Getty Image / Streeter Lecka
Drew Brees announced via his Instagram that he will be returning to the Saints for what will be his 20th NFL season. The news, while not all that surprising, has started up the old offseason take machine.
Doug Gottlieb joined First Things First on Wednesday morning and delivered quite the analogy while essentially saying that Brees is old and that he doesn’t have what it takes to lead the Saints to any sort of success.
It’s worth noting that Gottlieb is by no means a football guy, he is a college basketball guy. I could listen to him talk college hoops for forever, but when it comes to football, his takes seem a bit forced.
During the segment, Gottlieb compared Brees returning to the NFL for yet another season to him and his old buddies playing a pick-up game of basketball and losing what was supposed to be the final game, but one guy (Brees in this situation) always wanting to run it back. He explains that every time that guy wants to run it back the team loses.
Basically, Brees is washed up, old and his play has and will continue to decline, according to Gottlieb.
"I love Drew Brees. … But when you're done, you're done. Don't run it back. I feel like it's a mistake. I think he should have rode off into the sunset as the all-time career passing and touchdown leader." — @GottliebShow pic.twitter.com/M84yNNk72s
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 19, 2020
Gottlieb may not be aware of the fact that Brees was a Pro Bowl quarterback last year. The 41-year-old also led the NFL in completion percentage (74.3%) among all quarterbacks that played in at least 10 games last season. This is a guy that threw 27 touchdowns and just four interceptions in 11 games to go along with the second-highest QB rating in the NFL at 116.3.
If Gottlieb is saying that he struggles more as the season comes on, well, that’s just not true. Brees threw 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions in New Orleans’ final four regular-season games in which the Saints went 3-1.
Those are not the numbers of a quarterback on the decline.
**
Follow Mark on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris