New Orleans Saints

Rumors of Brees' Decline Greatly Exaggerated

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Now that Brees is older, everyone (except Saints fans) is for some reason, eager to write him off. But if Sunday is any indication of all his season will go, I think they might want to rethink things.

One of the most reassuring takeaways following the New Orleans Saints week one nail-biting 35-34 loss to the Oakland Raiders was the play of future Hall of Famer Drew Brees. Much has been made in the media in the last couple of years about Brees’ age. He’s 37 and will turn 38 in January.

For Sunday, September 11, 2016 he was the oldest quarterback to start in the league. Not only did he lead the league in age, barring a standout performance Monday night against the Washington Redskins by Steelers’ signal caller Ben Roethlisberger, he’ll end the first week of the season leading the league in passing yards and quarterback rating.

He should be a shoo-in for the FedEx Air Player of the Week award.

Sep 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) and wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) celebrate after a touchdown during the second quarter of a game against the Oakland Raiders at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Stats

Brees finished Sunday’s contest with 423 yards going 28 of 42 (66.7%), with 4 TDs, 0 INTs, and a QBR of 131.3. Along the way he broke the NFL records for most 300 yard games, most 350 yard games, and tied for all time 400 yard games with Peyton Manning. He also moved into 3rd place on the all time TD list behind only Manning and Brett Favre.

He and receiver Brandin Cooks set a franchise record for longest TD pass with a 98-yard completion breaking the record previously held by Billy Joe Hobert and Eddie Kennison.

Rumors of Decline

Rumors of eroding arm strength seemed baseless watching Brees dissect the Oakland defense on Sunday. He might not go deep as much as he once did but that’s mostly due to the fact that he’s had less time in the pocket over the last few seasons as the Saints work to overcome a lack of depth and talent on the offensive line.

More from Who Dat Dish

Following a shaky 0-4 preseason featuring a sputtering Saints offense there was plenty of concern heading into this contest, especially with the questionable play of the offensive line. Well the O-line played much better than expected and, though they got off to a rough start, the Saints offense looked like what we’ve grown to expect in the Who Dat Nation.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – SEPTEMBER 11: Drew Brees

Protection

Though Brees’ occasionally faced some pressure from the Raiders pass rush, he ended the game with only one sack and only took a couple of hits after having released the ball. That sack however was a strip and gave the Black and Silver the ball deep in Saints territory leading to a field goal. In a one point loss that looms large.

Brees’ admitted after the game that he had held the ball too long and should have checked down and gotten rid of it instead of risking the sack. That is one of many small things the Saints need to clean up going into the rest of the season.

Birthday Wishes

It’s safe to say we can stop talking about Drew’s age for now. We can bring it up again on January 15, 2017 to wish him a happy 38th, but certainly not to question his abilities.

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