I sort of agreed with you until this morning. On SportsCenter or NFL Network (I was in a hotel, not really sure which I was watching) they showed the tackle where Brees blew out his shoulder.

As someone who has had his shoulder reconstructed and is desperately trying to avoid the same surgery on the other side, I nearly vomited it looked so bad.

I know that playing under the tag had nothing to do with the injury. I also know that playing under the tag now does nothing to increase the odds that he'll have an injury like that again. But if that happened to me the last time I played under a tag, I'd say thanks, but no thanks. (If I was Drew, I mean. If someone offered me $14mm a year to play football right now, I'd be the tackling dummy for that much cash!)

This is also his last chance to get a huge contract. If he signs the tag, he can't hold out any more because he'll be under contract to play. If he gets injured in the weight room at an offseason practice and can't play again, he's effed.

Also, these activities are VERY limited. Weight lifting, conditioning, stuff like that. Coaches can't be on the fields with players, they're not even allowed to use footballs in most workouts!

Real OTAs start next month.

And let's not forget to take into account that The Saints aren't exactly without fault, here. They could have signed Drew to a long term extension before he went out and had arguably, the best year a QB ever had and jacked up his price. Or they could have signed him as soon as they heard stuff was coming down about the Bounty Scandal and Drew's leverage went through the roof. They did neither.

Imagine your job and the following scenario:
1. You've been doing your job exceptionally well for the last 5 years.
2. There is no one available internally or externally who can do your job as well as you.
3. There is a HUGE project coming up where you're expertise is vital.
4. It's annual review time and there are other companies who would practically kill to have you on their staff.

Are you not going to do everything in your power to negotiate the best raise you possibly can?

Would I think MORE highly of him if he went? Probably. But if he doesn't: no big deal...

The problem I have with this way of thinking and I believe Danno brought this up before is that what was the difference in playing in 2011 when that was the last year of your contract vs this year under a franchise tag? In both cases it's a 1 year deal and you can't play the game worried about being injured. And I'm sure even if Drew has a 5 year deal, that there is some type of injury clause that voids the life of the contract or a buyout clause. So his using the last time he played under the tag, he was injured and it didn't go well for him doesn't fly in my book.

If anything, to me, this shows that he doesn't deserve the vitriol he seems to have directed at him.

He did right by our team by taking a huge risk playing without a contract last year. Oh, and had, arguably, the best regular season a QB has ever had and, what should have been, two playoff games for us (the second, he won twice before the D blew it just as many times).