I found myself watching the Philly game last night, & I hate to admit but I started to get mad at Drew Brees. Not b/c of his poor play of late, but because of his contract. I know, it's a business and he deserved what he got. But everyone knows this is a team sport. People flourish or fail, in large part, because of their surroundings. Drew Brees was great (& still is) but the people and players around him helped catapult this team to the next level. Sean Payton no doubt helped elevate Drew Brees' game, as did so many others both offensively and defensively; and so many of those Key players are gone now, because we essentially cannot afford to keep them. I realize some are in decline so better to release now than later. But you can't tell me leadership and locker room presence don't play a major role in team success. I think we are seeing a product of that now. Good or bad, right or wrong.

Not the contract crap again. If you compare Brees' contract to those around the league and those about to come about in the next couple of years for FAR lessor QB's you would see that the Saints got a good deal out of it. By 2016 the salary cap is going to be more than $30 million higher than it was when Brees got his deal. His salary is counting LESS percentage-wise against the cap and that is even before the very likely restructuring which will take place next off-season. Blaming Brees' pay is a totally misguided reaction to simple bad luck and frustration as a fan.

Personally, I feel very fortunate that the Saints are still in the position they are in. The division is theirs to win now and anything can happen in the playoffs.

Blah blah blah. Somehow I knew you would come out of the woodwork when I posted this. I don't care how it compares to other contracts. That wasn't my point at all. All I know is there are those QBs (& other highly sought out players) that have a much more humble approach. When he went to Denver, didn't Manning (or maybe it was Brady) mention he wasn't as concerned w his contract ($$) as he was with keeping the right people around him? I am not a Brees hater, and certainly not one of the ones saying he's in decline. I just know it takes more than one person and we have lost key players and leaders in our locker room because of several massive contracts. And you can't tell me that doesn't have something to do with our issues.

No. I don't think it has anything to do with "our issues". As I pointed out, cap is not an issue with the current and future trend. There is a 53 man roster that needs to be filled. The cap did not keep the Saints from making major moves. Losing Jarius Byrd has something very real to do with our issues. Having Keenan Lewis go down with the leg injury has something to do with the issues Sunday. Graham suffering a shoulder injury had something to do with our issues. Untimely drops have something to do with our issues.

Brees is going to restructure along the same lines as Brady did a few years back and get more guaranteed money over a longer period ... just like Brady so famously did.

No, we lost key leaders from our locker room because they were old and could no longer produce. Does that create a leadership vacuum? Hell yes it does. But it has absolutely nothing to do with an extremely fair contract awarded to Drew Brees.

I didn't say Brees' contract was unfair. I referenced Brees' (& other massive contracts, didn't I?), and made no mention of them being unfair. But they do "hamstring" us. And I can't name them all but there are at least 3 to 5 of our old-and-no-longer-producing leaders, on other teams right now and thriving...and it's because we didn't have the cap space to keep them.