COOL BREES RULES SOUTH
The Saints, not Brady’s Bucs, are team to watch in division
The New Orleans Saints have quadrupled down on going all-in to win Drew Brees a second Super Bowl. They were already one of the best teams in the NFL. Now they’ve brought twotime champion safety Malcolm Jenkins back home and signed accomplished wideout Emmanuel Sanders.
That’s in addition to resigning Brees, guard Andrus Peat and defensive tackle David Onyemata, and applying a first-round tender to Swiss-Army knife QB Taysom Hill.
And this is meaningful not only because it may vault the Saints over the top after a painful three years of “almosts” (the Minneapolis Miracle divisional round road loss of 2017, the blown Rams pass interference non-call in the 2018 NFC Championship at the Superdome, and a home OT wild-card loss to the Vikings in January).
It also makes Tom Brady’s decision to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South seem curious, frankly, from a competitive standpoint.
This is not the lowly AFC East, where Brady and the Patriots won the last 11 division titles (not a typo) often with minimal opposition.
The Bucs have a lot of talent and could be dramatically better by subtracting Jameis Winston’s 30 interceptions. Receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, linebacker Devin White and franchisetagged edge rusher Shaq Barrett all are legitimate studs.
And Tampa does have the 14th pick in the NFL Draft, 10 spots ahead of New Orleans.
But Brady, 42, and the Bucs are clear underdogs. And come to think of it, Brees, 41, is by far the best quarterback foe Brady has ever had to face in his own division, too.
Not saying Brady would have had it easier joining the L.A. Chargers and playing in Patrick Mahomes’ division. Just pointing out: the Saints have won three straight NFC South titles and are 26-6 in the regular season the last two seasons.
And Brees will be throwing to Michael Thomas, Sanders,
Alvin Kamara and Jared Cook. With Sean Payton calling the plays.
Good luck, Tom.
EARLY WINNERS
Sticking with the theme of the rich getting richer, the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens both have had terrific starts to the 2020 league year.
The Niners’ trade of DeForest Buckner to the Colts, though it cost them an excellent defensive lineman, got them the No. 13 overall pick in April’s draft to go along with their own at No. 31.
They are poised to add a dynamic receiver such as Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy or Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, plus more to a roster coached by the imaginative Kyle Shanahan. And they’ve re-signed key defensive pieces such as D-lineman Arik Armstead and safety Jimmie Ward.
The Ravens, the NFL’s best regular season team by far in 2019, have keyed on their defensive front. They made a smart trade for Jaguars veteran defensive end Calais
Campbell, surrendering only a fifth-round pick as Jacksonville rebuilds.
And they’ve signed Rams DT Michael Brockers and franchise-tagged edge Matt Judon, along with owning the No. 28 pick in April.
BILLS POISED TO RULE THE EAST
The Buffalo Bills could be on their way to their first AFC East title since 1995. GM Brandon Beane’s roster is tough, physical and fast, the latter especially after Beane’s blockbuster trade for wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
The Bills continued reinforcing their defensive front with former Panthers Vernon Butler and Mario Addison, and the Seahawks’ Quinton Jefferson. And they re-signed guard Quinton Spain and took a flier on corner Josh Norman.
Minnesota, meanwhile, got four draft picks for Diggs, a good player but not an Odell Beckham Jr.-level receiver (2020 first, fifth and sixthrounders; 2021 fourth). The Giants got only a first-rounder, third-rounder and Jabrill Peppers for OBJ.
DOWN THE RIVERS
I don’t like the Philip Rivers signing for the Colts. I think it’s a mistake. I don’t think Rivers can play well enough anymore to get them where they want to go. But I do know one player it’s good for: running back Nyheim Hines.
The Chargers’ Austin Ekeler had 92 catches last season with Rivers dumping off frequently to his running back. Hines already has 107 catches through two seasons out of N.C. State (Rivers’ former college program, as well).
Certainly, Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement last August put Colts GM Chris Ballard in an extremely difficult spot at the most important position in the sport. And he made a bold move trading his first-round pick to the Niners for Buckner, and still has a strong offensive line.
I just don’t see Rivers, 38, who threw 20 interceptions last season, as the same player he once was.
THE SEAHAWKS THREAT
I’m keeping an eye on the Seattle Seahawks at 17-to-1 odds to win the Super Bowl. I’m not saying they’re definitely going to win. The Saints
and Niners will have their say in the NFC, the Chiefs and Ravens and Bills in the AFC, to name a few. I just think the Seahawks are flying under the radar right now because they were a wild card team last season.
But the reality is they were neck-and-neck with the topseeded Niners, the rivals split their head-to-head, and Seattle had the fourth-best record in the conference at 11-5. They haven’t won the offseason or anything. It’s just that they have Russell Wilson and they’re not being treated as the true threat they are, in my opinion.
THE RUNNING GAME
Steelers corner Joe Haden tweeted on Friday: “Random Thought: @saquon needs to get a 2nd contract ASAP! They doing running backs Dirty.”
The Rams’ release of Todd Gurley was the latest example of highly-drafted/paid running backs not providing or seeing sustained value.
Saquon Barkley’s response: “Gods timing… don’t worry ima get it right.” Meaning Barkley knows to be patient and intends to prove his worth to earn that next deal.
It might depend on who the GM is when that time arrives, though: will it be the man who drafted Barkley No. 2 overall, Dave Gettleman? Or someone else? It could make all the difference.