Spencer Rattler isn’t dwelling on the past — the present has too much in store.
Yes, he started six games at quarterback last year as a rookie for the New Orleans Saints. Yes, he was dealt an unfortunate hand in those games as injuries ravaged the offensive roster around him. And yes, the Saints went 0-6 in those games.
But things have changed. The Saints have a new head coach and offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, and Rattler is no longer competing to be the backup quarterback. Thursday, at Organized Team Activities, Rattler took his turn operating the first-team offense with the full complement of players around him.
“It’s in the past. It’s over with now,” Rattler said of his rookie season. “We went through it, we got through it healthy, thank God. We put some good stuff on tape, but some stuff on tape that we need to clean up. I think you just put it in the past and move on.
“Whoever you have out there, you want to succeed and you want to win games. Obviously we didn’t do enough of that last year. The goal is to win games this year.”
Moore cautioned against putting too much emphasis on Rattler getting his turn to operate the first-team offense Thursday. It was the third OTA practice of the week, and Moore said Tyler Shough and Jake Haener also took first-team snaps in the days that were not open to media viewing.
But Moore also spoke about Rattler as someone who has a legitimate shot at winning a competition to become the team’s starter, and part of that is based on what he saw last season.
There were rough patches, to be sure. Rattler took 22 sacks and threw five interceptions. He had drastic first- and second-half splits, with a 103.3 passer rating in the first half of games he played in and a 46.5 rating in the second half, suggesting he struggled to adjust as the game shifted off script. But there were moments that popped off the screen when Moore watched.
“You’re really looking at the context, and you’re looking at the process of the player,” Moore said. “Results are obviously very, very important, and it’s ultimately how you’re evaluated, but when you’re looking at it individually, you’ve got to look at their process and see they’re going through the right process. I thought he had some really, really good film on tape.”
Moore said he was especially impressed with Rattler’s ability to deliver throws under pressure.
“I think that’s a big thing, having quarterbacks who have the courage to know I’m going to get hit here, but I’m going to make a throw that is going to impact this game and impact the team,” Moore said. “You saw a number of those by Spencer that got me fired up.”
Speaking generally, Moore said there’s a reason players experience a jump in production when they enter their second year in the NFL.
Rookies go directly from the college football season to the NFL draft process, and then they’re dropped right back into a football environment where they have to learn how to be professionals.
“The first year, there’s a little bit of swimming,” Moore said.
The second year is where a player can apply the lessons learned from Year 1, using the offseason to train accordingly while understanding the ebbs and flows of the pro game.
So while Rattler has moved on from last year, it doesn’t mean he hasn’t been pulling from the experience as he’s entering Year 2. The biggest difference for him at this stage is comfort. He has been through it, and he now gets to build upon it.
“You could say I am a little more comfortable now going into Year 2,” Rattler said. “Nowhere near where I want to be, but I feel good right now.”