Tag: Benched

Jake Haener reacts to being benched midway through Sunday’s game

Jake Haener voiced his thoughts on being benched in favor of Spencer Rattler following Sunday’s loss to the Commanders.

Jake Haener was named the starter ahead of the New Orleans Saints’ matchup against the Washington Commanders last week, but he did not make it through the entirety of the contest before being benched. After about two quarters of action, Haener was pulled in favor of former Oklahoma and South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Haener was asked after the 20-19 loss to Washington about his thoughts on the quarterback change made by interim head coach Darren Rizzi.

“Obviously I’m disappointed,” Haener said postgame. “You go out there and you make good play, third play of the game. Gets called back, which is tough.”

Rizzi had said himself that the move was not all on Haener but that he did feel like Rattler’s presence did ignite a spark. And, to be fair, Haener did help engineer a positive play quite early on in the game with a deep lob to Cedrick Wilson Jr., but it was called back due to a penalty.

Haener applauded Rattler for coming in and getting things moving in a better direction for the offense, something that may or may or may not be fully attributed to him when the game film is gone through and broken down.

“I thought Spencer did a great job coming in and handling the moment of the game,” Haener said, “gave us a chance there to win at the end. I was proud of how he handled himself.”

Of course, with the state of the quarterback position in limbo as long as veteran Derek Carr remains sidelined, Haener was asked about the future and what he felt he could have done better in this particular performance after he completed four of his 10 passing attempts for 49 yards with one interception.

“I’ll have to go back and look at the tape. The only thing I can really think of that comes to mind right now is (when I was) trying to force the ball to (Alvin Kamara) when we were down,” Haener said.

Learning from that and not making that mistake again. Overall, I feel like that was my one bad decision. When you go back and look at it, you will probably say the same.”

At the end of the day, Haener sees his own performance for what is was and was not. But he did recognize and applaud the strides that were made for one reason or another when it was Rattler lining up at quarterback instead of him.

“But I didn’t get enough first downs, didn’t move the team, and like I said, Spencer came in and did a great job,” Haener reflected.

Whether or not Rizzi chooses to keep Rattler in front of Haener for the future consistently will be something to keep an eye on.

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Darren Rizzi explains Saints’ midgame quarterback switch

Darren Rizzi explained why he chose to bench Jake Haener in favor of Spencer Rattler midway through Sunday’s game:

Darren Rizzi and the New Orleans Saints came up short in Sunday’s 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders.

They didn’t stick with the same quarterback for the entirety of the affair, either. The team went with former Fresno State signal-caller Jake Haener out of the gate, but that is not who the team stayed with.

The Saints brought in former Oklahoma and South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler near halftime after Haener had completed four of his 10 passing attempts for 49 yards without a touchdown but with a singular interception.

“We did not play the game we wanted to play in the first half. That wasn’t all on the quarterback,” Rizzi said after the game. “I just felt like and the offensive coaches felt like we needed a spark.”

Rattler seems to pretty instantaneously bring a new sense of energy to the New Orleans offense even if it did not fully win the game for the Saints. There was a marked turn of tide though, as New Orleans took it to the house for the first drive of the third quarter with Rattler at the helm.

It came on quite the trick play as Cedric Wilson found star running back Alvin Kamara to the cut the Commanders lead to 17-7.

It will be interesting to see what Rizzi decides to do at quarterback moving forward with Carr once again still sidelined due to a major injury — the second time that has happened this season.

Rattler ended his day by completing 10 of his 21 passing attempts for 135 yards with one passing touchdown.

He hasn’t made it clear who he will opt for, but one thing that does remain clear is that this is still anyone’s game between Rattler and Haener.

Saints bench Jake Haener to start the second half vs. Commanders

The Saints benched Jake Haener for Spencer Rattler to start the second half against the Commanders. The second-year pro had a very rough first half:

Here’s another change at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. The black and gold benched Jake Haener for Spencer Rattler to start the second half against the Washington Commanders. Haener’s first half was hard to watch — he only completed four passes on 10 attempts, gaining 49 yards but losing 29 yards on 3 sacks. Most of that came on a 29-yard pickup by Alvin Kamara after the catch.

Each of Rattler’s first two passes fell incomplete, but he connected with a wide-open Dante Pettis to convert a long third down and a few plays later hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling deep downfield to push into Washington territory.

We’ll see if Haener returns to the lineup later, but his day may be over already. Rattler didn’t win a game in three starts earlier this year and was benched in favor of Haener himself, so this battle may not be over.

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Week 13 is Alontae Taylor’s chance to make up for last year’s lowlight

Alontae Taylor was benched against the Rams last year. This is the Saints’ cornerback opportunity to replace that with a new memory:

When the New Orleans Saints go against the Los Angeles Rams, Alontae Taylor could look at this game as an opportunity for redemption.

The Saints took on the Rams last year, and it wasn’t a good game for Taylor. Dennis Allen benched Taylor in the “Thursday Night Football” contest after he was at fault on too many big gains.

That game may have taken place last season, but those types of moments don’t just fade from memory. We also know it’s a moment that Taylor carried with him into this season. It was last year’s contest against the Rams the cornerback referenced when speaking on the desire to show the prime time lights aren’t too bright.

If Taylor wanted redemption on primetime games in general, it wouldn’t be far fetched to assume he may also be looking for redemption against the Rams specifically.

Taylor will be aligned at outside cornerback opposed to in the slot. While his alignment has changed, that’s no reason for the motivation to subside.

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Giants QB Daniel Jones addresses media after Week 12 benching

See what #Giants QB Daniel Jones had to say to the media after he was benched in Week 12.

The New York Giants are set to start fan-favorite quarterback Tommy DeVito against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after they benched former first-round pick Daniel Jones this week.

After a 2-8 start to the season, New York moved Jones to the No. 3 spot on its depth chart behind DeVito and Drew Lock.

Though Jones’ inadequacies were only part of a wider set of problems that ultimately doomed the Giants’ 2024 campaign, New York seems inclined to move on from their $160 million quarterback, whether he remains on its roster or not.

See what Jones had to say to the media this morning in this video that was posted to Twitter by NFL insider Ian Rapoport:

Though Jones didn’t indicate that the Giants intended to release him, it doesn’t seem like a great sign that he was reading from a prepared statement that was worded more like a firm “goodbye” than a friendly “see you later.”

Top reactions: Daniel Jones listed as QB4 on Giants’ depth chart

See what football fans on Twitter had to say when the New York #Giants listed Daniel Jones as QB4 on their depth chart this week.

The New York Giants are in the midst of a brutal season and decided to bench starting quarterback Daniel Jones as they look to the future.

Jones has become something of a scapegoat in New York throughout the Giants’ abysmal 2024 campaign. While he bears some responsibility for the team’s struggles, Jones seems to take all of the heat from fans in the Big Apple when it comes to New York’s 2-8 record.

On Wednesday, Jones was listed as QB4 on the Giants’ depth chart as New York’s coaching staff cleared the way for fan-favorite backup Tommy DeVito to start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12.

The Giants needed to make some kind of change after their woeful start to the season, and this move sends a clear message to the New York faithful that a shake-up is in order.

See what fans on Twitter had to say about Jones’ benching this week:

Top Reactions

Chiefs bench struggling rookie OL for Week 11 matchup vs. Bills

#Chiefs rookie Kingsley Suamataia has been benched for Kansas City’s Week 11 matchup against the Buffalo #Bills.

The Kansas City Chiefs decided to bench rookie offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia for their Week 11 matchup against the Buffalo Bills this afternoon.

Suamataia was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft and made significant strides toward earning the starting left tackle spot on Kansas City’s front five during training camp and thee preseason.

However, the former BYU Cougar has struggled to find his footing during the regular season and put together a disastrous performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 10.

Veteran lineman Wanya Morris is set to start at left tackle for the Chiefs against Buffalo:

The fact that Suamataia has been benched isn’t necessarily an indication that Kansas City’s coaching staff has lost faith in him, but it also doesn’t bode well for the rookie’s chances of seeing significant playing time later this season.

Stay tuned to see how Morris performs against the Bills’ outstanding defensive line with Suamataia out of action.

Does Mike Tomlin need to bench RT Broderick Jones again?

Broderick Jones’ penalty woes continued in Week 8, taking an opening-drive TD off the board. Does HC Mike Tomlin need to intervene again?

The more things change, the more they stay the same. While the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive unit appears much more dynamic under Russell Wilson’s leadership, issues on the offensive line continue to hold the offense back.

Specifically, several backup offensive linemen are stepping up in a big way for the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet 2023 first-round draft pick RT Broderick Jones is struggling, arguably making him the weakest link on offense. In 2024, Jones has had issues in all aspects of blocking, with penalties being his greatest weakness. 

On a key play during the Steelers’ Week 8 opening drive, Wilson rolled out to his right and connected with WR George Pickens for a touchdown, only to have it nullified by a face mask penalty from Jones. The penalty yardage proved too much to overcome, forcing the offense to settle for a field goal. 

Jones was benched earlier in the year by HC Mike Tomlin for similar issues, and the team may need to consider it again to prevent the offense’s momentum from stalling.

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Alontae Taylor views MNF vs. Chiefs as redemption game

The last time he played in prime time, Alontae Taylor was benched. He’s eager to prove he can play under the bright lights against the Chiefs:

The New Orleans Saints haven’t played the Kansas City Chiefs in four years. Despite having never competed against the Chiefs, Alontae Taylor looks at this game as an opportunity for redemption.

The last time Taylor played in prime time was against the Los Angeles Rams on “Thursday Night Football,” and that game left a bad taste in his mouth. Taylor was benched during that game after getting repeatedly beaten in coverage. There aren’t many people thinking about that game leading into this week’s “Monday Night Football” contest, but Taylor is on a mission to prove that struggles under the bright lights won’t be a trend.

“I don’t want anyone to look at the Rams game and say the stage was too big for Alontae,” Taylor told Erin Summers, “My last prime-time game I got benched at the end of the game against the Rams for having bad eyes, getting emotional, and for making bad decisions.”

Taylor has improved drastically since that game. He’s visibly grown more comfortable at nickel cornerback. Growing at the position may be enough for the masses, but Taylor intends to prove to himself that “the lights aren’t too big. The stage isn’t too big.”

The game against the Rams was late in the season. Taylor wants to prove these past four games aren’t a fluke. He was our pick for the Saints’ Defensive Player of the Month, and he’s looking to carry that over into October.

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Ex-Chiefs star breaks down Andy Reid’s decision to bench Kingsley Suamataia

In a post to Twitter, former #Chiefs star Mitchell Schwartz broke down Andy Reid’s decision to bench rookie Kingsley Suamataia.

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to face the Atlanta Falcons in a crucial Week 3 matchup on Sunday Night Football with a chance to earn their third win of the regular season.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid made the difficult decision to bench rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia in favor of Wanya Morris for the highly-anticipated game after he struggled against the Cincinnati Bengals last week.

Though Suamataia is expected to get a chance to regain his starting spot, Reid’s decision to play Morris instead of Kansas City’s 2024 second-round pick left some fans reeling.

Former Chiefs star Mitchell Schwartz, who was a lynchpin on Kansas City’s offensive line from 2016 until 2020, took to Twitter to explain what he thinks is going through Reid’s mind and expressed confidence in the long-tenured head coach’s call.

https://twitter.com/MitchSchwartz71/status/1837873175419326746

“It’s an interesting one because it’s not really yes or no. I think Wanya is the better player right now. Usually when you’re deciding between two players, as long as it’s close you’ll go with the young guy because they can learn and improve more than an older player. But Wanya is young too so age becomes less of a factor.

In terms of technique, I think Wanya gets to his spot and uses his outside hand better. You’ll see that in the video I posted. He protects the top of the pocket better than Kingsley right now, which is important for a Left Tackle (duh). Kingsley shows all the ability to do it, if you saw my week 1 breakdowns, but it’s not consistent.

On that note, the other thing is Wanya doesn’t necessarily lose fast. When Kingsley loses right now it’s on initial contact and he’s beat quickly. Tough for the QB when that’s the case, because Pat usually gets the ball out fast, so if you’re giving up multiple pressures and sacks that affect him it’s a big problem.

All that being said: I think it’s the right call for now. Wanya is the better player from what I’ve seen, and they’re both young. Kingsley’s issues are more technique based, so give him some time to work on that in practice while staying ready should an injury occur. Just got to make sure he stays sharp mentally and doesn’t take it too hard.”

Though Schwartz isn’t on the Chiefs’ coaching staff, his insight helped illuminate Reid’s philosophy on the matter and should help fans cope with the idea of benching a highly touted prospect during a primetime matchup.

Stay tuned to Kansas City’s matchup against Atlanta to see if Reid made the right decision to bench Suamataia and start Morris.