Saints QB Spencer Rattler reacts to rough preseason outing vs. Jaguars

Spencer Rattler didn't exactly make the most of his opportunity to start Saturday's preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The New Orleans Saints quarterback showed many of the same flaws that got him benched last season -- a too-conservative attack that neglected the deeper reaches of the field and poor decision-making from the pocket. Every quarterback struggles under pressure. But Rattler's baseline might be lower than others. What we saw on Saturday afternoon was a regression from his performance at training camp this summer. All told, Rattler went 8-of-11 for 42 yards before the Saints pulled him out of the lineup. He was also sacked twice for a loss of 16 yards. Averaging just 3.8 yards per pass attempt is a problem in itself (last year's NFL average was 7.0, with Rattler ranking 31st at 6.2). But his lowest moment came when he didn't even throw the ball. After being set up deep in his own territory because of a special teams penalty, Rattler floundered under pressure and fumbled the ball away on 1st and 10. He explained what he was thinking after the game. "Trying to get out of some pressure, probably (should have) just tried to dirt it or go down, and go on to the next play," Rattler told reporters in his postgame press conference. The Saints defense managed to get a stop and force Jacksonville into settling for a short-range field goal. This was a turnover, but it wasn't Rattler's only mistake on the day. Facing 2nd and 10 from the Jaguars' 25-yard line, Rattler checked down to running back Audric Estime without any hope of turning upfield to make a play. Estime was tackled low as soon as he caught the ball, losing six yards and suffering an injury in the process. Rattler's next pass on 3rd and 16 fell incomplete. He would have done better to throw the ball out of bounds on second down to give himself a better chance. This was a problem for him last season, too. "Definitely a lot of stuff to improve on after a preseason Game 1," Rattler added, "Just got to keep getting better, as a group." Credit where it's due; Rattler acknowledged the great plays made by his receivers, defense, and kicking units to keep the Saints in control for most of this exhibition game. They couldn't seal a win, sure, but they did learn some things here. But if Rattler can't translate his growth at practice into real game situations and learn to live another down, it could be some time before he's convinced a coaching staff to let him start another game in the regular season. This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints QB Spencer Rattler reacts to rough preseason outing vs. Jaguars