When Derek Carr fractured his hand last week, there was a belief Jake Haener would be the New Orleans Saints starting quarterback. Darren Rizzi kept the door open to Spencer Rattler getting a second shot in the starting lineup.
Ultimately, the Saints went with the expected decision of starting Haener against the Washington Commanders. It’s an opportunity the quarterback feels he “earned” by entering games “with no preparation in practice no reps, (and) being able to come in and move the ball.”
Haener has spent the entire season as the second quarterback on the depth chart. Even when Carr went down with injury at the beginning of the year, Rattler jumped ahead of Haener. Through it all, Haener’s preparation stayed steady. Now it’s the second year quarterback’s time to shine.
The only difference is the amount of reps Haener is taking in practice. “You get reps with the guys who are out there playing. Having an idea of the speed of the guys and being able to rep the plays you’re going to run in the game is huge.”
Haener showed a good sense for timing in his small sample size. Having a week of practice should only increase the synergy to maximize the timing that has highlighted the few snaps Haener has taken.
