Drew Brees: Has the Rest of NFL Finally Figured Him Out?
Coming off of a Super Bowl victory and an MVP-caliber season, a lot of people expected Drew Brees to keep up the high level of production he's put forth the past few seasons.
However, that has not been the case this year and there are a lot of questions as to what's wrong with Brees and the offense.
Inside you'll find 10 reasons why Drew Brees has not been the Drew Brees we're used to seeing.
No. 10: Knee Injury
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In late September, WIST-AM of New Orleans reported that Drew Brees had a strained MCL, but the team would not confirm that report.
Head coach Sean Payton would only say that Brees' knee was sore. Brees would go on to wear a knee brace, and if his knee was sore, it had to be hard to block out of his mind. When you're a quarterback, you're aware of everything around you and if he is trying to avoid contact with his legs, it affects his throws and likely lead to the performances we've seen.
No. 9: Lack of Big Plays
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New Orleans runs a big play offense and those plays simply haven't been there as readily as they were last year for the Saints.
If you take away the biggest play of the year—Lance Moore's 80 yard touchdown grab—the longest play of the year in the passing game is 39 yards.
The Saints live and die by those big plays, and if they can't get them and shift the momentum, teams can hang in against New Orleans and win ball games like they have this year.
Find the big play and find success.
No. 8: Super Bowl Hangover
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Former champions have said this all the time: It's hard to win a championship, even harder to repeat as champion.
There isn't the same fire around Drew Brees and the Saints that there was last year. That's just how it seems watching the team. There isn't the same hunger and drive that we saw as New Orleans pushed towards the Super Bowl last year.
It's easy to lose that once you've gotten to the top. Maybe some of these losses will wake the Saints up, but Brees and company don't seem like the same team they were last year.
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No. 7: Playcalling
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One thing the Saints do not have right now on offense is balance.
At this point in the season, New Orleans has passed the ball 199 times and ran the ball 116 times. At this point last year, the two totals were almost exactly the same. You can't have success as a football team if you don't have balance on offense.
Even if the Saints don't have faith in their running game, they need to run just to keep the defense honest. Brees has struggled because he hasn't been put in the best position to succeed.
No. 6: Poor Offensive Line Play
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One thing that has been evident about the Saints' offense is that the offensive line simply cannot impose its will on people like it did last year.
In 2009, Drew Brees was sacked 20 times all season. At this point in the year, he's been sacked eight times. The line is not protecting him and he's trying to get rid of the ball before he's ready to.
That's not a recipe for success.
If your timing is off as an offense, you're not going to be able to score on anyone.
No. 5: Inconsistent Wideouts
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While Drew Brees and the Saints have always thrived on spreading the ball around to an array of targets, there really hasn't been one consistent wide-out in the bunch.
Numbers are up because of the amount of throws Brees has had to make, but the wide-outs don't all show up at the same time. One week it's this guy and the next it's another. They need to start getting open and helping him make plays.
Regardless of how good Brees is, he can't do it all himself. If he can get more consistent play from his receivers, he'll turn it around.
No. 4: Long Field
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One thing that put Drew Brees in a great position to make plays was his defense. The defense would cause turnovers and the Saints would come on to the field with a short area to work with, and just like that New Orleans would be on the board.
The Saints aren't causing those turnovers this season.
Brees and company have had long fields to work with, thus they haven't been able to get into the end zone with regularity. If the defense steps up, Brees will be able to make more plays.
No. 3: Turnovers
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One thing Drew Brees hasn't been this year is accurate, as he has turned the ball over more than we're accustomed to.
Last year, Brees finished with 11 interceptions. Right now, Brees has thrown five picks. Brees is trying to force the ball and it's not working. He's rushing his throws and throwing before he's ready. The Saints offense is based on timing and it's clearly off.
If Brees throws when he wants to, he's deadly. Now he's throwing when he doesn't want to and it's been costly. We're not used to this many picks from him.
No. 2: Red Zone Ineffectiveness
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After finishing above the league average in red zone effectiveness the past four years, the Saints are nowhere near it this year.
Right now, after only scoring one touchdown in four red zone trips, New Orleans' red zone scoring percentage is just a little over 36 percent. For a team like the Saints, that's inexcusable. You need to execute inside the 20 and New Orleans is not doing that. Brees has weapons and he needs to find them.
The Saints and Brees are better than that, but we aren't seeing it right now.
No. 1: Loss Of Weapons
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While Reggie Bush hasn't lived up to the enormous expectations that were put upon him as he entered the league, he doesn't get enough respect for what he did bring to the table for the Saints.
Bush is a play maker and an x-factor, meaning opposing teams have to account for him on defense. With Bush out with a leg injury and Pierre Thomas out with an ankle injury, it has put more pressure on Brees to make plays. There were a lot of pass plays to Bush out of the flat and with that gone, it's more downfield passing.
Once Reggie Bush returns, we'll see more effectiveness from Brees and company.
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