Tag: Spencer Rattler

Saints rule out multiple starters again on final injury report vs. Broncos

The Saints ruled out Chris Olave and Cesar Ruiz on the final injury report, but Derek Carr is doubtful to play against the Broncos:

Four New Orleans Saints players were ruled out on the final Week 7 injury report for Thursday night’s game with the Denver Broncos, and two more are questionable to play. Two Broncos players were preemptively ruled out and three of their own are questionable to play.

But before we get to that, this bit is a surprise — quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) is doubtful to play, not ruled out altogether. You don’t often see players listed as doubtful suiting up on game days, much less starting at quarterback, but it happens just often enough to make you wary. Fans should still expect rookie QB Spencer Rattler to get the start. Taysom Hill (rib) is also listed as doubtful to play.

Now as for the others? Wide receiver Chris Olave (concussion) won’t play, and neither will several other starters including right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (knee), and linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring). Center/left guard Lucas Patrick (chest) and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (back) are both questionable. It’s a new injury for Saunders, so he may not be able to go. Shaheed is having meniscus surgery and may be done for the year, but that’s no sure thing yet.

Here’s the full injury report from Wednesday:

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Broncos vs. Saints: 5 things to watch for on ‘Thursday Night Football’

The Saints will host the Broncos on ‘Thursday Night Football’ in Week 7. Here are five storylines to keep an eye on.

The Denver Broncos (3-3) will go on the road to face the New Orleans Saints (2-4) in Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season in a Thursday Night Football clash on Oct. 17. Going into the cross-conference matchup, here are five storylines to watch for.

1. Audric Estime’s role on offense: One day after saying he wanted to see Estime and rookie receivers Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin get opportunities on offense, coach Sean Payton backtracked and said it’s hard to get more than two running backs involved on offense. Perhaps both things can be true — Estime deserves more touches, but the Broncos don’t have enough touches for three running backs. After Javonte Williams lost a fumble and dropped a pass last week, the backfield rotation will be worth monitoring.

2. Ja’Quan McMillian at cornerback: Denver’s final injury report will be released later today and star cornerback Pat Surtain (concussion) seems unlikely to be available for TNF. McMillian has been an excellent slot cornerback for the Broncos, but his play was not quite as refined when he was asked to play on the outside following PS2’s injury on Sunday. McMillian and Riley Moss are expected to serve as the team’s outside cornerbacks in New Orleans with Levi Wallace in the slot.

3. Denver’s defense vs. Spencer Rattler: In his first NFL start last week, Rattler was sacked five times and threw two interceptions. The rookie quarterback completed 55% of his passes for 243 yards with one touchdown. He made a few plays with his legs, rushing four times for 27 yards. Vance Joseph’s blitz-heavy defense and elite secondary could give the rookie headaches, but Denver’s line will need to contain the QB and not let him hurt them on the ground or outside the pocket.

4. Bo Nix’s quest for a complete game: Nix had a pretty good three-game stretch going into last week, then he (and the entire offense) had a dud for three quarters against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos are undefeated (3-0) in games that Nix does not have a turnover this season. Denver needs to get off to a better start on Thursday and not rely on a late rally to get back in the game. Nix needs to stay composed in clean pockets and not get happy feet like he had a tendency to do against the Chargers. The rookie QB seems to be making progress, but he is yet to have a complete game.

5. Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans: Payton, of course, knows the Saints well. New Orleans coach Dennis Allen also knows Payton’s offense well. The Saints will honor former quarterback Drew Brees at halftime, making the night even more emotional for Payton. The coach is doing his best to keep his attention on the game, not his return to New Orleans. Payton is bringing a host of former Saints with him back to the Caesars Superdome, and it would not be surprising to see plays designed specifically for Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Adam Trautman and Michael Burton. Payton has great memories from his time with the Saints, but he would undoubtedly like to get a big win against his former team.

Thursday’s game will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video.

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Sean Payton says Broncos scouted Saints QB pre-draft, ‘the whole nine yards’

Sean Payton says the Broncos thoroughly scouted Saints QB Spencer Rattler before the 2024 draft with meetings and a private workout: ‘The whole nine yards’

Spencer Rattler will have a big fan on the opposing sideline when his New Orleans Saints kick off with the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Sean Payton said the Broncos thoroughly scouted the rookie quarterback ahead of  this year’s NFL draft, and he was impressed by what the South Carolina product showed him.

Payton and the Broncos college scouting department invested just as much time in evaluating Rattler as they did the other quarterbacks in the draft class, including their new starter Bo Nix.

“We spent a lot of time with him. I’d say there was five. Pro day and then we had a private workout. We were all in Phoenix, the Scottsdale area, where he’s from,” Payton recalled Tuesday. “Steak dinner, the whole nine yards. Tested in the morning (and watched him) throw. He did really well.”

So Payton wasn’t exactly blown away when the Saints immediately chose to  start Rattler after Derek Carr’s injury last week. He’s seen the young quarterback tackle everything college football could throw at him, and he knows the Broncos defense will need to work hard to pressure Rattler in his second career start.

Payton continued: “It’s not surprising to see (him do well). There is, again, I’m going to use an analogy. There’s a calmness when he plays. He too has been through the adversity early on. Coming out of high school, to Oklahoma and then transferring. There is a confidence when he’s on the field. You see that in the preseason and last week. It’s not too big for him, and he has a live arm. We were really impressed.”

At the same time, that exposure could have given Payton and his coaches some insight on how to, well, rattle Rattler. They didn’t draft him when they had the chance, but that’s probably more due to having taken Nix in the first round while lacking enough picks to address higher-priority needs. But if Rattler impresses on Thursday night and hands Payton’s team a loss? It sounds like the former Saints coach would be first in line to shake his hand.

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Spencer Rattler shows promise in first NFL start against Buccaneers

Saints rookie QB Spencer Rattler shows promise in first NFL start against Buccaneers

The New Orleans Saints started the season off red hot but have seemingly cooled way off in the past few weeks now dropping their fourth loss in a row to the divisional rival Buccaneers. However, the franchise has found some hope in their maybe not-so-temporary rookie starter in Spencer Rattler, who showed some serious promise in his first NFL start in relief of the injured Derek Carr.

 

Despite what eventually ended up as a blowout loss, the game between the Saints and Buccaneers was a fireworks show early in part due to the big-time plays by each side’s starting quarterback. Rattler looked impressive in completing 22 of 40 passes for 243 yards, and tossing a touchdown to receiver Bub Means. Rattler made plenty of chunk plays happen and helped guide New Orleans to their best offensive performance since their Week 2 blowout of the Dallas Cowboys.

With their offense firing on all cylinders and a rookie quarterback looking to show off the talent that made him such an intriguing draft prospect, it wouldn’t take much for Rattler to establish himself as a potential threat to the starting quarterback position in the Big Easy. Look for Rattler to get the nod once again going into week 7 against a strong Denver Broncos defense that will be sure to test the rookie signal caller.

Saints have to prioritize getting Spencer Rattler out of the pocket

Spencer Rattler was effective throwing outside of the pocket, until the Buccaneers adjusted. Klint Kubiak must make his own changes this week:

New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler showed potential in his NFL debut, especially in the first half. Things began to go downhill in the second half after Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles adjusted his pressure packages to send more exotic blitzes after the first-year pro. But the connection between Rattler’s success and struggles is his ability to work outside of the pocket.

Rattler completed 7 of 12 attempts for 111 yards when he was throwing from outside the pocket, per Next Gen Stats.

Against the Denver Broncos, Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has to come up with a better plan to get Rattler on the move and outside of the pocket more consistently. Vance Joseph is a good defensive coordinator and he’ll likely use some of the principles Bowles and the Buccaneers used to keep Rattler in the pocket.

In the first half, Rattler looked in control of the offense. He rolled out on the first play of the game and delivered a 27-yard pass to Juwan Johnson. The formula of rolling out and allowing Rattler to read multiple levels of the field was effective until Tampa Bay adjusted.

They began flaring their defensive ends out to stop Rattler’s ability to get outside. It’s no coincidence the offense stalled because that was New Orleans’ best offensive strategy.

The injuries on the offensive line make it difficult to run and consistently keep a clean pocket. Moving the pocket was clearly effective. Kubiak has to find a way to adjust and keep that as a positive aspect in the offense.

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Saints’ team doctors have sought advice on treating Derek Carr’s injury

The Saints’ doctors can’t just keep doing what they’ve been doing. They consulted with Texas after Quinn Ewers suffered the same injury as Derek Carr:

The New Orleans Saints will be without starting quarterback Derek Carr for  a few more weeks, which gives Spencer Rattler an opportunity to learn on the job and take more live reps. But it’s not like the Saints are planning to keep Carr on ice forever. They want him back in the lineup, and their doctors have been doing their homework to devise the best plan for treating his oblique muscle injury.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers suffered a similar oblique strain, which is an unusual injury for a football player. But the school’s medical staff treated him well and Ewers only missed two games, plus a bye week, before returning against Oklahoma in the “Red River Rivalry” game. Ewers scored a touchdown pass and ran for another score in the Longhorns’ 34-3 rout on Saturday.

And on the broadcast, FOX Sports sideline reporter Holly Rowe shared an interesting footnote. She said the Saints had reached out to consult with Texas’ doctors on how they treated Ewers so effectively.

“It’s such a rare injury, it’s actually something that we see in baseball pitchers and volleyball players,” Rowe said, misspeaking and calling Carrr by his older brother’s name, “Actually David Carr in the NFL had a similar injury, they reached out to Texas this week to find out how they’re treating him, treating Quinn Ewers, because he has looked good. A lot of different techniques.”

That misstep aside (it’s not the first time the Carr brothers have been confused for one another, and it won’t be the last), this is good information. There’s nothing unusual about medical professionals consulting with each other especially for rare conditions like this one. The best surgeons in the world still sit through seminars and visit universities for workshops to learn how to better treat their patients.

But that hasn’t stopped fans on social media from laughing at the Saints’ expense — what kind of sports doctors can’t treat sports injuries? That seems to be a negative response due to all the frustration the team has had with injuries over the years, which is a little unfair. It would be more concerning if the Saints weren’t looking for help when working outside their area of expertise. They can’t just keep doing what they’ve been doing and hope for different results.

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Saints score 27 points in second quarter against Buccaneers

The Saints and Bucs were keeping the scoreboard operator busy

There was a wild first half in the Big Easy on Sunday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints put 51 points on the scoreboard.

The Buccaneers surged to a 17-0 lead before New Orleans ralled, keyed by a punt return for a TD by Rashid Shaheed.

Spencer Rattler was making his first NFL start at QB and the rookie from South Carolina threw for 140 yards and a TD before the break.

The TD pass was good for 10 yards to Bub Means and it gave New Orleans its first lead at 20-17.

The teams then traded touchdowns and the Saints led at the half, 27-24.

WATCH: Spencer Rattler makes Saints history with his first NFL touchdown pass

Spencer Rattler threw his first NFL touchdown pass to another rookie, and it came when the team needed it most. It also made Saints history:

Take a bow, Spencer Rattler. The young quarterback threw his first NFL touchdown pass to another rookie, and it came when the team needed it most. Rattler swung a fastball to wide receiver Bub Means in the back of the end zone, giving the New Orleans Saints a lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Context makes the play even more impressive. The Saints fell into a 17-0 deficit early on after the Bucs scored a couple of touchdowns on their own, one of them off a fumble recovery, but New Orleans fought back. The defense took the ball away, Rashid Shaheed scored a long punt return touchdown, and when Rattler got in he took care of business, putting them on top 20-17.

It was the first time in Saints franchise history that a rookie quarterback’s first touchdown pass was thrown to another first-year pro in his first start. And it’s a good start to Rattler’s NFL story. Let’s see if he can keep it going.

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WATCH: Spencer Rattler’s first pass in the NFL goes for 27 yards

Spencer Rattler’s first pass in the NFL went for 27 yards. It would mean the world if the rookie can make some big plays and keep the Saints in games:

That’s a nice way to start your NFL career. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler took the field for the New Orleans Saints and made an immediate impact, throwing a dart to tight end Juwan Johnson downfield. Johnson made some moves after the catch and gained 27 yards on the play.

It’s good to see Rattler throwing to his big tight end early and often. Johnson went into Week 6’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers having totaled just 9 receptions for 70 yards; that’s an average of 7.8 yards per catch and only 14 yards per game. That’s a far cry from his breakout 2022 season or his strong finish in 2023. Offseason foot surgery had slowed him down but it’s not like Derek Carr was looking his way often, either.

The Saints are desperate for Rattler to make a spark. Carr is on the mend with an oblique muscle injury and the team is preparing for their rookie to start three or four games until he’s back. It would mean the world if Rattler can make some big plays and keep them in games, but if nothing else his success could keep fans engaged amid a tough-to-watch losing streak.

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Spencer Rattler is expected to start 3-4 games after Derek Carr injury

FOX Sports reports the Saints expect Spencer Rattler to start 3 to 4 games in the wake of an injury to Derek Carr:

The New Orleans Saints will be starting Spencer Rattler against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which we knew after Derek Carr sustained an oblique injury that had a somewhat flexible timeline tied to it. Now, we have some clarity, as Jay Glazer of FOX Sports has reported Rattler is expected to start for 3 to 4 weeks in the wake of Carr’s injury.

With this the case, we could see Rattler starting the following games in that span of time:

  • Week 6 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Week 7 vs. Denver Broncos
  • Week 8 at Los Angeles Chargers
  • Week 9 at Carolina Panthers

Prior to the Week 6 slate of games, these teams combined for a 9-10 record total, so it could provide Rattler with a good chance to prove himself and show that he may be the future of the Saints franchise. First up though, a divisional matchup with a tough team in the Buccaneers.

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