Category: Spencer Rattler

Drew Brees shares his take on Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener

Drew Brees shared his take on New Orleans Saints quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener: ‘This will be a great offseason for both of them to really compete’

The New Orleans Saints have not had a truly reliable quarterback since the legendary Drew Brees retired, but have been going back and forth between different options.

For now, those primary options are Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. While the veteran Carr is clearly the guy for now, the Saints must start looking to the future soon and must evaluate the potential of both Rattler and Haener.

Brees recently weighed in on both players, who got a ton of playing time when Carr went down with an injury not once, but twice during the 2024 season.

“I think both of them showed great signs of what could be to come. Both of them have some unique traits,” Brees told me this week. “They’re kind of smaller, undersized guys, more my size at about 6-foot-1. Both of them are very athletic and they can make a ton of plays on the perimeter. This day and age, you see that becoming more the norm of the quarterback position.”

Brees also said that he views the Klint Kubiak system as a solid fit for both signal-callers, though that obviously could change at some point. How the head coaching search shakes out will have a ton of bearing on that.

“The offense suits both of them well. This will be a great offseason for both of them to really compete,” Brees said. “We will see what offensive scheme is in place, based on what happens with the head coach. They’ve shown what they can do if given the opportunity.”

Jake Haener was the preferred backup for Spencer Rattler on game days, but it was Rattler who got the start most often once Carr went down. It will be interesting to see what the Saints choose to do at this position moving forward and what the future holds for a team in the midst of full change.

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Spencer Rattler on pace for his best game of rookie year vs. Bucs

Spencer Rattler and the Saints offense put on their best first half since the bye week. Can they finally put together a complete game?

The New Orleans Saints scored 17 points in the first half over the last four weeks. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, they scored 16 points.

Spencer Rattler and the Saints offense in total put on their best first half performance since Derek Carr exited the lineup. Rattler was making pinpoint passes between Buccaneers defenders. Juwan Johnson had a pair of nice catch-and-runs.

Most importantly, the Saints scored on every possession, including a Dante Pettis touchdown catch. It’s just three more points than last week’s first half, but there’s a level of consistency that resembles the second half versus Washington Commanders.

The key here, however, is continuing the progress in the second half. The Saints haven’t put together a complete game of offensive performance since defeating the Cleveland Browns. Rattler has spoken repeatedly about the need to show consistency in his game and follow up a strong first half with a solid second half.

New Orleans has failed to score double-digit points in both halves since their bye week. They’ve even been shut out in at least one half in each of the last three weeks.

If Rattler can sustain this performance, it’ll be the best game of his career and possibly his first victory.

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Spencer Rattler looking for redemption vs. Buccaneers

Spencer Rattler’s first and last starts are against the Buccaneers. Hopefully, this full-circle moment doesn’t end the way it started:

Spencer Rattler’s first start came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his last start will come against them, too. Hopefully for the New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback this full circle moment doesn’t end the way it started.

As has been the case for most of his starts, Rattler is without critical weapons and reliable offensive linemen. Rattler played without Chris Olave, Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick in the first game and will do so again. He could also be without Alvin Kamara this time. Instead of Rashid Shaheed as Rattler’s deep threat, he has Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Essentially, the rookie quarterback is stepping into the same situation. The thing that has to be different is him. It’s Rattler’s last attempt to put together a complete game. He’s put together good halves, but hasn’t sustained it for four quarters. We saw that same pattern repeat just last week against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The last time Rattler played against the Bucs, the Saints lost 51-27 and he he went 22-of-40 as a passer, gaining 243 yards but throwing two interceptions against a single touchdown, taking five sacks along the way (while rushing four times for 27 yards). He also had a fumble.

Rattler will need to do a better job of placing his passes more precisely after that got him in trouble last week. He’ll also have to use his legs more. Tampa Bay flared their defensive ends out in the last matchup to stop him from rolling outside the pocket, but Rattler will need to use his legs in some capacity on Sunday to navigate through what will be an intense pass rush. Seeing some real improvement would do a lot to build positive momentum for a team that needs it before we shift into the offseason.

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These NFL writers aren’t out on Spencer Rattler just yet, despite 0-6 record

These Bleacher Report writers still see potential for development in Spencer Rattler, despite a winless start to his career with the Saints:

Spencer Rattler has yet to win a game as a starter, but not everyone is pessimistic about him. Bleacher Report’s NFL staff believes Rattler “has the tools to be a high-end backup quarterback.”

That’s a step down from auditioning to be the New Orleans Saints’ quarterback of the future, but Rattler becoming a high-end backup would likely give him a chance to start again somewhere, eventually.

Bleacher Report took in account Rattler was performing without Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara. He was also down Rashid Shaheed and Erik McCoy. Darren Rizzi acknowledged the lack of assistance for the young quarterback after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders. Still, he’s now 0-6 as a starter.

With the odds stacked against him, the writers believe Rattler has “shown enough flashes” to still possess developmental potential.

There’s been two things clear from Rattler’s rookie season. He’s talented, but there’s work to do.  That’s exactly where a quarterback picked in the fifth round is expected to be after his rookie season.

The Green Bay Packers game was a great example of this. He made some really impressive throws and paired it with interceptions. It was a two-play sequence in which Rattler threw an impressive pass to Dante Pettis. The very next play was an interception.

There’s been good and bad, and when you take away the scoreboard, there’s reasons to still be optimistic about what Rattler could be. He has time to figure these things out.

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Darren Rizzi admits Spencer Rattler did not have enough help in Week 17

Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi on Spencer Rattler’s Week 17 performance: ‘We really didn’t give him much help today’

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi spoke on multiple topics during his postgame media appearance, and one point of discussion was the performance of rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Rattler had a strong first half to the game, and ultimately was forced to make some less than optimal throws down the stretch to try and help a comeback take place, to no avail.

Rizzi had multiple things to say regarding Rattler’s performance, starting with, “I know a lot of people are gonna put it all on the quarterback, but we didn’t give him much help today.”

He continued building off this point later on, when asked about the opposing defensive changes and why the Saints struggled offensively. Rizzi said: “No listen, we didn’t execute. We dropped some passes, we missed on a couple pass protection wise, I felt like Spencer never really got settled in there and he was moving around, and he made some plays moving around to his credit. But like I said, we had some drops, we had some penalties offensively that kind of stalled.”

Rizzi added: “If I’m not mistaken we were over the plus 40-yard line twice, and had penalties that pushed us back into a punt situation, and you know you’re in a game like this you gotta come away with some points when you’re down there. I don’t think there was a schematic thing that they did, as much as it was an execution thing by us.”

Then when asked how he viewed Rattler’s performance directly, he stated, “I feel like it’s a little bit hard to evaluate, to be honest with you. Before I watch the film, just watching with my eyes from the sideline, I didn’t feel like we gave him a chance a lot of times.”

Rizzi clarified that while Rattler had some mistakes, too often the rest of the offense let him down: “You know some of those third downs, he did miss a couple of throws, obviously the throw that he has to I think it was Cedrick (Wilson Jr.) there that got tipped up in the air that gets picked off, and then the pass at the end. I know we had the OPI called on us, it looked like we were gonna be in scoring range there inside the 5-yard line, and then we had the penalty. It’s gonna be a tough evaluation, I think we’re gonna have to take a step back and look at it through a different lens because I feel like there was a lot of times where he wasn’t getting any help.”

Ultimately it is clear that Rizzi believed Rattler was not getting much help out there, and that seems relatively clear from the stat sheet as well. We will see if he is able to get the start in Week 18 or if Derek Carr returns for one more game.

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Spencer Rattler was an offensive spotlight in the first half vs. Raiders

Rookie Saints QB Spencer Rattler displayed high efficiency and flashes of playmaking in the first half, closing it with a strong FG drive:

The New Orleans Saints offense only has two scoring drives in the first half, but Spencer Rattler has been very efficient. Rattler only has two incompletions versus the Las Vegas Raiders, and one of those incompletions was a throwaway to get the field goal team on the field.

With a little over the minute, Rattler led the Saints deep into Raiders territory and a field goal that closed the gap at halftime. He delivered a big throw to Kevin Austin in the face of pressure that put them in comfortable range for Blake Grupe.

Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau were also recipients of big throws down the field from Rattler. Penalties took potential scoring plays off the board twice. While the defense had a goal line stand that kept the Raiders’ point total down, the Saints could have at least three more points if they limited self inflicted mistakes.

Penalties aside, Rattler is performing the way you want him to in the first half. He’s displaying more poise under pressure than last week and showing the ability to use his legs effectively in a similar fashion that he did versus the Commanders.

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Saints rookie QB Spencer Rattler given mediocre grade for debut so far

New Orleans Saints rookie Spencer Rattler was given a mediocre grade for his debut so far. CBS ranked him last among the NFC South’s young passers:

The New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler hasn’t had a very fair first crack at the NFL, but has still been somewhat underwhelming with the cards he’s been dealt.

Under Rattler, the Saints offense failed to score a point against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. It is hard to hold it all against him, though.

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports recently gave each young passer in the league a grade for this past weekend and Rattler was assigned a ‘C-.’ This is what Trapasso had to say about the New Orleans youngster:

“The Saints were wildly overmatched against the Packers in Lambeau, yet Rattler actually made some impressive plays in this game. They were countered by a bad interception in the third quarter and a fumble early in the game.”

Rattler has completed 56% of his passes for 859 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions through his first five appearances. That isn’t very impressive, but he is also working with a very under-manned offense. He has yet to make a normal start with a normal group of weapons to work with, so he shouldn’t be counted out just yet.

He had the worst grade in the NFC South as surging Carolina Panthers passer Bryce Young was given an ‘A-‘ and brand-new Atlanta Falcons starter Michael Penix Jr. was assigned a ‘C.’

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Darren Rizzi ‘really impressed’ by Spencer Rattler’s final drive vs. Commanders

Saints coach Darren Rizzi was “really impressed” with how well Spencer Rattler handled the two-minute drive to close out Week 15’s game with the Commanders:

When Spencer Rattler stepped in for Jake Haener against the Washington Commanders, he led four consecutive scoring drives. Darren Rizzi’s explanation for inserting Rattler into the game was the New Orleans Saints needed a spark. Mission accomplished.

One of the more impressive things about Rattler’s game is how he performed in crunch time. Rattler returns to the starting lineup until Derek Carr is healthy enough to play, if that happens in 2024. The rookie will need to take some of the positives from end of Week 15 and carry them throughout the game.

Rizzi walked away from the final drive of the game impressed by some of the intangibles the rookie quarterback displayed.

Rizzi highlighted some of the impressive parts of Rattler’s final drive, including “the way he operated that that final drive, the way we managed the drive, managed the clock, understood the situation,” as well as that, “We got the ball clocked there to allow us to have one final play in regulation.”

What impressed Rizzi the most was Rattler handled the situation with great poise despite being in just his fourth professional game.

We’ve seen one rookie this year not handle a late fourth quarter drive with such calmness and efficiency. This is a good starting point and shows Rattler can handle himself when the pressure is on.

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Saints haven’t started the same quarterback vs. Packers in their last 4 meetings

Spencer Rattler will be the fourth New Orleans Saints quarterback to start against the Green Bay Packers in as many games:

The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers are about to play each other for the fourth time in the last five years, and the Saints have never started the same quarterback in any of those matchups. This is indicative of life after Drew Brees.

Ironically, the Packers have been a picture of consistency at quarterback. They went from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love. The Saints haven’t been nearly as fortunate post-Brees. While the Packers have found their quarterback of the future, New Orleans has struggled to find the quarterback of the present.

Brees started against the Packers in 2020. Since then, Jameis Winston, Derek Carr and soon to be Spencer Rattler have started against Green Bay.

Winston started in the 2021 season opener against Green Bay and relieved an injured Carr in 2023. He’s the only quarterback to play twice in this stretch, but he didn’t start both games.

Since Brees’ retirement, New Orleans has started eight quarterbacks: Winston, Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill, Ian Book, Andy Dalton, Carr, Rattler and Jake Haener.

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The moment the Saints decided to change quarterbacks may surprise you

Spencer Rattler started the third quarter on Sunday, but knew the Saints made the decision before halftime. This moment could be remembered for a long time:

The New Orleans Saints changed from Jake Haener to Spencer Rattler in the second half against the Washington Commanders, but the decision was made before halftime.

After the game, Rattler revealed quarterback coach Andrew Janocko informed him of the decision with about 30 seconds left in the second quarter. That would be shortly after the Saints’ last possession of the half

Darren Rizzi and Klint Kubiak didn’t need to deliberate during the intermission. While it wasn’t lengthy discussion, it also wasn’t impulsive either. The lethargic offense required a spark, and they felt that spark was a change at quarterback.

It was a gambol from Rizzi, one that certainly paid off. Rattler provided a spark that kept Matthew Hayball off the field for the final 30 minutes. It’s a decision we could be talking about for a long time.

That moment could have changed the trajectory of not only this season, but also the trajectory of Rattler’s season. If you really want to take a wide view of the situation, this could be a pivotal moment in Rattler’s career. That may sound dramatic, but a lot of it depends on how Rattler takes advantage of the moment.

The Saints taking a chance on a young quarterback as your Week 1 starter next year shouldn’t be out of the question. That role could be Rattler’s if he closes the season strong.

It takes a lot to get to that hypothetical, but there’s so much uncertainty in New Orleans it’s hard to consider a quarterback other than Derek Carr starting next season as a stretch. Why not Rattler?