By Ross Jackson
The backup quarterback role for the New Orleans Saints has been one of the most talked about storylines of the team’s offseason.
The team has entered into unique territory with two talented and promising young quarterbacks behind their starter. It’s a challenge for a team that wants to see both progress but has to find ways to support their growth with a limited amount of snap opportunities in games and practices.
Saints quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko welcomes such a challenge.
Those watching from outside of the organization tend to be fixated on which passer deserves to be the primary backup quarterback for 2024, second year passer Jake Haener or rookie signal caller Spencer Rattler. But for New Orleans, the real prize would be developing one of its young quarterbacks into the future starter. It is an unlikely position for an NFL team to have two viable options to work with, and Janocko is invigorated by the opportunity.
“I think it’s really, really cool to see,” he said. “Derek (Carr), who’s seen it all in this league, who’s had success, who’s been to the Pro Bowl, and then you got two young guys who’ve been successful at different levels but are kind of meshing together now. It’s fun to see them work, because the relationship between the three of them is really, really cool. And it’s something that, I’d say over anything, is really unique.”
A big part of that relationship seems to be predicated by Carr’s “ego-free” attitude around the situation. His working with the younger options and not driving a wedge in the quarterback’s room is creating a beneficial situation under which Haener and Rattler can comfortably grow.
Meanwhile it is Janocko that is charged with preparing each quarterback. He is doing so while relying on his teaching lineage and background. Janocko’s father, who was also his high school football coach, was a teacher who went on to become a principal. His sister works with children diagnosed with Autism and Janocko himself pursued a master’s degree in education before transitioning to coach.
Janocko was a graduate assistant at Rutgers University under Greg Schiano. That position propelled him in the profession. His teaching background greatly informs his approaches as a coach. Haener and Rattler’s intriguing situation is no exception.
“As you’re teaching and as you’re installing,” he said. “You’re giving them a visual way of learning. You’re giving them verbal and then allowing them to put their hands on whether it be. Drawing or actually walking it through. You know, we try to apply that in everything we do.”
Beyond the art of individualizing communication, Janocko’s teaching background also influences the ways he integrates information with the young players. Many think of the backup quarterback as simply the player that would go in if there were an injury to the starter. Others consider the “clipboard holder” responsibilities during a game on the sideline. But they do quite a bit more within the halls of the facility.
“First and foremost,” Janocko said of Haener and Rattler’s responsibilities behind Carr. “The guys brought in behind him create a support system. It’s my job to develop them in my own way, but it’s their job to also be his support system. So, they have really taken to that. They’re ready to help present things to him after the day’s over. They’re ready to help build cut-ups and things like that, to make sure he’s getting his extra study time.”
The two quarterbacks are also charged with relaying information from Carr. Each passer is given a focus on a rotating basis, and it is their responsibility to know the information pertinent to that area. For instance, one may be required to focus on the red zone while the other carries the third down expertise. Being the authority in their assigned emphasis serves an important role in their development.
So, whether or not the players are getting enough snaps in practice ends up being a small, though still important, element of the process. Working after practice, mastering their rotation expertise, working closely with Carr, participating in friendly competitions and handling their additional responsibilities within the building all go towards what they hope will be burgeoning growth.
The addition of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who of course plays his own part in this process, is often seen as the team’s most important addition of the offseason. Janocko however should be at the very least a close second. And if he manages to help either one of their young options develop into the team’s future starter, his impact and value become immeasurable.
