He drops back, locates his receiver, fires the ball at his target, and it is picked off. This has been the scenario an inordinate number of times for New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees during the 2010 NFL season. While the Saints remain a game over .500 and a mere game out of first place in their division, there is a clear problem that has developed in the Big Easy. After an embarrassing, turnover-laden beatdown by the hands of the lowly Cleveland Browns and rookie quarterback Colt McCoy, Saints fans are in a fervor. What has happened to their beloved Super Bowl Champions?
For years, Saints fans dealt with putrid teams and a lack of personnel talent. But then, by some miracle from above, the Saints clicked on all cylinders during the 2009 season and won their first title in their introductory visit to the Super Bowl. This year has been a different story, however. The Saints have looked on point only once this year: during their destruction of division rival Tampa Bay. Every other game has been loaded with turnovers, lack of effectiveness when running the ball, or silly errors. Drew Brees's 10 interceptions trail only Eli Manning among regular NFL starters. But what is to blame for this quarterback's inability to avoid the other team's waiting hands?
Much can be attributed to the injuries to both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush. These two backs ignited the Saints run and pass game, respectively, last year. Thomas averaged 5.4 yards per carry last year in New Orleans' platoon backfield, forcing the defense to respect the run and opening up the passing game for Brees. When healthy Reggie Bush serves as Brees's safety valve out of the backfield, allowing the quarterback to have a check down. Without his full compliment of weapons, Brees seems to be pressing himself to make everything happen for this severely unbalanced offense.
Despite the obvious problems with this team, there is a silver lining: the Pittsburgh Steelers will be visiting the Superdome this Sunday for a huge game on Sunday Night Football. This game will undoubtedly be intensely emotional, and a monstrous win could provide a necessary spark to stabilize this lost offense. This will certainly not be an easy task, but it could prove to be a huge victory in a division in which Atlanta is surging. I am not by any means saying that the New Orleans Saints are out of the picture to compete for another championship. Last year, they showed us how quickly they could ignite and become near-unbeatable. The only question is, will they come to life in time to save this season in which so much is expected of them?
For years, Saints fans dealt with putrid teams and a lack of personnel talent. But then, by some miracle from above, the Saints clicked on all cylinders during the 2009 season and won their first title in their introductory visit to the Super Bowl. This year has been a different story, however. The Saints have looked on point only once this year: during their destruction of division rival Tampa Bay. Every other game has been loaded with turnovers, lack of effectiveness when running the ball, or silly errors. Drew Brees's 10 interceptions trail only Eli Manning among regular NFL starters. But what is to blame for this quarterback's inability to avoid the other team's waiting hands?
Much can be attributed to the injuries to both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush. These two backs ignited the Saints run and pass game, respectively, last year. Thomas averaged 5.4 yards per carry last year in New Orleans' platoon backfield, forcing the defense to respect the run and opening up the passing game for Brees. When healthy Reggie Bush serves as Brees's safety valve out of the backfield, allowing the quarterback to have a check down. Without his full compliment of weapons, Brees seems to be pressing himself to make everything happen for this severely unbalanced offense.
Despite the obvious problems with this team, there is a silver lining: the Pittsburgh Steelers will be visiting the Superdome this Sunday for a huge game on Sunday Night Football. This game will undoubtedly be intensely emotional, and a monstrous win could provide a necessary spark to stabilize this lost offense. This will certainly not be an easy task, but it could prove to be a huge victory in a division in which Atlanta is surging. I am not by any means saying that the New Orleans Saints are out of the picture to compete for another championship. Last year, they showed us how quickly they could ignite and become near-unbeatable. The only question is, will they come to life in time to save this season in which so much is expected of them?
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