Tag: Jake Haener

Saints are making another change at QB, starting Spencer Rattler in Week 16

The Saints are making another change at quarterback this week with Derek Carr likely out, turning to rookie Spencer Rattler

The New Orleans Saints have announced their starting quarterback for Week 16, turning to rookie Spencer Rattler instead of Jake Haener, who got the Week 15 start. The Saints are unsure of the status of Derek Carr for this and the rest of the season, and it seems that he will need more time to recover – something that’s expected given the nature of the injury.

Rattler came in for the second half of the Saints’ Week 15 game against the Washington Commanders and managed to drag the Saints back into that matchup with a strong performance.

However, despite the Saints ultimately falling short of the win, he seemed to give New Orleans a better chance of winning than Haener did.

This will be Rattler’s fourth start of the season. He also started three games that Carr missed earlier in the season, so we will see how he has improved compared to his first few games.

Coach Darren Rizzi did later clarify that Rattler will only start if Carr cannot. Rattler took first-team reps in practice on Thursday so he seems likely to get the call.

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?

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Spencer Rattler weighs in on what went wrong during Saints’ two-point try

Spencer Rattler voiced his thoughts on the Saints going for two points, and what went wrong in the pivotal attempt:

Spencer Rattler and the New Orleans Saints did not get the outcome they were after when they faced the Washington Commanders, falling 20-19 at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday afternoon.

One of the biggest talking points after a game that was much more closely contested than it was originally expected to be was the insane way it ended. Rattler and the Saints scored a touchdown with no time remaining to defy the odds in a comeback effort.

But, some may say interim coach Darren Rizzi got a little too greedy there at the end, which would have likely otherwise been termed “playing to win” if things had worked out.

The aggressive effort to go for two points and the win instead of kicking the extra point and sending the game to overtime did not pay off. And, of course it yielded some criticism. That’s how these things go.

Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, who took over for a benched Jake Haener after roughly two quarters of action, gave his thoughts on the mentality behind going for it all at the end of the game.

“We knew before the drive. We wanted to go down there and win the game. I think that’s the mindset our whole team had,” Rattler told reporters after the game. “I’m proud of the team, nobody flinched that whole game.”

He didn’t have any quibble with it and made clear that this wasn’t a last-minute decision, but rather one that the Saints went into the possession having made up already.

After the Foster Moreau touchdown, Rattler was unable to locate an open target in the end zone, and a fastball to Juwan Johnson fell incomplete when the tight end dropped the ball.

“I thought Juwan got held,” Rattler added, “but there are good players in this league. It is tough to make those plays. I liked the aggression. I liked what we did there.”

Something to watch as the Saints head down the final stretch of the schedule is if they will roll with Rattler permanently until Carr is able to return from injury. Rizzi has not given any clear indication as to who will be taking  snaps for the Saints moving forward.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

What’s next for Spencer Rattler after Week 15 performance?

Spencer Rattler impressed against the Commanders, and now he needs to display consistency on his improvements:

No one would have batted an eye if the New Orleans Saints had lost to the Washington Commanders by a large margin, and they were on the way to that outcome in the first half. It was only a 14 point deficit, but the Saints’ offensive struggles made a comeback feel unrealistic.

Everything changed when Darren Rizzi made the switch from Jake Haener to Spencer Rattler.

Rattler led the Saints to four consecutive scoring drives and nearly to an improbable comeback victory. He looked more confident in this game than he did the first time we saw him. Haener versus Rattler has been an ongoing debate this year, and Rattler seemed to have the edge earlier in the season.

The first few starts for Rattler didn’t go well, but he’s clearly learning from his mistakes.

One half of football isn’t enough, though. What’s next for Rattler? The next step is to see him put it together for a full game.

The rookie doesn’t need to blow you away, but what you saw from Rattler against the Commanders was big throws under pressure, playing safe, but not tight, and a comfortable feel in the pocket.

If Rattler starts next week, you should look to keep those attributes as a net positive.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Should Spencer Rattler start the Saints’ final three games?

The Saints managed to nearly pull off a win behind Spencer Rattler in Week 15’s second half, but should he get the remaining three starts of the season?

The New Orleans Saints had a very interesting quarterback scenario unfold in their Week 15 loss to the Washington Commanders. Jake Haener started things off, getting his first career start in the NFL, and he looked pretty rough for the 21 snaps he got on offense.

He went 4-for-10 on completions for 49 yards with an interception and picked up 7 yards on a scramble, but was sacked 3 times for a loss of 29 yards. This resulted in a 2.3 QB rating and a 16.2 passer efficiency rating. For context, a PER for not completing a single pass would be 39.6.

On the other hand, Spencer Rattler came in at halftime and got 34 snaps, going 10-of-21 for 135 yards and a touchdown, with an 81.0 QBR and an 84.4 passer efficiency rating. On top of that, when looking at the final drive where the Saints scored a touchdown and had a chance to win the game, he was 5-for-6 for 26 yards and a touchdown, 5-for-7 if you want to include the two-point conversion (though that was a strong throw regardless).

So, now the Saints have a decision to make. Do they stick with the guy they went into the game with, and see if he can improve enough to keep the job, or should they give it to the metaphorical hot hand and see if he has improved from his three starts earlier this season. Obviously this is presuming Derek Carr is out for the year, which seems likely as the Saints would prefer to let him heal and be ready for his spring medical evaluation which will determine his guarantees on his contract. If he fails, he would receive the $30 million guaranteed no matter what, which is less than optimal even if they want to stick with him next season.

In my opinion, you have nothing to lose at this point if you are the Saints, so letting Rattler get some more NFL experience is not a bad thing at all. Giving him a chance to prepare over the course of the week to start this game would likely result in an even better outcome. The difficulty is Rattler would be playing an away game at the Green Bay Packers, and if current weather projections are anything to go off of, it will be somewhere between 16 and 23 degrees out with a 6% chance of snow.

That’s asking a lot of anyone, but especially so with Rattler and Haener. But Rattler proved to be the safer option in this game, not taking a sack after it was an issue earlier in the season with him, and not turning the ball over at all. So I would say you go with Rattler this week and just see what he can do with this matchup.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

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.

Reacting to the New Orleans Saints’ last-second loss to Washington Commanders

There’s no such thing as moral victories in the NFL, but the New Orleans Saints did learn a lot about themselves in Sunday’s loss to the Washington Commanders:

There’s no such thing as moral victories in the NFL, but the New Orleans Saints did learn a lot about themselves in Sunday’s loss to the Washington Commanders.

After initially looking like a snoozer, the game wound up being pretty dramatic once Spencer Rattler stepped into the lineup. It ended with a bold two-point conversion attempt to try and complete the Saints’ comeback. New Orleans outscored Washington 19-6 in the second half and put it all on the line with that two-point try.

It was the right decision to go for it. Their defense got away with several coverage busts ruined by dropped passes, and overtime wasn’t guaranteed to go their way. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi has nothing to lose and being aggressive made sense.

What didn’t check out was going to Juwan Johnson with the game on the line. The tight end hasn’t made a play all year and his last catch needed a booth review to see if he even stayed in bounds. He shouldn’t have been the hot read on that last play when Foster Moreau had just caught a touchdown pass and Kendre Miller was running hard.

But what’s done is done. The Saints are now 5-9. They aren’t eliminated from playoff contention but they’re close. It should be clear now that Rattler, not Jake Haener, should be their quarterback until Derek Carr is healthy enough to return to the lineup. How these final three weeks shake out is anyone’s guess, but it’s looking like the Saints will be watching the playoffs from home for the fourth year in a row.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Jake Haener could be the first QB Saints have drafted to win a game since 1998

Jake Haener could become the first quarterback drafted by the New Orleans Saints to win a game for the team since 1998:

If the New Orleans Saints were to win Sunday’s matchup with the Washington Commanders, sophomore quarterback Jake Haener would do something that hasn’t been done in over 25 years.

Haener could become the first quarterback drafted by the Saints to win a game since all the way back in 1998, per New Orleans-based statistician Drew Porche.

The last Saints quarterback to do so was Danny Wuerffel against the Indianapolis Colts. Wuerffel, like Haener was a fourth-round selection. He played in New Orleans for three years before jumping around the league for a couple more seasons.

Of course, this is extended by Drew Brees’ presence as a free agent signing, but the history of drafted quarterbacks has been quite poor in that time.

Ian Book, Spencer Rattler and now Haener are the only quarterbacks drafted by the Saints to even attempt passes in a start for New Orleans in that time. Book and Rattler did not have much success in their outings, Haener will try to curb the trend.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]