By Ross Jackson
After a slow start for the New Orleans Saints offense, second-year quarterback Jake Haener connected downfield on a big play to wide receiver A.T. Perry. The Saints have been playing a pretty stripped down version of the offense that has been seen throughout training camp, but that did not keep them from getting some fireworks off.
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Haener had to wrangle an errant snap from center Shane Lemieux in the process. After getting control of the snap, he stepped up to climb the pocket and delivered a deep pass down the left sideline. Perry found his way behind the defense in the process and reeled in a big 58-yard completion to help inject some life in the Saints’ offense.
The drive would inevitably lead to a 33-yard field goal by Blake Grupe, giving the team a 6-0 halftime lead over the Arizona Cardinals.
Haener is in the midst of a battle to assume the role of backup quarterback immediately behind starter Derek Carr. This play is one of the positives that will be chalked up to him as the team evaluates its options between him and rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler.
As for Perry, he has not had a strong showing through training camp, with only one standout day that he was unfortunately not able to follow up. This play will help his case a bit as the team searches for the wide receivers that will fill out the roster behind starters Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
