Saints are going for it all
WHERE EXACTLY this Saints team ends up marching is one of the fascinating subplots to this NFL season, because they’re making moves that scream they’re going all-in in the pursuit of a Super Bowl title.
Good for the Saints for going for it now. Their best player and leader is 39-year-old quarterback Drew Brees. And, in the past two weeks, they’ve made bold moves to bring in more skill-position weapons for Brees.
A week ago, New Orleans signed Dez Bryant, a receiver with a diva reputation who could have been a risk as a disruption to a roster that was on the hottest run in the league.
Bryant then suffered a torn Achilles tendon in his final practice before last week’s game against the Bengals and is out for the season, so this past week, the Saints signed receiver Brandon Marshall, which is a temptation of fate considering Marshall has played for five teams in his 13 NFL seasons and has never reached the playoffs.
Now the Saints, winners of eight consecutive games since losing their season opener entering Sunday’s home game against the Eagles, would have to completely collapse to not make it to the postseason.
In making these transactions, the Saints, the hottest team in the league, seem to be toying with the oft-used axiom: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’’
But the Saints want it all, so they’re going for it, and good for them.
They are comfortable making moves like these because they’re confident in the structure of their locker room, unafraid that a couple of outsiders — possibly with selfish agendas — will upset the harmony of their chemistry.
How quickly the 34-year-old Marshall can get up to speed on the offense, and when he does, how much will he have to offer? He had just 11 catches for 136 yards and a TD with the Seahawks before being released after seven games this year. Last season with the Giants, he produced just 18 catches for 154 yards and no scores in five games before getting injured.
“When you’re on the other side of 30 and you don’t produce, this is the situation you’ll find yourself in,” Marshall said. “So I’m excited and grateful for this opportunity.”