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The Derek Carr And Spencer Rattler Debate Rages With Saints Fans, Loomis Has High Expectations For His Franchise QB

Social media has been buzzing about Derek Carr and Spencer Rattler, but Mickey Loomis expects great things from the veteran quarterback in his second season.

Kyle T. Mosley

Derek Carr-Spencer Rattler Debate
Derek Carr-Spencer Rattler Debate / USA Today Sports
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The ongoing debate about Derek Carr and Spencer Rattler in the Who Dat Nation is intriguing. While the young quarterback's stock is on the rise, the veteran's value is reportedly plummeting, according to national outlets like the NFL on CBS Sports. 

This stark contrast in their evaluations is a topic of much discussion among sports enthusiasts. Based on Rival IQ's analysis of the Derek Carr-Spencer Rattler topics, social media posts grew to 1.1K, and the positive sentiment slants towards the young gun.

Derek Carr
Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) reacts to a / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

CBS RANKS & LOOMIS ON QB DEREK CARR

If you follow Cody Benjamin, who published the NFL on CBS QB Power Ranking, you may have been shocked by his perception of Derek Carr. The New Orleans Saints franchise signal-caller ranked No. 26 in the published power ranking.  

"Entering Year 11, Carr has proven he knows his way around a short-area offense. He also took a beating in his Saints debut. It's tough to forecast anything other than another wild-card flirtation," Benjamin stated about Carr.

Although Benjamin's analysis isn't favorable about Derek Carr, many were surprised that he positioned four quarterbacks from No. 22 to No. 25 with "some-to-no" NFL experience directly ahead of the veteran.

  • No. 22, Will Levis - started nine NFL games
  • No. 23, Caleb Williams - rookie, no NFL experience
  • No. 24, Anthony Richardson - 2nd season, started four games
  • No. 25, J.J. McCarthy - rookie, no NFL experience
  • No. 24, Derek Carr - entering his 11th season, 159 starts, 39K passing yards, 242 TD, 93.4 rating

On Thursday, Mickey Loomis had an insightful interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Loomis shared that the injury from the Green Bay game "affected him particularly in the middle part of our season, but he played really well towards the end." He continued on Carr, saying, "So I think the arrow is up, and we're excited about what Derek brings to the table. And I know he's excited."   

The Green Bay contest was in Week 3 of the 2023-24 regular season, and the Saints lost 18-17 after Carr was injured and Jordan Love rallied the Packers. New Orleans had a 7-7 record following that game, and Carr's numbers and chemistry with his weapons improved over the span. As Loomis insinuated, seeing how Derek Carr handles the upcoming OTAs, training camp, and regular season with backups like Spencer Rattler lurking in his shadow will be interesting.

ABOUT ROOKIE QB SPENCER RATTLER

It was an eventful day for Spencer Rattler as the rookie signed his first NFL contract, got fitted for his equipment, and will take the field this weekend at the New Orleans Saints rookie minicamp.

Also, the NFLPA has unveiled the list of forty NFL rookies set to make their mark at the 2024 NFL Players Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles. Among those rookies that created a social media buzz was Spencer Rattler.  

Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu spoke about Rattler on Robert Griffins III's podcast. "I spent the early part of my career in Arizona. He was like the Aaron Rodgers of high school football," Mathieu told Griffin. "The kid could always spin the rock. We all go through challenging stuff. I went through some of the same challenges as a youngster. A lot of people that I've talked to, they said that he's turned the corner. I think as a youngster, that's all you can ask of them."

Compared with a style similar to that of three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes, Rattler has a tremendous upside to his career. One fact remains clear for Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints: the postseason is necessary.

If they fail, the critics will have a field day. However, based on what we heard from Mickey Loomis and Tyrann Mathieu, everyone expects Carr to rebound in 2024 and prove the naysayers wrong.

We shall see.

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Kyle T. Mosley

KYLE T. MOSLEY