Is Drew Brees on the Decline?
By Ryan Ratty
Is Drew Brees on the decline for the New Orleans Saints?
Amidst the rumors of the New Orleans Saints drafting a quarterback high in the 2015 NFL Draft and his overall performance in 2014, there have been questions and concerns arising with Drew Brees and his ability to produce. At age 35, Brees is entering the dog days of his career and he is starting to look like a different quarterback than years past. Even though Peyton Manning and Tom Brady could play well into their 40’s, Brees is a different case.
Over the past few seasons, Brees has been a staple as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Ever since coming to New Orleans in 2006, Brees has thrown for at least 4,418 yards every year. His best years were from 2011-2013, where he threw for at least 5,162 yards each season. After years of success, it was made clear that the duo of Brees and Sean Payton was one of the best coach-player duos in the league.
Brees has become such a factor year in and year out that many have overlooked his 2014 season. Just like his team, Brees has struggled mightily. Brees is on pace to finish with over 4,700 passing yards. While that is respectable in today’s NFL, when you take in count Brees’ numbers over course of tenure with the Saints, it is easy to see that he in fact is regressing.
When you look at the weapons Brees has had in his arsenal, the first thing that should be said is Brees has made all of these players better. One player that was exposed when he left New Orleans was Robert Meachem. In 2012, Meachem signed with the San Diego Chargers. After seeing his yardage dip by just under 400 yards and his touchdowns dip by four, Meachem came back to New Orleans in 2013, and what comes as no surprise, his production went back up with Brees throwing the football. This offseason, Lance Moore signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has seemingly done nothing in his first season in the Steel City.
In fact, Moore let a rookie beat him out for the No. 3 receiver position. However, in 2014, Brees hasn’t been the same guy. The weapons around Brees are guys that have been playing with him for years. Jimmy Graham is one of the best tight ends in league and Marques Colston is a decent No. 1 receiver. Benjamin Watson is a decent receiving tight end and Kenny Stills is one of the league’s best deep threats. At first glance, the receiving group on this year’s Saints team isn’t special, but Brees has never really had top receivers around him. Like I said earlier, Brees has made his money by making something out of his receivers. That is something he hasn’t done in 2014.
In the worst division in the NFL, it’s amazing that the Saints are 5-7. Year after year, the Saints have had terrible defenses. It seems that for the Saints to get a win, they rely heavily on home field advantage and their offense putting up a bunch of points. The Saints are ranked 7th in terms of points per game, but there have been games in 2014 where the Saints have scored the majority of their points in garbage-time. The Saints are ranked 24th on defense in terms of points per game. Brees has been playing behind too often in 2014 and that is another concern for the Saints.
If the Saints don’t make the playoffs, there will be a ton of turmoil on this roster. While some reports are saying the Saints will draft a quarterback high in this year’s draft, that could very well be true. Brees has ton of mileage on his body and it will be a few years until he hangs up the cleats. However, even if he is regressing, Brees is still a top-ten quarterback and a guy who has done it all in his NFL career.
Oddly enough, the Saints have started running the ball with more efficiency in 2014. Ever since Payton started as the head coach for the Saints, they have never finished in the top 10 in run offense. Even though he has missed three games, Mark Ingram is ranked 11th in the NFL in terms of rushing yards. At this point in the season, that’s the highest a Saint has ever rushed for since Deuce McAllister in 2006. Because of the success the Saints have had on the ground, logic would say that Brees would be even more efficient, as he would be throwing against defenses that are loading the box. Instead, Brees has had a lower quarterback rating than he’s had in the past few years at 101.7.
For years, the reason why the Saints have been a competitive team has been the play of Brees, but in 2014, it’s clear that he’s on the decline. With Brees nearing the end of his career, it’s not surprise that his play has taken a turn for the worse. With four games left, Brees will have the opportunity to prove me wrong, but right now, Brees is losing strength in his arm and his body is starting to show signs of wear. Because of all of this, it is clear that Brees is in fact on the decline.