings such as “frick Utah” or UCLA.

I believe he did this several times. It’s just a weird, unprofessional thing to do and when you draft a QB, you really want them to act more like Burrow or Bryce Young than Lamar, Cam Newton, Baker Mayfield, or Jackson Mahomes. I’m more prone to put up with antics if it’s a Defensive player or a Wide Receiver. I think maturity is a non negotiable for a franchise QB though.

All of These little intangible things add up and make a real difference belief wise in the locker room and in the heat of battle when things are tight on the field (it usually is in the nfl). It’s the reason why Burrow can go almost to win a Super Bowl in year 2 in a place that hasn’t won a playoff game in 31 years. There are similarly talented QB’s, but they don’t have the elite of the elite human element that most of the truly great QB’s do.

People get overly enamored with speed, arm strength, arm angles, etc. However, being a good QB is more about character in tough situations than your overall talent level. Guys like Mahomes have character and elite talent. Meanwhile, guys like Kyler Murray and Caleb have elite talent, but shaky character and intangibles. Maybe Caleb turns it around and matures. But there is a clear difference between Mahomes and Caleb at around the same age. One was an adult and the other one isn’t yet and still has to prove he can be. The football talent level is similar. The intangibles aren’t. So, that’s why I compare Caleb to Kyler Murray more than Mahomes at this point.