Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi spent the first 3 minutes of his initial Week 16 press conference laying out key injury after key injury after key injury.
Chris Olave is back, but highly unlikely to play. Alvin Kamara is hurt worse then initially feared and highly unlikely to play. Derek Carr? He's still fighting to play, even if the way it was stated caused some initial confusion.
"If Derek’s unable to play this week, Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for us," Rizzi said.
Why did it cause confusion? Because Rizzi said the "if" so quickly and casually that many didn't hear it. They took it as a qualifier that Carr was already ruled out this week. He hasn't been, despite what some early social media posts might have indicated. The only news there was the conviction that Rattler had surpassed Jake Haener on the starting line. He’d earned it through his performance in the second half against the Commanders and his early showings in the week’s practices.
Still, the fact that so many ran with the misunderstanding is telling of how easy that would be to believe. The Saints are leaving the door open for a return over the final three weeks of a quarterback dealing with a fractured left hand. No one would question for a second if they chose to shut him down for the year. The injury occurred when Carr dove for a potential first down late during a win over the Giants in Week 14, with reports that the hand is broken in two places. Carr was on the sidelines in Week 15 with a hefty brace on the injured hand.
The Saints are 5-9 and all but eliminated from postseason contention, with chances of less than 1% as they ready for a showdown with the 10-4 Packers. The Saints have almost none of the offensive weapons they started the year with and have a pair of young quarterbacks they've been working to develop.
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So why, oh why does the conversation exist in the first place? It starts with the simple fact that Carr wants to play and is willing to do whatever it takes to get on the field. In a scenario where the playoffs were still realistically in the conversation it'd be something that got him talked about as a team-first warrior. Instead the conversations have been anything but, with reporting just a matter of hours after the injury already declaring him done for the year, something the team and player have found somewhat grating.
"This thing is day to day. … We’re not gonna put him in harm’s way," Rizzi said, a statement he's repeated since the injury. "We’re gonna make sure that he’s able to go out there and function, and that’s really what it comes down to right now. When he can fully function and go out there and function all the duties as a quarterback, he’ll be back on the field."
Saints GM Mickey Loomis had a similar take when asked about Carr's outlook on WWL Radio this week.
“We’re just gonna have to go along and when he gets to the point where he can function well enough to play in the game, I know ... he wants to play," Loomis said, "and when he can, he will.”
That's a lot of folks on record saying the same thing, but the opposite conversation is still being had. That conversation has been fueled by some conjecture that the potential $30 million injury guarantee that could be triggered if Carr can't pass a physical in March will prompt the team to shut him down. It's a subject I asked Rizzi about directly this week, considering it's a scenario that Carr faced in his final season with the Raiders. Russell Wilson's departure from the Broncos last season and Daniel Jones' from the Giants last month are other examples. That won't be the case for the Saints unless something changes.
"I think if the organization was concerned about that, the easy thing to do would’ve been to shelve him for the year, put him on IR, let him get healthy, let him pass the physical," Rizzi said, "so I don’t see that as an [issue].”
But it all comes back to the question: Why start a banged-up, veteran QB in games that wouldn't impact the postseason race? Even if Carr doesn't play against the Packers, a home game against his former Raiders team seems very much on the table.
The answer rolls back to a statement that Darren Rizzi has made about himself repeatedly since taking over as the Saints head coach: "I'm an accountability guy."
That's what his biggest catchphrase, "1/11th," is all about. If everyone does their share and pulls their weight and takes accountability, success won't be far behind. The truth is in the work. Everyone can see it and everyone can respect it.
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So when the highest-paid player on the team is looking at his own broken hand and saying that he'll do whatever it takes to get back out on the field and help his guys win when the easiest route would be to rest and recover, how exactly does an "accountability guy" scoff at that and tell his starting quarterback to go sit in the corner? The simple answer is, he doesn't — not if he wants to practice what he preaches. The more complicated answer is the one Rizzi gave, largely unprompted, to answer that exact question.
"When I took over we gave everybody a clean slate and that’s everybody. That’s all inclusive ... and since I’ve taken over Derek’s started four games, we’re 3-1 in those games. He’s got a 68% completion percentage, he’s thrown 6 touchdowns, he’s got 1 interception, he’s only taken 2 sacks. His quarterback rating is over 103, and so, why would I play him? I mean, I think it’s kind of obvious why we would play him, but others don’t feel the same," Rizzi said. "That’s fine, that’s their opinion and that’s the beautiful thing about this game, but I love the fact that he is fighting every day to come in here, rehabbing his butt off, and he comes in here every day with the intent of getting back out there and so I think there’s a lot to be said for that, especially at this point of the year.”
The plan might not make sense from an outsider's perspective, but outsiders aren't the ones who make decisions. Take the time to put yourself in the shoes of an interim head coach who is doing whatever he can to keep his team battling to the finish of a frustrating season -- and making his case for the full-time job in the process -- and it makes all the sense in the world.
The Saints (5-9) visit the Green Bay Packers (10-4) for a Monday Night Football showdown at Lambeau Field in Week 16. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.