BelieveDat

What has really changed about the saints this season besides Sean Payton not leading our troops? Nothing I can really say made a big difference. In fact the saints are our same core players from last season with add on's like Lofton and Bunkley. Besides the game from Thursday I feel like Drew is and has been trying to hard to be like Sean Payton. When he should just make sure he's getting his job done. I live in El Paso Texas where everyone is a cowboys fan... I know it sucks. But my family being cowboy fans, have always said Drew Brees is an amazing quarter back but this season they think its funny to mock me and say he's starting to look like Tony Romo with good statistics yardage wise and touchdown wise but interception after interception. The most nerve racking part of the game now is watching Brees drop back in the pocket and I never thought in a million years I would be fearful or even doubtful of his abilities. But I am. And that is what hurts the most right now... Just imagine, had drew not wanted to be paid so highly we could've been able to match offers wanted by Carl Nicks, Tracy porter, Dunbar and others... Would that have made a difference? I think so.

SaintsBro

I liked the other stuff you said in your post and agree with you on a lot of things, but this...I have to disagree

First thing you need to understand is that you got a heck of a lot of pleasure and enjoyment and success out of Drew Brees for six years for WAY LESS THAN HE WAS WORTH. You got the steal of a lifetime on that. He loyally played through his contract for five,six years and you loved it, you ate it up, enjoyed the ride, and the whole time he never once asked YOU personally for anything in return for what he gave you (your Super Bowl and one of the winningest records in football.) When he won the Super Bowl, made the Pro Bowl, broke records, beat the Falcons, etc., he did not even grumble or ask you for one penny more, for what he gave you.

You basically want to win win win win WIN and simply not pay for it. That is not realistic. Drew didn't just keep his end of the 2005 bargain, he blew it out the water. If he had simply met expectations, been a generically average quarterback (at his generic, average salary) you would have a right to grumble about giving him a raise. But he didn't meet hopeful expectations -- he shattered everything, and did things the Saints had never done, and broke records you never even dreamed the Saints would ever break.

Yes, he is human and he ****s up. He throws INTs. But "had Drew not wanted to be paid so highly," then he would not have played his ass off for you like he did, FOR YOU, while under a contract that was all out of whack in proportion with respect to what he was actually worth, or what he was bringing to the Saints from 2009 to the present, under Sean Payton.

Had Drew not wanted to be paid so highly, the Saints would have been 8-8, 7-9, 4-12 the whole time that he was here from 2006 to now.

No, Carl Nicks would not have stayed here if Drew had been paid less. Wouldn't have happened. The big contract was already given to Jahri Evans in 2010 (highest paid guard in the league at the time), and had they paid Nicks what he was worth proportionate to Evans, it would have been too much money tied up in the guard position, you can't have $150 million of your team's money and 1/3 of your salary cap tied up in two players at one same position like that, that isn't a quarterback.

The reason you like Carl Nicks so much, is because like Brees he was under paid, WAY underpaid, and most of the time he was here, he was playing his ass off to try and get a contract on a par with Jahri Evans right next to him. Tracy Porter is arguably the same-- you love his interceptions and big plays, but you don't say a peep about his 2008 rookie contract which he was playing under while he was here....until it's Drew's fault he leaves...

SloMotion

That was an excellent read, my friend. . It drives home a point of great contention I have with today's professional athlete and emphasizes why I look up to Drew Brees. He didn't ask for 'big-money' coming in, he didn't ask to be paid first/perform later ... he went out and earned his salary before asking for a raise ... kinda' reminds me of myself, .

Crusader

SaintsBro, I don't agree with Brees being underpaid by the Saints before the guy signed a $60 million contract. I would however claim that he is overpaid at the moment. Especially considering that he is paid over $40 million this year.

alleycat_126

I don't think people understand or how different this team actually is than last year's squad. Yes, a lot of the components are the same but some things of tremendous importance are different that affect the ebb and flow of the Saints. I got plenty, but i'll give you just a few......

- Steve Spagnoulou vs. Gregg Willams.....

You wanna talk about the first thing that is or was different. Spags is used to getting tremendous pressure with just the front four and dropping lots and lots of people back in coverage. Williams was if we cant get that pressure we will go empty backfield and blitz everything. If we get some help on the Defensive front Spags system will work better.

- Joe Vitt/ Aaron Kromer vs Shawn Payton - Saints fans can easily blame this season for the lack of having Shawn Paytons leadership manning the helm and be done with it, and in that case I think there right. To me, he probably worth 7 to 10 more points on the scoreboard in every game we played this season.

- Drew Brees with SP vs Drew Brees without SP - Against ATL I saw something I never saw with Brees at the QB besides the 5 ints....... Drew Brees unsure of where he wanted to go with the ball. Brees must have patted and pumped that ball enough you thought he was trying to burp a baby..... I dont you see that Brees if SP is here and I think you see a return to form in NYG, but more importantly once SP returns.

alleycat_126

And to the contrary, I think to me what hurts the most is that they egged our team bus. More importantly then that they thought of doing that first. ( Egging the team bus is probably going to become a tradition, especially if there asses somehow ends up here in Febuary!!!!) When they won they sung a early 90's theme song...... " WHOOMP THERE IT IS " ..... really!!!! <<<< you know how long this song hasn't been ****!!!! I can still here them singing it in my head!!!!! And, save us making some sorta magic run and 4 or 5 nfc teams falling of a cliff there gonna get away with it till next season!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!