The New Orleans Saints might be Super Bowl contenders. They could be good enough to carry their form from this regular season into the playoffs. It’s possible that when the Vince Lombardi Trophy is hoisted on Feb. 7, they’re the ones to have survived the gauntlet required to not just get there, but to shine on the National Football League’s most grandiose day. And the reason why it is might, could and possibly – and not something suggesting greater potential – is because of some lingering doubt regarding the absolute last place you’d expect to find any. Drew Brees. There are some legitimate reasons why the Saints should like their chances. Reasons like a dominant defense, which is arguably the league’s best, the golden hands of soon-to-return Michael Thomas and the hectic running of Alvin Kamara, not to mention the nine-game winning streak they went on from October to mid-December. At times. when you watch the Saints, all things seem feasible. Heading into their Christmas Day clash with the Minnesota Vikings (4:30 p.m. ET on FOX), they are 10-4 and one win away from clinching the NFC South. They don’t have a weak link, but if they are going to stumble at some point during a postseason that is rushing towards us, the most obvious likelihood is that Brees finds himself unable to meet the requisite challenge. Let’s get this straight: it is not his fault and it is not from any lack of desire, although that isn’t really the relevant point. “I missed the last four weeks and I’m trying to kind of get back into it again,” Brees told reporters. “Get the feel and the rhythm and all that. So, I think there’s just a little bit of that going on right now. “I just don’t know how many more opportunities I’ll have. There’s even a greater sense of urgency, sure.” Those past empty weeks, and the reason for them, are why the current version of Brees doesn’t have the overwhelming faith of Saints fans, a suggestion that would rightfully have been derided as ludicrous at any other time. The injuries he suffered in Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers were just as debilitative in reality as they sound in theory. “‘Tis but a scratch,” said no one, ever, to describe 11 fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. Since his return, Brees wears a protective flak jacket for games that is resistant enough to withstand a grenade explosion. He’s 41, is in his 20th season and has been the cornerstone of New Orleans football for a decade and a half, yet as the Saints try for their first Super Bowl trip since 2010, there is no certainty that he can get them over the line. He feels he has a point to prove, but a lot of people will question whether he can actually go ahead and prove it. If he can, it will be a feat as remarkable as any of those passing records he racks up for fun. Last weekend’s defeat to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs did little to dispel fears that the Saints may have problems moving the ball as swiftly and tidily as usual, with Brees throwing incompletions on his first six passes and starting off 7-of-24. “It was clear (Brees) was not ready,” former All-Pro running back Brian Westbrook said. “We knew Drew Brees was going to be a bit rusty. We didn’t figure he was only going to complete 44 percent of his passes, that the Saints would be 1-for-11 on third down. If this team plays like this, they are not going to win the NFC and they’re not going to be playing in the championship. “They’ll get beat by better teams like the (Green Bay) Packers, possibly the (Tampa Bay) Buccaneers as well. Drew Brees has to get healthier and when he gets healthier, this offense has to be much more efficient.” The Saints will take Brees for as long as he is willing and you’d go with a dinged up Drew over virtually any other signal-caller on the planet. The question of whether that is enough to get them through against the very best the NFL has to offer is why they are +850 to win it all, per FOX Bet, and not a shorter price. Brees will give it everything he has between now and his probable February retirement because that’s who he is and also because of the imminent deadline. He thought about retiring after last season and it’s not much of a stretch to suggest the physical punishment of this year most likely has tipped him towards a couch, or maybe a commentary booth, sooner than later. If the time sensitivity of the whole thing caused him to try to get back a little sooner than he was ready, well, that’s understandable. “Brees looked like he came back too fast,” wrote Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab. “The concern is whether he should have come back this season at all. He didn’t look like himself.” For all the quality teams the Saints have had and all the near misses in their attempts to give Brees a second Super Bowl shot over the years, this is probably the best overall collection of pieces they have had. That it comes now – not just towards the end but when Brees is fighting to hold his body together – is shaping up as a cruel coincidence. Or, if he finds a way through it, a story for the ages. Here’s what others have said … Max Kellerman, ESPN: “His arm isn’t what it used to be, but he needs to be a guy that we believe can be in the elite. He has to make us believe that. In a way, the silver lining for having a thousand fractured ribs and a punctured lung at the age of 41 is that in rehabilitating from that injury, he got some time off. Maybe he will be fresher for the playoff run. Brees has to show us and give us reason to think ‘yes, he can actually win a Super Bowl.’ He has to make us believe he’s still an elite quarterback.” Gerald McCoy, NFL Defensive Tackle: “I know Drew. I know his competitive nature. He wants to win everything. He doesn’t like losing. I know sitting out and not playing was getting to him, But in this instance, he came back a little too early. I think he should have taken another week, maybe two. I believe they have enough to win out and win the division. I just don’t think he should have come back this fast.” Nick Wright, FOX Sports: “Here’s why the Saints were smart to bring Drew Brees back. The Saints were losing this game anyway, and Brees was going to look rusty in his first game back no matter what. Next week, they do need to beat Minnesota and Carolina in Week 17. I would expect Drew to look far better next week.” |
