IRVINE, Calif. — The doctor who performed cancer surgery on Jake Haener on Tuesday, Aug. 6 — he was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer just days before the start of training camp in California-Irvine — advised the second-year New Orleans Saints quarterback to skip practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.
First, Haener loves ball. Second, Haener is battling with rookie Spencer Rattler for the second quarterback spot behind Derek Carr.
Although the advice was noted, it was not well received and not followed.
“The doctor did a great job,” said Haener. “I had a two-centimeter hole – had to go a little deeper – everything is taken care of. But she put 32 stitches in my cheek and basically just wanted to sew it up a little tighter.”
“She didn’t want me to practice Wednesday through Friday because she thought if my bleeding was too bad or my heart rate got too high, my stitches would burst. She looked at me and told me I couldn’t practice, and I looked at her, and she put in some extra stitches. She put on some steri-strips for the game and made sure it worked.”
Not only did Haener not miss the game – he completed 9 of 13 passes for 107 yards, including a 58-yard pass to receiver AT Perry that set up a field goal as the clock expired in the first half – he didn’t even miss practice.
That included Thursday, when during a team drill on third down and goal from the 1-yard line, the defense huddled in the middle to block a power run, but Haener, after a fake handoff, instead kept the ball and ran around the left end for a touchdown in space that was almost enough for the Saints to pose for a team photo.
Apart from Haener and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, no one knew about the plan.
“It was third-and-goal from the 1 and we were playing power, and you know that back edge is probably going to collapse on third-and-1 in a very low red zone,” said Haener, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound player from Fresno State. “Klint and I were talking in the huddle on the headset, (he) said if you feel that edge closing in and you feel like it’s tight before the snap, you want to do a really good feint and get to the front pylon.
“I didn’t tell anyone. I just thought, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’ From this point on, it’s totally up to you. Either you get in or you don’t.”
Haener seems to be improving as training camp progresses and rising to every challenge he faces. He said he is better at diagnosing and processing as he becomes more comfortable with the offense.
“I feel like as you get more comfortable in a system and in defending the offensive line, you start to recognize things quicker and progress quicker,” Haener said. “And I have to thank (quarterback coach Andrew) Janocko for that: I feel a lot more in control with my feet.”
“I feel like my feet are fidgeting, sometimes I get out of my frame. And I feel like my feet are in time, in the rhythm of this offense and realize that you can pass faster, but still precisely.
“(Janocko) is a great guy, he brings a lot of energy every day no matter what. And he really pushed me. I give him a lot of respect for how he handled it, how he pushed me. Sometimes you’re not always going to be thrilled, but that’s what great coaches do, they tell you everything you need to know.”
Haener still wears a bandage over the repaired area on his face when training and currently has a scar from the stitches on the right side of his face.
“It feels great,” he said. “I think it’s been 10, 11 days since she did it. It still hurts, I’m doing laser treatments and stuff to make the wound heal a little faster. But other than that I have a little scar there and hopefully it will fade with time.”
