Drew Brees hasn’t been as sharp as in previous season to start his 2020 campaign with the New Orleans Saints. But are you kidding me? Is this some kind of sick joke being played on NOLA?
Sure, Drew Brees is looking rusty. Of course he is. He’s getting old. But he needs some time to get in the groove.
It’s too soon to give up on the future hall of fame quarterback. Even without Michael Thomas, New Orleans has a great receiving corps. The Saints haven’t gone 2-0 since 2013, so the Saints aren’t starting off out of the norm.
And I’m sure my opinion may change. And change back again. Brees is struggling. But it’s way too soon to consider benching him. I wouldn’t even try to debate with these people.
The Saints have Jameis and apparently Steve Young 2.0 on the sideline.
How long does Brees have playing at this level before they've got decisions to make?
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) September 22, 2020
So here’s one thing we know: Brees struggled on Monday Night Football. New Orleans lost and slipped to 1-1 for the season. He described himself in the win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as “awful.”
Against the Bucs, Brees finished 26-of-38 for 312 yards for one touchdown, one interception and a passer rating of 91.1. That’s definitely not great, but it’s a long way from being awful.
The numbers above are not a cause for concern for anyone who watches a lot of football. Only seven NFL quarterbacks had more passing yards than Brees in Week 2.
The passer rating of the savvy vet was higher than that of Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray and Tom Brady. All three signal callers led their teams to a win this weekend.
pssssst
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Jameis time…?— Canal St. Chronicles (@SaintsCSC) September 22, 2020
Numbers that should worry you, (just a bit) is Brees’ average depth of target. It was very shallow this week. Just 5.3 yards. Even worse, 60 percent of his passing yards came after the catch.
Drew has already agreed a deal with NBC Sports to join the booth as an analyst once his career is over. His performances in the first two weeks have drawn unwanted parallels with Peyton Manning’s final season.
*says softly, but with more conviction* jameis https://t.co/8ozX5yr0Sn
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 22, 2020
But you have to remember that two games is a very small sample size. Brees’ is missing Michael Thomas, with the Saints star wideout and last season NFL’s reception leader sidelined with a high ankle sprain.
He’s still on my list as bouncing back sooner than later. But maybe not. Only time will tell. As I said early, I may flip on this. Watch all of the highlights from MNF below.
