METAIRIE, La. - Ian Book knows this is a big deal, and he isn't shying away from it.
The rookie prepares to take his first NFL snap Monday night as the New Orleans Saints start quarterback against the Miami Dolphins after veterans Tysom Hill and Trevor Simien both tested positive for COVID-19 in the middle of the week. was tested.
Book's family will be in town. His former Notre Dame coach, Brian Kelly, will also travel from nearby Baton Rouge after being recently hired by LSU.
"It's an incredible opportunity. ... I'm going to be very excited, yes." The book said. "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've grown up. It's a dream."
But just as quickly, the book insisted that neither he nor the saint (7–7) would let the moment take hold of them.
As of Sunday night, the Saints have a total of 16 players from their 53-man roster in the reserve/COVID-19 list, besides three practice squad players, one suspended player and four assistant coaches sidelined by COVID-19 . It is the latest in a season-long series of odds that put New Orleans' playoff hopes in grave danger.
"There are a million excuses out there, I would say, and we're not going to use any of them," Book said. "Because we have to go out there and play. We are all professionals, and when your name is called, you have to go out there and perform."
Obviously the NFL is a different level, but Notre Dame was pretty close when it comes to pressure cookers. And Buc went 30-5 during his four years with the Fighting Irish - winning more games than any QB in the school's history.
That included getting off the bench as a redshirt freshman to lead Notre Dame to victory over LSU at the 2018 Citrus Bowl. And that included a win from behind over No. 1 ranked Clemson last season.
When the Saints drafted the book in the fourth round, the first thing all of his new and former trainers spoke about was how calm, composed, and "shaky" he had always been.
"I think it's important [that] he's played in the real big games," Saints coach Sean Payton said on Friday after returning from his own week-long COVID-19 hiatus. “And he has done it consistently – if you are measuring wins and losses – better than any other quarterback in Notre Dame history, which is important. Yes, obviously at this stage there has been a change, but I think That he is ready for the challenge."
The 6-foot book was the only three-star high school recruit and fell by the third day of the NFL draft, mostly because of his size. But one of his most prominent assets in college must serve him especially in this position.
The book often shows that "failure" when the pocket is worn out and he has to either reset the pocket, scramble or run away.
"I think there are some things that he does very well out of pocket," Peyton said. “I think he gets rid of the ball well, I think he is accurate when he throws it, I think he can go ahead and escape. Something like that you did in his college days. Looked at the tape, and we've seen a little bit here.
"I don't think you try to put together a completely different game plan. ... We'll learn about the things we've seen him do and the things he feels comfortable with."
The book is only active for two games and hasn't played in any. And he only appeared in one preseason game, completing 9 of 16 passes for 126 yards without a touchdown and completing an interception against the Baltimore Ravens.
To further increase the degree of difficulty, the practice schedule of the saints has been extremely limited this week as a COVID precaution. He canceled Thursday's practice altogether the day Book learned he was starting.
But Peyton, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. and teammates have expressed confidence, saying they love how fast Book is in the meeting room and what he has demonstrated in practice as a scout-team quarterback.
"It's not easy for anyone who is making the move in their first NFL game, especially a quarterback," said Saints tight end Nick Vennett, who compared Book's dynamic to Hills. "But with Ian, he's an incredible athlete, an incredible quarterback. If you guys just looked at the things he'd do on a scout team against our defense, sometimes you just sit like, 'Oh my god, How did he pull that off?'
"I'm not sure we're going to call any quarterback powers [designed QB runs] like we would with Tysum, but I think he's a pretty good passer in all areas of the field. I think "The biggest thing is that we have to do a good job of getting him into the game...and build his confidence a little bit. I think once we do that, we'll be fine."
Book said he quickly received encouragement and advice from fellow Saints QBs Jameis Winston, Hill and Simian — out of an estimated 200 people who texted or called within the first 24 hours of his unexpected promotion.
A stroke of lucky timing was that his brother had just finished his Army boot camp at Fort Benning in Georgia – and was already in New Orleans to watch his first game.
"I feel a ton better [than Precision]," Book said. "It felt like it was a long time ago. Every time there was a rep, I had to take it mentally. The coaches are meeting with me and preparing me all over. And it's time to go out there and do it." .
"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."