If you only looked at the stat sheet, you might not be blown away by what Saints rookie Jake Haener got done in his second career start.
But when you take a closer look, you'll see a lot more in the performance that went down as 11-18 for 118 yards and not touchdowns or interceptions. That's what Audacy NFL Inside Brian Baldinger dug into during his popular Twitter film breakdowns after Week 2 of the preseason.
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Most of Baldinger's analysis centers on the first drive of the second half, Haener's first of the game. The rookie started by extending a play to the sideline before finding Jontre Kirklin for a 53-yard gain. He then ran a sprintout with Ellis Merriweather down the Charger's 2-yard line. That's where things went awry.
- TD to Shaq Davis ... nullified by a penalty
- TD pass to Lucas Krull ... drop
- TD pass to Bryan Edwards ... drop
- TD pass to Jontre Kirklin ... nullified by penalty.
“Can’t throw it any better," Baldinger said of the two drops. "You’ve got to catch it.”
The Saints ultimately went on to kick a field goal and came out with a 22-17 win. Haener walked away without a TD, but with a new fan in Baldinger. To this point the Fresno State rookie, the same school Derek Carr attended, has handled the second half of both preseason games and he'll likely get a similar workload in the preseason finale against the Texans.
“There’s something to Jake Haener right there," he said. "Maybe you could have two Fresno State quarterbacks on the roster.”
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