Irvine, Calif. – The doctor who performed Jake Haener’s cancer procedure on Tuesday, Aug. 6 – he was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer days before training camp began at Cal-Irvine – advised the New Orleans Saints' second-year quarterback to skip practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday prior to the preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals.
Two things:
One, Haener loves ball. Two, Haener is in a battle with rookie Spencer Rattler for the No. 2 quarterback spot behind Derek Carr.
So the advice was acknowledged, but not well-received and not taken.
"The doctor, she did a great job," Haener said. "I had a two-centimeter hole – had to go a little deeper – everything is taken care of. But she put 32 stitches in my cheek and just basically wanted to sew it a little tighter.
"She didn't want me to practice Wednesday through Friday, just because she thought if I had too much blood flow or my heart rate got too high, my stitches would kind of burst. She looked at me and told me that I wasn't going to be able to practice, and I looked at her, and she put a couple extra (stitches) in there. Put some steri-strips on for the game and made it happen."
Haener not only didn't miss the game – he completed 9 of 13 passes for 107 yards, including a 58-yard completion to receiver A.T. Perry to set up a field goal as the clock expired in the first half – he didn't even miss practice.
That includes Thursday, when during a team drill on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, with the defense clumped to the middle to reject a power run, Haener instead kept the ball after a fake handoff, and ran around the left end for a touchdown in a space almost big enough for the Saints to have taken a team photo.
No one was aware of the plan, except Haener and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
"It was third-and-goal from the 1 and we were running Power, and you know that backside edge on third-and-1 in a low, low red area is probably going to collapse," said Haener, a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder from Fresno State. "Me and Klint were on the headset in the huddle, (he) said if you feel like that edge is closing down and you feel like it's tight pre-snap, give a really good fake and get to the front pylon.
"I didn't tell anybody. I kind of just was, in my mind, 'This is what we're gonna do.' At that point it's all on you. You get in or you don't."
Haener appears to be sharpening as training camp practices have stacked, rising to any challenge that he has encountered. He said he has been able to diagnose and process better as he has become more comfortable with the offense.
"I feel like when you get more and more comfortable in a system, and your protections with the offensive line, you start seeing things a little faster and you can get to your progressions a little quicker," Haener said. "And I'll credit (quarterbacks coach Andrew) Janocko here: My feet feel so much more controlled.
"I feel like my feet are twitchy, sometimes I'd get outside of my framework. And I feel like my feet are within the progression, within the timing, within the rhythm of this offense and diagnosing you get off the pass faster, yet accurate.
"(Janocko) is an awesome dude, he brings great energy every single day no matter what. And he has really pushed me. I give him a ton of credit for the way he's handled it, the way he's pushed me. Sometimes you're not going to love it all the time but that's what great coaches do, they tell you everything you need."
Haener still wears a bandage over the repaired area on his face during practice and for now, has a scar from the stitches on the right side of his face.
"It feels great," he said. "I think it's 10, 11 days from when she did it. Still sore, I'm doing some laser and stuff on it just to help the wound heal a little faster. But other than that, I have a little scar there and hopefully it fades over time."
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Thursday, August 15.
