The New Orleans Saints have plenty of self-inflicted wounds that contribute to their 2-5 start, and the magnitude of injuries can’t be ignored. The dispiriting losses are piling up, and it’s hard to know what the team would be if they had even half their missing starters. Decimating injuries are an unfortunate, unavoidable part of football. Replacing a longtime franchise quarterback, however, awards more control – should a team decide to take it.
It was almost unfathomable to imagine life after Drew Brees, and history warned that leaving that decision in the hands of the quarterback is not without lasting consequences. Injuries became insurmountable last season, but the Saints somehow remained in postseason contention until the final hour. They appeared to have broken the mold. We’re now seeing how much of that had to do with Sean Payton – and how irreplaceable a tandem like Brees and Payton truly is.
