New Orleans Saints

Sean Payton wants QB Garrett Grayson to speed it up

Published Sep. 1, 2015 12:54 p.m. ET

foxsports

While rookie quarterback Garrett Grayson didn't light the world on fire during the second half of Sunday's 27-13 loss to the Houston Texans, he wasn't awful either, not by a long shot.

Apparently, though, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is going to stay on top of his young quarterback and push him to do better and do it at a faster pace. As Mike Triplett of ESPN reports, Payton was incredibly critical of Grayson's pace during his time on the field Sunday.

"The first thing that comes to mind is the time clock with our game is much different than the college game, so you're just kind of pulling your hair out. ‘Let's go, quicker, quicker, quicker, in and out of the huddle quicker, to the line of scrimmage.' So that's something that he needs to work at," Payton told ESPN when asked for his initial thoughts of Grayson's performance.

He did have positive things to say about Grayson, but the focus was on the slower pace that must be improved on moving forward.

"I made the comment to [offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr.], I said, ‘Look, we're down two scores, we're gonna need three quarters at the rate we're playing, the tempo we're playing," Payton continued. "I think [Grayson] made some good throws. I'm sure there's a couple where he's trying to force it into coverage. We'll see on the tape."

Grayson finished out the game completing 7-of-16 passes for 96 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. As Triplett explains, it's likely that Grayson will be No. 3 on the depth chart in 2015. Regardless, Grayson still has major potential to be the future at QB for the Saints.

(h/t ESPN)