DOVE ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR RE-ELECTION
February 9, 2018NOW HIRING
February 9, 2018
The New Orleans Saints proved me wrong in 2017.
I picked them to finish 7-9 in the preseason, despite fan optimism in the area. I then gloated heavily when the team started 0-2 and looked miserable doing so.
But I ate crow after that.
The Saints fixed their issues and had one hell of a season – a run that fans will remember for a long, long time (in part because of the dramatic way in which it ended).
But now with the season over, the hard work is just beginning because the Saints have several big decisions to make in the coming weeks, which will ultimately decide whether the team stays in contention for the rest of Drew Brees’ career or whether they slip back to mediocrity for the years ahead.
The first decision is about Brees’, himself.
When Case Keenum hit Stefon Diggs for a late-game, Hail Mary touchdown in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs, it ended the Saints’ season, but it also ended Brees’ contract with the team.
Brees is a free agent this offseason because the Saints cannot place the franchise tag on him again. In theory, this means that Brees is free to negotiate with other teams when the free agency period begins. No one expects that to actually happen. Brees has said publicly that he wants to remain with the team until retirement.
But at what cost?
The price and duration of Brees’ contract will be a huge factor in the team’s future success.
Reports say that Brees is willing to take a slight discount to help the Saints out, but he’s said that in the past and has never seemed to budge during negotiations.
He’s worth a lot, of course, but at 39, how much longer will he be valuable? To me, the key thing to look for are the years on the deal.
I think 2-years and $50 million is fair with a team option for a third year, if still effective. But if we get something that’s four or five years with a lot of guaranteed money on the back-end of the deal, it could seriously handcuff the team in the post-Brees era.
The Brees deal will get done. There’s no doubt about that – it’s just a matter of the financials.
Some other pieces of the team’s offseason are not quite as certain.
On the depth chart, the Saints have a few holes that can be filled either via the NFL Draft or free agency and the good news is that the team has a little money to burn for the first offseason in a long, long time.
Offensively, the Saints need weapons. Rookie sensation Alvin Kamara is a wizard and Michael Thomas is that steady, sure-handed weapon that the team lacked since losing Marques Colston. But Thomas and Kamara need another outside receiver target to help New Orleans stretch the field.
To me, it’s a no-brainer. I’m calling former LSU standout Jarvis Landry and I’m trying desperately to get him in a Black and Gold uniform.
Landry has been underrated his entire career. He was overshadowed by Odell Beckham at LSU (despite always arguably producing more on the field) and in the pros, he’s never had a quarterback with a pulse.
Despite that, Landry has 400 receptions in 4 NFL seasons for 4,038 yards and 22 touchdowns.
By comparison, the great Beckham has just 313 receptions in his career.
If the team doesn’t like the steep price of the receiver market in free agency, New Orleans could also look to pick up a pass-catching tight end, as well.
Truthfully, anything to get help for Brees and the passing attack will help, because Ted Ginn Jr. is a fossil and Brandon Coleman is as reliable as the DMV is quick.
Defensively, New Orleans is much improved, but the team would be wise to get some help on that side of the ball, as well.
It’d be lazy to see that the team had a bundle of injuries and think that renewed health would make all the team’s problems go away.
The Saints’ defense never tapered off when those guys got hurt for a reason – because they’re not difference makers or impact players.
The Saints need a second pass rusher to compliment Cameron Jordan. While at it, they’d be wise to let Kenny Vaccaro walk and try and use a little free agent cash to add some additional depth to the back-end.
And look, a lot of it is luck, too.
Just because a team is good in one season, it doesn’t mean they’ll be good the next – even if the players are pretty much the same.
The Dallas Cowboys were the Cinderella of the NFL in 2016 with rookies all over the field.
But after a six-game suspension to Zeke Elliott and a bit of a sophomore slump to Dak Prescott, they never found the same mojo in 2017.
The same thing happens to other teams all of the time. That’s why every season, most of the returning playoff teams miss the playoffs.
That’s the way the league wants it in their currently parity-first format .
I’m not saying that will happen to the Saints in 2018 – not at all.
But part of success in a parity-driven league is to have Lady Luck on your side.
The Saints had it for a lot of the past season. They missed Aaron Rodgers on the schedule and faced a lot of teams who were playing poor football at the time of their game.
Having some of that again in 2018 would help, but it won’t be easy. Winning the NFC South means they’ll get a first-place schedule next year, which adds to the drama.
There’s a reason why most teams don’t make the playoffs on back-to-back years and little things like that are the reason why.
New Orleans Saints rookie halfback Alvin Kamara looks to the crowd after scoring a touchdown this season. Kamara was a superstar in 2017, but now, the challenge for the Saints will be to bottle up that same mojo in 2018 so that they can prolong their success into the future. That’s no easy task.
