Re: Brees letting the team down
 

To me one of the more reasonable & realistic post...that game wasn't over until it was over but yea could not have said it better

Re: Brees letting the team down
 

I see there are a lot of the expected excuses still being given out for Brees today. He tried too hard, the line wasn't good, we abandoned the run game, etc. Look, I've taken turns blaming the O-line, the receivers, the coaches, and the defense. But lastnight the defense was fine, the blocking gave him plenty of time, by their standards, and the clock management was on him, not the coaches. As for abandoning the run, that tends to happen when you're playing from behind, but I agree that we should have fed PT more. But did anybody notice how many yards we were piling up in both the run and passing game? It's not like there weren't open receivers. This guy is not the highest paid QB in NFL history to hand just sit back and hand off when he's having a bad game. The throws were there, and you expect your franchise quarterback to make those plays, but he simply failed to do so. Please don't insult anyone's intelligence by trying to blame 5 picks, and a lot of would be picks, on the coaches.

Re: Brees letting the team down
 

I'm not going to say much about this since after last game it became frustrating to try and criticize Brees' performance and to discuss it with some, even though I still feel that the criticism was warranted.

The thing that bothers me about Brees' play in the last two games - without placing any particular blame on him about the outcomes of the games themselves - is that he seems to hold on to the ball for too long, or at least longer than I'm used to seeing him hold on to it in the past. This was much more evident in the 49ers game where Kaepernick was much faster in getting the ball out of his hands than Brees was, but I think it was still an issue this week. It could naturally be that all his receivers were covered in the backfield and he wanted to give them more time to create some separation from the defenders, but there has to be a time when you just give up on the play and throw the ball out of bounds to play another snap.

Another thing that has been somewhat worrisome is that he hasn't been throwing the ball with the same accuracy he has been in the past, or at least it feels like it. Now, it might just be a chemistry thing and/or an issue with the timing inside the plays, but nevertheless it has been present in recent games. Also, his arm strength hasn't maybe deteriorated per se, but he still throws some of those long balls way too short, which makes it hard for the receivers like Henderson and Morgan to use the separation they've created, because they have to put their brakes on and come back to the ball instead of running to the ball. Morgan has made some circus-type catches out of these situations, but it was only a few games ago when Morgan was slightly injured because of one such play.

I know Brees will elevate his level of performances in the coming weeks, but sadly the outcome of these last two games has pretty much determined Saints' fate in the playoff run, so the damage is already done.

Re: Brees letting the team down
 

Carmichael doesn't throw the ball.

Re: Brees letting the team down
 

Got it, but Carmicheal doesn't throw the ball. If Brees is asked to throw the ball more, he is a professional and should know when to throw it away.

Re: Brees letting the team down
 

It not just a feeling but also a stat. Last year Brees completed 71.2% of his passes. This year he is at 61.8% almost a good 10 points lower. This is also his lowest since he got to the Saints, you have to go back all the way to 2003 for him to have a lower completion Drops has been a bigger problem this year than before but thats not the whole story.

This year so far Brees has been throwing the football 41 times per game. Last year when he set the NFL record for passing yards in a season and completion percentage he threw the football 41.0625 times per game.

Re: Brees letting the team down
 

I don't know...a lot of people giving credit to SP. Possibly...but he has never actually been on the field at the same time with Drew.

My common sense says that it has more to do with who is not on the field and less to do with who is not on the sideline...but that's just my guess.

Then, when you ask why they are not on the field, I can give you 20 million reasons.

Re: Brees letting the team down
 

Nothing personal but this post is absurd. What other decision do you think the team should have made? Let him walk?

Re: Brees letting the team down
 

Sit him. There's no QB in the league who wouldn't sit after 7 turnovers in 2 games.

His magical run is OVER.

Let's see Chase Daniel the rest of the season. He needs playing time.

And yes, this is absurd, but I'm serious. Sit him and show him just how human he is.

Alaska

Re: Brees letting the team down
 

Well, my oldest daughter plays fastpitch softball. Both High School and Travel Team. She has told me that she doesn't like it when I am not at her games. She says she feels relaxed knowing I am on the outside of the fence. I feel sure the same goes for Drew and the relationship he has with Sean.

I think Sean is Drew's security blanket. He (Drew) knows if he doesn't have the answer, Sean does. That in itself is comforting for an athletic leader, in any sport. Drew doesn't have that this year. He has taken it upon himself to be THE leader, and not just as a QB.

Now; did I cuss those 7 INT's? You bet butt I did. But, I understand what is going on to a certain extent.

By the way LB, this wasn't an arguement for your post. It was just a good example of what I was trying to get across.