The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

So now we're faced with finishing out a horrendous season, in what should have been a possible first ever run to the Super Bowl.

Why?

I know that bashing the O-line, play calling, and Jason David are the targets du jour, but why doesn't anyone mention the elephant sitting in the middle of the living room:

The Jekyll/ Hyde performances of one, Drew Brees?
Bottome Line: When the Brees blows fair, we look like champions. But when we're losing. Brees just blows...

Seems to me with all of the many glaring deficiencies exposed on this team this season, with the exception of a few threads touching on the subject, we haven't really taken a close look at our Golden Boy. The success of this team has largely ridden on the arm of #9 since his arrival in NOLA, but for reasons unknown, he has fallen far short of the mark and has been unable to recapture the 'lightning-in-a-bottle' of 2006, but here's some interesting numbers:

Drew's stats after 10 games- 3 fumbles lost/ 14 interceptions for a worst in the NFL -10 turnover ratio. In our 4 games won: 1 INT. Anyone else sensing the pattern?

Simply put, you can't win games if you don't score points. You lose chances to score if you turn the ball over. That part of the equation isn't Rocket Science!

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Lets see O-line, WR TE dropping passes or tipping them. Sorry but its not DREW. Its a team game.

Like the goalies say in that sport called HOCKEY. It take FIVE Guys to make a mistake before I get to make my one. There it sit on the score board all game.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

I know you're a Brees groupie QBREES9, but if the QB doesn't protect the ball and coughs up 17 TO's, we lose. True, the receiving is all thumbs, and the line couldn't stop a drain with a plug, but the glory (or the goat) should rest on the shoulders of #9.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

The bold print says it all. Brees is a good quarterback. Not perfect but very good. I wouldn't replace him with many qb's out there. You want AB back? Martin? Palko? Shoot, how about starters on many other teams? No, Brees is not at all the player to replace. Linebackers, corners, receivers, runningbacks, linemen, kicker... I'd worry about these positions before even thinking about replacing Brees.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

And how many qb's in the NFL would you take as a replacement? How many qb's would you take and say this team would be 6-4 or 7-3 right now?
Brees is a top 5 qb. I think that is where he is ranked for yardage at least before this game. He is throwing at 65% or better. Both the int this weekend hit the TE in the hands there is no * involved when a pass hits a wr gets tipped and then intercepted. It does seem he has had a couple more of those I seem to remember another involving Henderson. I even remember reading a post that it was Brees fault Henderson didnt catch it because it was thrown to softly. Can you actually believe something like that as you are typing it.
I think everyone on the team has faith in Brees and thinks he is the right guy in the right place. All he can do is continue to make plays, run whatever sandlot play Payton calls, and hope when he throws the ball it doesnt bounce off the wr hands into the defense.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

I agree to point with this thread, somebody brought up AB, but Aaron Brooks never had a span of 1 TD and 10 INT's like Brees, if he did he would have been run out of town. But I do love Drew's leadership abilities, but this thread hit it right on the money, Brees has been very inconsistent this year, like against the Rams, those INT's were inexcusable, but yet we mention nothing. In the game against the Texans he was so predictable it was ridiculous, if he wasn't throwing to Colston, it was Bush, 21 of Brees 33 completions went to Colston or Bush with 12 going to the other receivers (TE Billy Miller catching 3), he threw to Patten twice for 29 yards and Henderson and Copper once a piece for a combined 11 yards and 1 TD, a six yarder to Henderson. Although the two INT's was not his fault, but his decision making in this game left a lot to be desired. The Saints have put their future in Drew Brees and I wish and prey that he's just having a so-so year, and he will rebound, because if not, we are in major, major trouble.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Let's see. Our QB appears to be streaky. VERY hot and then VERY cold. His TD to INT ratio is off the charts -- in the wrong direction. He's fumbling the ball and throws backwards passes. He appears to be locking on to one WR -- he's making some very bad decisions with the football.

Looks like we have some selective bashing going on eh?

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

That's a wake up call. Everything you just said is true. This year Brees=Brooks?!

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

I will agreee that the fumbles are on him for the most part, but I think if you go back and look,which I have by the way, I have all the games tvoed, most of them were tipped balls. Can't blame him for those. Can you?

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Are we missing the real elephant in the room?? No real running game!!

When you can't rush the ball between the tackles it allows the D-line to pin it's ears back and rush the passer. I know that Peyton has tried to substitute the short pass in lieu of a running attack, but to make that effective you still have to have something that resembles a running attack between the tackles otherwise the Linebackers can shadow the back without being worried about the middle of the field.

The real elephant is Reggie's inability to run in the middle of the field or the loss of Duece or lack of using Duece when we had him.

Until we can make defenses stay honest in the middle of the field we should expect more of the same.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Here is something to think about. I've had surgery on my shoulder also and it took close to 2 years for it to feel like it did before I tore the rotator cuff. In my opinion Drew's shoulder is probably getting close to 100% and his velocity is starting to increase on him as his shoulder strength increases and this is causing some inconsistency in his throws. Now granted this doesn't excuse some of his decision making but it could explain some of the throws. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws but it is something to think about.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

When Brees performs poorly I think it can be traced back to having almost zero protection. Get him under pressure and back-pedaling and it seems like an interception is a given.

And I wonder why (as well) that he's not using more receivers than Colston or Bush?! Last year we spread it around to Copper, Henderson, Colston and Patten? Why not now? (Okay, I know why we don't throw to Henderson...)

And for the love of God, why aren't we giving the ball to Stecker or Karney to pound it up the middle?? Granted, they won't get the yardage like Deuce but at least they'll run north and south and don't dance all over (and behind) the line of scrimmage everytime!

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Whoa, whoa there fellas! Who said anything about replacing Brees? For the record, I'm of the belief that he is probably the greatest FA pickup this franchise has ever had. If we're smart, we will build around the guy and be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. That being said...

I get the sense that some of us guys are pretty quick with praise when he has a 350+ yard, 2 TD game. But my point in starting this thread is to point out that many of this team's ills can be linked to our inability to control/ protect the ball from being turned over. It seems like everyone on the team gets nit-picked on performance, but somehow, when it comes to #9, there's almost an 'off-limits' attitude when it comes to critiquing his poor play.

Sorry, but I don't think ANYONE (GM on down to the Waterboy) on this team deserves a 'Mulligan' for the way they've been playing.

Tipped passes, altered passing lanes, and pressure are only a few of the valid reasons for the high number of INT's from Brees this season. But these are things any QB deals with in playing and veterans know what to do to adjust fire and continue the fight, but I don't see that happening. If Brees is playing hurt or less than 100%, then what's our alternative?

From what I see of the stat-line, the bottom line appears to be: We don't turn the ball over and we win (generally speaking). The bulk of the TO's are coming from the QB position. Shouldn't he be doing more to protect the ball, even if that means throwing it away or eating the sack?

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Drew Brees is exactly what he has always been. Its no surprise that you need people around Brees for him to be successful. If you think other wise you are kidding yourself. He was only as good as the people around him is SD.

This comes as no surprise and should not be any big deal. We went with him at QB and so you made the commitment to load the team up with talent around him. Unfortunately we haven't put enough around him yet.

Brees is the right choice you're not going to find a better QB and addressing the QB position isn't going to win us any more games either. You have to bite the bullet and work out the issues on the lines and give some players some time to develop. Brees will be there if you get him some help. Going after a QB is going to open another can of worms and I am having a hard time dealing with the cans that are open now.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Was on NFL.com looking up some stats for Fantasy Football and came across some stats for our starting qb. Over the last 6 games he is completing 70.4% for 1800 yds with 14 tds and 5 ints. That is not a bad stretch considering how one dimensional teams know we play and for us leading the league in dropped passes. I wonder what his completion % will be when the wrs start holding onto the ball.
Brees>Brooks. Come on we dont wont to start comparing Brees and Brooks again. I think the best argument to that question is if we dropped Brees would he be sittin at home watching Dr Phil like Brooks is.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Drew is a very QB without a doubt. No one man makes a team. I like the choice of him to help the young guys grow and on offense we have nothing but young players.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Ok....I don't post many comments, however, I read a great many. This post is irritating.

First of all, Brees is the one of the best FA pick ups we have ever had, as previously mentioned. Next, Brees is a fantastic QB and probably one of the best we have ever had. There is no comparison to AB.

Look, Brees has had some bad games this year...that happens to every QB in the game. The offense is plagued by inconsistency (from all players), poor offensive line play, dropped passes, fumbles and a very lack luster or even non-existant rushing game. The play calling has been one demensional.

The bottom line is Brees is a great quarterback. He has been the one of the lone bright spots for the Saints all year long. He is an accurate, dependable and responsible leader that the team has needed for years. He is poised, respectable and accountable. Why anyone would want to look in another direction is rediculous.

I cannot even begin to understand why anyone on this forum thinks that this guy is not the future of this team. He is the leader. Generals can only be as good as the men they have at their side.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Nice post. I agree that the problem is not Drew Brees. Brees is a great QB and fits extremely well into the Saints gameplan, unfortunately there are other players that are letting the team down thereby creating the one-dimensional play calling. What makes Brees great is the fact he gives 100% to the gameplan he is given from Coach Payton. He doesn't argue or question but rather just goes out and tries his level best to execute. That comment cannot be applied to other players who cannot seem to grasp the gameplan...namely Jason David. Jason David singlehandedly buries the Saints into a position of a one-dimensional offense. Any team in the NFL can compete on a professional level when they know the opponent is one-dimensional. If only Jason David could fake an injury to be pulled from the game so the Saints could put some points on the board.

My thoughts

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

The elephant in the room? You guys are beating him up, when the real problem is (and has been since last year), the pathetic performance of the defense. They couldn't stop the run last year and we took it. This year, they make 3rd string QB's look like all-pros. The front four cannot pressure without a blitz package on. The DB's can't cover with a blitz package on. The LB's can't get out of their own way.
Granted Drew needs to protect the ball more and stop pressing the situations. But, I'm sure he (and Coach, too) feel they have to press to score enough points to win with this crappy defense.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

If half of the tipped INT's and dropped passes went away, Brees' stats would look brilliant.

Yep, he had a bad game or 2. It's the NFL. It happens.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

True,,, and what happened to Lance Moore? *

Patten and Moore had some great games this year, then seemingly dropped off the radar. Has Drew lost his ability to spread the ball around, or just doesn't have time?



*After Lance did that silly dance, he seems to have disappeared. Only 2-3 catches since then. :D

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Well, maybe it's just not our year - 2007. We haven't had a winning season in an odd year since 1991.

67 3-11
68 4-9-1
69 5-9
70 2-11-1
71 4-8-2
72 2-11-1
73 5-9
74 5-9
75 2-12
76 4-10
77 3-11
78 7-9
79 8-8
80 1-15
81 4-12
82 4-5
83 8-8
84 7-9
85 5-11
86 7-8-1
87 12-4
88 10-6
89 9-7
90 8-8
91 11-5
92 12-4
93 8-8
94 7-9
95 7-9
96 3-13
97 6-10
98 6-10
99 3-13
0 10-6
1 7-9
2 9-7
3 8-8
4 8-8
5 3-13
6 10-6

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

I.S. your sooooooo right. doesnt patter if u have peyton manning, no running game means them ends are comin flyin off the edge..............ya dig yea

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

Tusk, tusk, tusk. Brees = Elephant on the living room. I think not.

OK, he has not always been top form. OK, he has made mistakes.

But IMHO he has been off “rhythm” for 3 games, a bit “ho-hum” for 1 game, and close to the “rhythm” we expect for a top QB for the rest.

At the end of the day, there is no elephant in the living room.


We have a herd of elephants in the organization. I am sure you guys “know” what we could have done better:
Draft
Free Agency
Replacement of Deuce as soon as he went down
Choice of Bush as the RB. Bush is a HB (and a bloody good one too)
Experienced back-up for Colston
Play selection
Defensive schemes
Strength of the lines and secondary
……………

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

"Replacement of Deuce as soon as he went down"

Amen!!!!!!! Why didn't we bring up Branch right then and let him get some playing time?He's the biggest back we have on the roster and he's still on the practice squad? I really do wonder if we don't have the cart before the horse here.

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

I think its very simple you protect, Brees and The Saints win just like they in 2006.

From the Brees groupie, and dam proud to be a member. The QB the Saints ever had. LOL

Re: The Elephant in the Living Room?
 

I'd call it an abandoned running game. It's there. It's just that Coach Payton isn't patient enough to stick with it. The next thing you know that for good or for bad the offense is slinging the ball all over the field.

Agreed. The Saints have rushed well between the tackles at times. Then they get away from it.

I disagree with this. Reggie has proved that if you give him the ball 20 times in a game, he'll get you a buck and change. And that's running the ball inside the tackles. But Coach runs Stecker out there. Then he pulls Karney. Then he starts to have Brees sling the ball. Bush isn't going to bust a 60 yard TD every time he touches the ball inside the tackles. But he's had several 10-20 yard runs during the course of the season.

That's right. The Saints base formation needs to be the I with Karney at fullback and PT23 or Reggie in the TB slot. Let Bush go wide sometimes. But run the ball from the formation. Set up play action. Then you'll get more explosive plays down the field with less hits and mistakes from Brees.

SFIAH