Saints: Jimmy Graham

[CrazyCajun]

I really don't get the defeatist mentality of some the saints fans. I guess it's our miserable history that makes it easy for some folks to blow up this era and rebuild. I believe the chances of the saints drafting a top five qb of the future is smaller than the chances of getting to the super bowl. A qb like brees comes along once in a blue moon. You bleed him dry before you give up and completely rebuild.

Exactly, we were 11-5 just 2 years ago...run the ball get better on defense and the window is still wide open. You can't ask Brees to throw it 40-50 times a game and you need to protect him. He is still a top 5 QB and there have been plenty of teams to win superbowls without Top 5 QB's. When we won the superbowl we were I think 6th in rushing.

[BraveCajun]

It's not a defeatist attitude, I don't want to go 1-15, 3-13 and 4-12 post Brees to rebuild. Right now we could be in a position to transition from a HOF QB with a solid roster to a Solid QB with a better roster. Much like Green Bay did with Farve/Rogers or Indy with Manning/Luck.

Brees would bring us a high 1st rounder and a few late round picks, while freeing up tons of money after this season to rebuild/reload.

Maybe I have over looked the back up qbs on the saints roster. But when did saints obtain a Luck or Rogers type qb? Trading Brees and drafting a qb will cause the exact record you are trying to avoid.

[CajunEXPRESS]

The attitude is based on the declining productivity of our stars. Offensive line was offensive, defense no stars, special teams still pretty good if you consider we have a great punter and kickoff guy. Fast receivers scare nobody, and the ones who scared people are a step slower.

I think it is a recognition that the team got overpaid with mediocre talent at a lot of positions, and aging talent. Between Goodell, and Saints bad choices the first round has been a bad adventure.

Why trade Brees? Why not is more like it. He is coming up against old man time at thirty-six, and no quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl at 39 years or older. I doubt the Saints have the talent to support a Brees run, so get what you can for him, hopefully it works for him as well.

Also you have to evaluate who you are going to be fighting for the next three seasons. A very solid Seattle, Arizona needing a healthy quarterback, Greenbay, Carolina who Payton seems to not know how to beat regularly, rising Cowboys. It is a very tough go in the NFC for the next three years.

I am not an anti Brees guy, but I just think the supporting cast is very lacking at this point, and time is against him.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Green Bay had their future pushing Farbe off the bus, and Farbe only added to his own misery. Saints do not have the next Rogers, Brees, or Luck on their roster, and no free agents in that zone as well.

[CrazyCajun]

Green Bay had their future pushing Farbe off the bus, and Farbe only added to his own misery. Saints do not have the next Rogers, Brees, or Luck on their roster, and no free agents in that zone as well.

And if aaron Rodgers is sitting at 31... I'm sure the saints will take him. It worked out for the Packers... Doesn't mean it will work for the saints.

[cajunhawk]

The big mystery that I'm sure Loomis and Payton would love to know the answer to is...when does he start to decline. His numbers haven't fallen off, only interceptions have increased and that can be due to lack of offensive line play. Here is the conundrum. You get an offer that has very good draft pick compensation for Brees, but you think he still has 2-3 years left in the tank which would hopefully give you enough time to find his heir apparent. That's most likely what will happen this year. What if he doesn't have 2-3 years left in the tank? What if the decline starts this year, and you have no heir apparent, and no hefty draft pick compensation? It's a sticky situation to be in. Trading Brees will devastate the franchise for at least the next 2-3 years. Keeping Brees will only give you 2-3 more years of the Brees you paid for. There are massive risks on both sides. You can take the draft picks and send Brees to another team...and miss on every pick. You can also keep Brees and never find a suitable backup and be on the way back to the basement once Brees is all used up.

Me...I'll take strength in numbers. If someone is willing to give up a Herschel Walker type deal to get Brees now...take it. It won't be there in the upcoming years. The window is slamming shut...fast. The next 2-3 years will be painful, but if you draft appropriately, you should be able to build a very good team that can compete in the NFC. I doubt Loomis and Payton would pull the trigger if it was presented to them. The Saints seem like the types to kick the can down the road...and deal with it later. It's been that way with the team for years now. Given any opportunity to keep or trade Brees...they will kick the can down the road and hope they can figure it out 2-3 years from now. It's not a good position to be in. Destruction is a form of creation. Sometimes you have to start from scratch. It's not gonna be fun...but it's the most effective way to recreate what you had...especially when you haven't got anything ready to go when what you have fails.

[CajunT]

The big mystery that I'm sure Loomis and Payton would love to know the answer to is...when does he start to decline. His numbers haven't fallen off, only interceptions have increased and that can be due to lack of offensive line play. Here is the conundrum. You get an offer that has very good draft pick compensation for Brees, but you think he still has 2-3 years left in the tank which would hopefully give you enough time to find his heir apparent. That's most likely what will happen this year. What if he doesn't have 2-3 years left in the tank? What if the decline starts this year, and you have no heir apparent, and no hefty draft pick compensation? It's a sticky situation to be in. Trading Brees will devastate the franchise for at least the next 2-3 years. Keeping Brees will only give you 2-3 more years of the Brees you paid for. There are massive risks on both sides. You can take the draft picks and send Brees to another team...and miss on every pick. You can also keep Brees and never find a suitable backup and be on the way back to the basement once Brees is all used up.

Me...I'll take strength in numbers. If someone is willing to give up a Herschel Walker type deal to get Brees now...take it. It won't be there in the upcoming years. The window is slamming shut...fast. The next 2-3 years will be painful, but if you draft appropriately, you should be able to build a very good team that can compete in the NFC. I doubt Loomis and Payton would pull the trigger if it was presented to them. The Saints seem like the types to kick the can down the road...and deal with it later. It's been that way with the team for years now. Given any opportunity to keep or trade Brees...they will kick the can down the road and hope they can figure it out 2-3 years from now. It's not a good position to be in. Destruction is a form of creation. Sometimes you have to start from scratch. It's not gonna be fun...but it's the most effective way to recreate what you had...especially when you haven't got anything ready to go when what you have fails.

I think if Brees was 32 years old, some franchise might make that kind of offer for him. But it's not going to happen now, so you get rid of or renegotiate the contracts that prohibit you from improving and contending the next two seasons. IMO, that is the window with Drew Brees and it starts up front with protection.

The Saints have not drafted well in the premium rounds over the past four seasons and it has finally caught up wit them. Instead of drafting for depth and development like New England, the Saints have targeted specific athletes at the cost of trading away picks. They have an opportunity in this draft and free agency period to correct their mistakes, but they are more then just a few players away from a championship right now.

[BraveCajun]

The big mystery that I'm sure Loomis and Payton would love to know the answer to is...when does he start to decline. His numbers haven't fallen off, only interceptions have increased and that can be due to lack of offensive line play. Here is the conundrum. You get an offer that has very good draft pick compensation for Brees, but you think he still has 2-3 years left in the tank which would hopefully give you enough time to find his heir apparent. That's most likely what will happen this year. What if he doesn't have 2-3 years left in the tank? What if the decline starts this year, and you have no heir apparent, and no hefty draft pick compensation? It's a sticky situation to be in. Trading Brees will devastate the franchise for at least the next 2-3 years. Keeping Brees will only give you 2-3 more years of the Brees you paid for. There are massive risks on both sides. You can take the draft picks and send Brees to another team...and miss on every pick. You can also keep Brees and never find a suitable backup and be on the way back to the basement once Brees is all used up.

Me...I'll take strength in numbers. If someone is willing to give up a Herschel Walker type deal to get Brees now...take it. It won't be there in the upcoming years. The window is slamming shut...fast. The next 2-3 years will be painful, but if you draft appropriately, you should be able to build a very good team that can compete in the NFC. I doubt Loomis and Payton would pull the trigger if it was presented to them. The Saints seem like the types to kick the can down the road...and deal with it later. It's been that way with the team for years now. Given any opportunity to keep or trade Brees...they will kick the can down the road and hope they can figure it out 2-3 years from now. It's not a good position to be in. Destruction is a form of creation. Sometimes you have to start from scratch. It's not gonna be fun...but it's the most effective way to recreate what you had...especially when you haven't got anything ready to go when what you have fails.

Those are the two options the saints have at the moment. The main reason why I advocate keeping Brees, is that drafting a future top 5 qb is a crap shot. I would rather ride Brees till the wheels fall off. Brees is the only hall of famer type qb in franchise history. It may be another 3 decades before they find another one.

[CajunEXPRESS]

True dat.

[MetryCajun]

LOL to trading Brees. Franchises can wallow for a decade without a QB. We have one. About a dozen teams do not. When Brees retires or gets released it is certain the next guy will not be as good. Like many I think he is paid too much, but he is an elite playmaker. With a better OL I could see him having a better year in 2015.
Really curious to see what they do with the guards. Neither are worth the money, but they have drafted so poorly no replacements are viable.