The Saints offense might not be in "all-gas-no-brakes" mode when New Orleans plays the Commanders in the Caesars Superdome, but it won't be because of quarterback Jake Haener.
Haener, in his second season, will make his first NFL start noon Sunday when the Saints (5-8) face the Commanders (8-5).
"I'm going to be confident, I'm going to let it rip," Haener said Friday. "I feel like I've worked too hard to go in their with that mentality, 'Oh, don't screw up.' I've been preparing for this, I'm going to do everything I can.
"I might never get an opportunity to start a game again, I'm going to show everybody what I'm capable of doing and let the guys know that I'm confident in doing that. You go and you win this game, things can change. So I think it's just a 1-0 mentality. Beat the Commanders and show everybody what Jake Haener can do on Sunday."
Haener will start in place of Derek Carr, who suffered a concussion and an injury to his left (non-throwing) hand in the Saints' 14-11 victory over the Giants on Dec. 8. Carr will miss his fourth game this season; he was sidelined with an oblique injury against Tampa Bay, Denver and the Chargers.
Haener, a fourth-round pick in 2023, was listed at No. 2 on the depth chart in the previous 13 games and has completed 14 of 29 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions, in seven relief appearances this season. He also has 18 rushing yards on seven carries.
He remained No. 2 in the three previous games Carr missed; Spencer Rattler, who was the No. 3 (emergency) quarterback in games 1-5 and 9-13, was elevated to starter in games 6-8.
Haener and Rattler battled for the backup spot during the offseason and into training camp and the regular season, as the coaching staff determined that the performance of each warranted a continuation of competition into the season.
"Without getting too deep into it we just felt like Jake had a really good couple of days and he gave us the best chance for this particular game," interim head coach Darren Rizzi said Friday.
Carr, who has progressed but still has another step to complete concussion protocol, possibly will be the No. 2 or 3 quarterback Sunday.
"We'll kind of see how his hand is progressing and it is improving, so we'll let that kind of play out the rest of the week," Rizzi said of Carr.
Regardless, Haener will start.
"I've been preparing for this," Haener said. "I played in the Denver game, I played in the Chargers game with no preparation, being able to come in and move the ball, I feel like I've earned it. At the same time, I play with confidence every time I'm in the game and I feel like this week is no different. I had a full week of prep, my teammates believe in me, believe in what we can do and I'm excited to go out there and let it spin."
"I think the best part about Jake is every week he has been here and every day he has been here, he's prepared as if he was going to be the starter," Rizzi said. "When you watch one of our practices, if you didn't know any better, if you came to the first Saints practice of your life and watched him operate, he operates like a guy that's been there before.
"That's a credit to his preparation, it's a credit to how he handles every day, his mind-set. You don't feel any different in practice, at all, with him in there. I think he did a really good job these last three days of operating just in and out of the huddle, the tempo, all those kinds of things. Hopefully we bring that to the field on Sunday."
Haener said his process dictates that he prepares like a starter. He has maintained a consistent, steady approach throughout the season and last offseason, which included a medical scare.
He was diagnosed with a rare, but treatable, form of skin cancer prior to reporting for training camp.
"That was something that just kind of came up out of nowhere, and I had great care with our trainers," he said. "They do a great job at what they do, so the skin cancer for me was nothing. I trusted them and all I needed to worry about was football.
"The ups and downs, as far as being told you're not going to have the opportunity to start, obviously that was tough. But at the same time it's all about the team, it's all about how can we have the best way to get a win on Sunday. And at the time it was Spencer starting the games.
"Now it's my opportunity to try to go get us a win on Sunday, and the Commanders present a great challenge, they're a great team. But we're confident. We had a great week of practice and I just think we're ready for the moment."
