What's up Who Dats! Welcome to Tee's Corner! Today we'll talk about the most important position on offense and arguably the most important position on the team - the quarterback. For the New Orleans Saints, this position has been a point of stability and certainty since 2006. Though recently there have been rumors of a Drew Brees trade and the usual talk of the 'Great Drew Brees Decline'. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis put all of the trade talk to bed and shifted the focus back to the organization's pledge to get better on defense. With the luxury of a future Hall of Famer on the roster, the Saints can focus on other aspects of the team. But don't be fooled, the end is not out of sight for this magical ride and the QB position will need to be addressed within the next few years. In the meantime, they must field a starting clip board holder and his backup as well.
The Cast
As with most NFL rosters, this is a short list of players, kinda like the center position, you just don't need many if all things go as planned. In the starting role you have the veteran Brees. His current backups according to the Saints website are Luke McCown and Ryan Griffin. Brees has 14 seasons under his belt, but still performs at a level higher than QBs on most other NFL rosters. McCown has bounced around the NFL a good bit throughout his career, but has called N.O. home for the last 2. Griffin is a Tulane product who Payton (and Don Cariello) seems to like and has gone to lengths to keep him away from other teams. There are some who believe that Griffin is being groomed to be the next starting QB for the Saints, but only time will tell. The Saints may move up and draft a QB (Mariotta? Winston? Later for Petty) this spring and shock everyone, but investing a high pick (and subsequent contract) in a guy to sit on the bench may not be the best idea given the current cap situation. A late round pick wouldn't be a huge surprise, but wouldn't make a great deal of sense when Griffin is already on the roster and 2 seasons into the system. You could also reasonably say that Griffin is ready to be Brees' backup and the team could be looking for a youngster to store on the practice squad.
Passing Lanes
The comfort of having a QB like Brees on the roster cannot be understated, you know what you have and you like it! With the exception of a blow out or catastrophic situation, you don't have to worry too much about who you have in the bullpen to relieve your starter. With that said, Brees won't be around forever, so you at least want to attempt to have a decent backup on your roster who gives you some chance at success in the future. McCown is not the answer based on history and what we've all seen from him in preseason play.
Now Griffin is a different story. He's young and has had the advantage of working with Brees and head coach Sean Payton. To some, sitting on the practice squad and watching Brees light up defenses may not mean a thing. But please believe that the lessons that can be learned are plentiful. Griffin is side by side with a hard-working QB who, on average days, can shred a defense for 350+ and 4 touchdowns. Griffin's situation is enhanced by the presence of Payton, who has been there to assist in fine-tuning his game and also can tailor plays to suit his strengths.
I won't speculate on how long Brees has left because no one really knows how long he'll perform at a level that is pleasing to the Saints front office. As of right now, the Saints have a top 5 guy under center who is getting a revamped offensive line and a young running game to back him up. For some, the receiving core looks like Colston, Cooks, and a bunch of JAGs, but that may be all this remodeled offense needs in 2015.
Let's hear it y'all, are the Saints shifting the weight from Brees' shoulders or will we see him 'sling it a ton' in 2015? Thanks for reading, Be Cool Who Dats!