Dennis Allen didn't bother with subterfuge. He showed his hand within a minute of Wednesday's media availability.
"I'm sure you all are wondering who's going to be the quarterback," Allen said. "Spencer Rattler will be the quarterback for this game."
Rattler, the first of the team's three fifth-round draft picks this year, will make his first NFL start Sunday, when the Saints (2-3) play Tampa Bay (3-2) in the Caesars Superdome. Starting quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) is week-to-week with his injury, but definitely is out Sunday.
"We talked a lot as a staff about what we felt like was the best thing for us and give us the best chance to win the game," Allen said. "That was the decision that we made and we're excited about him getting the opportunity to go in there, and we'll let him go play and see what he can do."
Rattler was in a battle with Jake Haener for the backup spot behind Carr during training camp, and Haener was the No. 2 quarterback in the first five games while Rattler was No. 3. Haener finished out three games, including Monday's 26-13 loss to Kansas City, when Carr exited with his injury in the fourth quarter.
Haener has completed two of eight passes for 17 yards and has eight yards on five carries.
Rattler flashed his vast potential in training camp and in preseason games, where he completed 20 of 38 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown and ran seven times for 26 yards and a touchdown.
"He can be a starter in this league, so I'm excited to see what he can do," receiver Chris Olave said.
Center Connor McGovern, an eight-year veteran who finished the Denver game after Lucas Patrick was injured, said he liked what he saw from Rattler in Wednesday's practice. McGovern joined the Saints on Oct. 4.
"He was dialed in on walk-through today," McGovern said. "You could tell he was playing with a lot of confidence. His huddle presence was really professional and (he) had confidence.
"That's what I always look for in a quarterback. You need that swagger, that confidence, to play quarterback and he was playing with it today.
"You can always just tell that aura of a guy, especially a quarterback, when he comes into a huddle. The huddle can be a pretty intimidating place. He's got a coach in his ears and 10 grown men staring at him, waiting for him to tell us what to do.
"It's not an easy thing to do, it's not an easy thing to come in and have confidence with, and he had great confidence with it from the first snap to the last today."
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
The New Orleans Saints have announced that rookie Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for Week 6 and make his NFL regular season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Caesars Superdome on Oct. 13, 2024. Check out photos of Spencer in action with the Saints this season.
While Allen said that Carr will return to the starting lineup upon his return and didn't rule out Haener starting at some point, he said Rattler needn't concern himself with having a short leash Sunday.
"I think you've got to let the guy go in there and play," Allen said. "We're not going into this game saying, 'You make a mistake and we're going to pull you.' He's going in to play. He's going to start, he's going to lead the team, and we go from there.
"You don't want to go into this thing like it's this major ordeal. He's the next man up, get an opportunity to go in and play. Go play and have fun, do what you've been trained to do.
"I think sometimes you can make too big a deal of it and create more of an issue than you really need to. We'll go through the things that he needs to know, we'll get him prepared and then we'll let him go out there and play."
Though Rattler had been the emergency quarterback for five games, Allen said Rattler had impressed in practice.
"He goes against us on the 'show" team every day and he's got athletic ability, he can throw the ball, he's accurate, he creates some plays on the scout team," Allen said. "I just think this is a guy who has a lot of ability and certainly he's a rookie, so we know that we're going to have some challenges that go along with that, but I think we'll have a good plan for him and we'll be excited about going out and playing.
"He's done a good job for us on the show team. He's made some really good plays against our defense. He's made some awkward throws and his mobility has been good.
"It's going to be incumbent on us as coaches to put him in the best position to be successful."
