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Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff Writer
METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints had an unusual way of preparing rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler for Monday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers in Wisconsin, where temperatures of 30 degrees or less and potential snow are expected at Lambeau Field.
Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko took Rattler and the rest of the Saints’ quarterbacks into the walk-in freezer in the team’s cafeteria Saturday to run through plays.
“This morning, Janocko took us in the cafeteria freezer, where it was like 10 degrees, and we’re just going through the whole script in there, and so just doing that, that helped a lot,” Rattler said. “So hopefully it’s not 10 degrees, but we’ll be ready.”
Janocko joked that he got the idea after watching “Cool Runnings.” In the movie, a character sits in an ice cream truck to prepare for the conditions he’ll face as an Olympic bobsledder.
But Janocko also said he had a lot of ideas to prepare for cold weather after coaching in the NFC North from 2015 to 2023.
“I think there’s something we said about just preparing for [the cold], so you’re not shocked and it’s not something surprising,” he said. “It’s something that you deal with as far as you prepare for the opponent and prepare for the venue. So I just thought it was good to do something a little different. At this time of the year, it’s fun to do different stuff. It’s a long season and sometimes other than just sitting in a meeting day after day after day, just doing something different, changing up the scene. Guys thought it was hilarious. The cafeteria workers think I’m out of my mind.”
Rattler will start his first game at Lambeau in place of an injured Derek Carr (hand), who was ruled out Saturday. Alvin Kamara (groin) also was ruled out. Both players missed practice all week.
Rattler started the second half of a 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders last weekend after the Saints benched Jake Haener after one half.
This will be Rattler’s fourth start this year. The rookie started three games earlier in the season when Carr was out with an oblique strain.
Rizzi said that Carr had not progressed enough in his rehab this week to return to practice. Earlier in the week, Rizzi also suggested Kamara would be doubtful to play after tests showed his groin injury was worse than initially expected.
“Last couple of days have definitely been encouraging,” Rizzi said. “He’s starting to get some of the grip strength back and all that. I just felt like, in talking with him and the medical staff, we’re certainly inching closer, but with where he is right now, I just didn’t feel like he had enough time on task to get out there and perform where he wanted to perform. I just feel better with the way it is right now, but he has improved.”
Receiver Chris Olave practiced in a limited capacity this week after returning from a long injured reserve stint after sustaining two concussions but is not ready to play a game.
“He’s been nothing but smiles for these past few days and that’s just a great story,” Rizzi said. “… A guy that didn’t really know where he was going to be six or seven weeks ago, what was going to happen to him, his career. Just moving forward to see him get back, smile, see him running around, laughing with the guys in the locker room. All that is heartwarming for me because there was some question there … of what was going to happen. … He’s moving around like the Chris Olave I know, so that’s a positive. “