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Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff Writer
METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is expected to play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers after missing the past three games with an oblique injury. Saints coach Dennis Allen said that Jake Haener will be Carr’s backup even though the team started rookie Spencer Rattler in Carr’s absence.
“We felt like Rattler gave us the best chance at the time, and so I think we’ll see where we’re at come this weekend, what the expectation is. My expectation is that Derek’s going to be ready to go,” Allen said on Wednesday. “In that case, Jake will be the backup. … I don’t want to get into the specifics of the reasons why, but I feel like that’s the best thing for our team.”
Carr has not played since leaving the end of a Week 5 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with a left oblique strain. It’s the longest amount of time he has missed with an injury since breaking his ankle at the end of the 2017 season when he was with the Raiders.
Carr said it was a “slow process” to return but gave credit to the Saints athletic training staff, who he said got him back on the field on the earlier side of the expected timetable to return.
“It sucks having to sit there and watch when it wasn’t the most painful thing I’ve ever dealt with. It really wasn’t … it was just a lack of being able to do my job,” Carr said. “And so that was the most frustrating part, because I couldn’t just play through it, you know? I just literally couldn’t do it. … It’s been the most frustrating injury I’ve ever had, besides breaking my ankle and not being able to play in the playoffs that year. … because there’s literally nothing that I could do, but wait and just let it heal.”
Carr also texted former Saints quarterback Drew Brees for advice after being injured. Brees had a similar injury in the 2014 preseason and did not miss a game because of that injury, but admitted later that his mechanics suffered after returning in just a few weeks.
Carr said that Brees offered him advice about not letting his mechanics get away from him. Carr said he feels confident that he’s not coming back too early or risking a setback.
“This was something like … if I go to rip a ball 60 yards and it pulls, like, what’s the point? … It’s football and I don’t ever want to just put that stuff out there. But anything can happen. But we feel confident,” Carr said. “I feel confident, I’ve shown it, that I can do those things. And now it’s about just how I stack days and how it feels after that.”
The Saints’ offense has scored only three touchdowns in the past three games and the team has lost six straight games, its longest losing streak since 2005. Carr said “he’s no savior” when asked if there was any added pressure to return to a team that has been struggling to put up points.
“I am no savior. There’s only been one of those and, that is not me,” Carr said, laughing. “I am here to be a great leader and to be a great teammate and to do my job the best of my ability. And do I feel confident in what I can do? Absolutely. I feel confident in what I can do. I feel confident in what I can bring to our team. And that’s exciting, right? But to save us or anything like that, that’s not me, I’m going to come in and do what my guys expect me to do. Bring energy, bring effort, be a great teammate. Encourage our guys, get everybody on the same page, lock in the details, hold each other accountable.”
Carr said there’s going to be a “full commitment” from himself to his teammates in the 10 weeks left in the regular season.
“When I get back, I’m going to be a psychopath. I’m going to be crazy about the details and everything because we only get one shot at this, you know?” Carr said. “I don’t have any promises. I don’t have anything except I’ll promise great effort. I’ll promise long nights and early mornings, to make sure that we’re at our best. I’m looking forward to getting back and excited to finally be back on the practice field.”
The Saints were without cornerback Marshon Lattimore on Wednesday because of a hamstring issue that he reinjured against the Chargers. Safety Tyrann Mathieu did not practice with an illness while running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) and wide receiver Bub Means (ankle sprain) also missed practice.
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