Drew Brees is most of the problem
 

I hate to say our Superbowl MVP quarterback is struggling but it is clear to me.

Last year Brees was decisive. The ball was out of his hands when his back foot planted on his drop back. He didn't hesitate. This year he is taking longer to release the ball. A split second is enough in the NFL. Sometimes Drew is holding the ball far longer than that. He is looking for an open receiver instead of fitting into tight spaces or releasing the ball before the receiver makes the break.

Of course there are other problems. Drops, fumbles, poor special teams but Drew Brees isn't in championship form, for whatever reason.

If he gets his mojo back the Saints will be close to unbeatable with the defense playing the way it is.

If he plays this way for the entire year, then the Saints still will win games but a deep playoff run is unlikely even if all of the other problems are corrected. An indecisive quarterback in Payton's offense is the worst thing that can happen.

Can't really disagree with you about that, but it doesn't seem like anyone is getting open.

Reggie being out is the X-factor that is missing.

No, there is no one for him to throw to that is open. When Reggie is in the game, he takes 2-3 defenders out of the play just because they are watching him.

Lets see what happens after the baby is born and he get all of his weapons back, everybody looks a lil mis-communicated, the coaches seem to can't put anything together either..
So after all of the adversity is gone and Brees has a clear mind and can "RELAX" which is the Key to him being the perfect QB then i have a feeling we'll get our Brees back..

I don't think Saints receivers ever really got "open" last year either. I've watched every game from last year at least twice and all of this years as well.

The difference is Drew would pull the trigger and let the ball go even if the receiver wasn't open last year. And our receivers would make the play because the ball came out fast and was extremely accurate.

This year he doesn't do that. The ball is late and not particularly accurate. The defense has time to key off the receiver's break and react to the ball.

Drew can make up for receivers that cannot create separation with his decisiveness (last year) and accuracy. The receivers have to be able to catch a football that is on the way before they ever look back for it.

Last year that was happening. This year it isn't. It is the difference between a great passing attack and an average one.

there's less vertical passing and less running. Teams aren't scared by this offense. It's not Brees, it's the O-line

Brees is ranked 4th is passing yards and has a 95.7 QB rating. He is still performing at a very high level.

Now he has 5 INTs but from I can tell he is also getting much more immediate pressure. I don't think that the o-line is performing very well. I can only attribute that to what Sapper mentioned. The lack of Reggie, Reggie, Reggie.

But this may not even be a discussion had a few FGs been made.

I don't think that there is anything wrong with Brees.

I agree, Drew's passing rhythm is a little off. He needs to "throw them open", for example when he fits the ball into the seam to Colston it's indefensible.

Play action isn't freezing anybody because there is no real action to play off of. You can still ride down the road with a couple of spark plug wires disconnected, but you definitely won't have a smooth ride. That's where we are right now. Fuel injectors are clogged, brakes are grinding, trannie is stuck in 1st gear, rinding on 3 twenties and a doughnut. Injuries are just a piece; no passion plays a part; turnovers play a BIG part. Brees has been marching the team down the field at a pretty good clip, but everytime we fail to finish it kind of takes something out of you. Success has a way of breeding success. If we nail some things down this week, it may get us back on track to some solid wins. We really need about 4-5 solid performances in a row and this well oiled machine will look fantastic once again.

Two things...Dropped passes and Red Zone offense. Brees is getting us to the red zone, he just can't get us in the end zone.
How many time have we been in the red zone this year and not been able to score a touchdown...or a field goal?