During the break between the end of the offseason program and the start of training camp, Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler returned home to work on his game.
He was in Arizona for six weeks with his personal quarterback coach.
“Just cleaning up fundamentals and working on little things that we noticed in spring ball and OTAs,” Rattler said Monday, via John DeShazier of the team website. “And really improved in some of those areas and came back and got right back to work.
“Just very small things, footwork-wise — false steps, little punch steps on your drop, not getting too much depth, maintaining that circle in the pocket, not hitching too much. Little, minute things that can add up to negative plays. You’ve got to control that and avoid that.”
Rattler, drafted in the fifth round, is competing with Jake Haener for the No. 2 job behind Derek Carr. Haener missed Monday’s practice for a skin cancer procedure, giving Rattler additional reps.
“I think he’s improving every day,” coach Dennis Allen said of Rattler. “There’s still some things that he’s doing: Just understanding how to play within the scheme of the offense, how to get through your progressions, knowing how to listen to your feet, when to take your chances down the field, when it’s time to check the ball down — all those things are pretty good learning experiences.
“I wanted to put him in a situation [Monday in practice], fourth-and-five, we’re in a move-the-ball situation see if he could execute and make a play. And he did. He made a hell of a throw on the out route to get the first down in that situation. So I see some of that confidence, which I think is good at the quarterback position, and yet there’s some times where I think we’ve got to pull the reins back just a little bit.”
Haener is expected to return to practice Wednesday, and the backup quarterback competition will continue into the preseason. Allen said the Saints will let the preseason games play out before making a decision.
“We’re trying to determine if we have a backup quarterback on our roster right now. I’ve seen some signs that I like,” Allen said. “Yet, I want to get them into real live situations, under the lights, and see how both of these guys operate in that environment. I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen out of both Spencer and Jake, and yet, we haven’t made any decisions there. I want to see what they operate like under the lights.
“I would say, I’m going to give these young guys every opportunity to prove that they’re deserving of that role. And that comes through what you do out here on the practice field, and what they’re going to do when they get into the preseason games.”