For the quarterback position of the New Orleans Saints, it's next man, next man again and then next man one more time.
Head coach Sean Payton will begin the fourth quarterback of the 2021 NFL season in a Week 16 ESPN "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
First-stringer Jameis Winston, who was expected to succeed franchise legend and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, suffered a torn ACL on October 31. Trevor Simien started for the following month, and Tessam Hill started Weeks 13–15.
Simian and Hill both tested positive for COVID-19 last week and are out on Monday.
This leaves the Saints to their latest option: Ian Book.
Who is Ian Book?
As the Saints prepared for a future without the Trees, they targeted the 2021 NFL Draft as an option to build depth. This opportunity presented itself in the fourth round (133rd), with the book still on the board.
Book was born in El Dorado Hills, California, and became a three-year starter for Notre Dame Fighting Irish in college. This would be his first NFL debut. He hasn't snapped a picture of him playing the regular season yet.
In a preseason appearance, Buc went 9-in-16 for 116 yards with an interception against the Baltimore Ravens.
Ian Book is Notre Dame's winningest QB in school history
As a three-year starter, Fighting Irish won 30 games during his book debut, making him the most winning quarterback in the program's history. He was also the captain for two years.
For his college career, Book had a 64% completion percentage and a total of 8,948 yards, 72 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
The 23-year-old was also effective in the offense in Brian Kelly's running game. A mobile type, he reached 17 touchdowns and 1,517 yards on 361 carries (4.2 yards per carry).
Notre Dame made the college football playoffs twice during Buc's tenure (2018, 2020 season) and lost in the semifinals both times.
Hill and Simien aren't the only Saints players on the COVID-19 list. According to ESPN, 16 of New Orleans' 53-man roster are on the list, in addition to three practice squad players and four assists.
It would be Book's job to lead the shorthand Saints in a game with a playoff effect. Both teams enter with a 7–7 record and three games to play between their respective conferences' wild card hunts.
"It's an incredible opportunity. ... I'm going to be very excited, yes." Book said, via ESPN. "I don't know how it's going to feel. I've played the big games, but I think it's the biggest, obviously. It's Monday Night Football. I've been watching prime-time football since I was a little kid." I have grown up. It is a dream.
"The main thing for me is to have fun, move on to the next play and play with the pace. Don't go out all the time thinking it will slow down my process. I just have to go out there and play and have fun. That's it. It's football."
What Tommy Rees says about Ian Book
Notre Dame offensive coordinator and former Fighting Irish QB himself Tommy Rees, who coached Book for four seasons, told the Saints' team website:
"If a man is open, the ball will be on target, I know that," Rees said. "He's a very precise kid. He's a really good athlete, he'll be able to run around, maybe make some plays. There might be some opportunities for him in the run game. You're going to see a guy." He goes there and that moment isn't going to seem big to him at all.
“He got opportunities like this early in his career at Notre Dame, and I was always extremely excited for him because you saw his potential in practice and you saw the way – like, he is accurate and he makes the right decisions over and over again. You've always wanted to see, if he practices like that is going to translate into a game, and it always is. I think it's going to be true."