Tom Brady and Drew Brees will go down as two of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Sporting five Super Bowl wins out of eight
appearances
Womens Alvin Kamara Jersey , Brady already has a pretty firm hold on GOAT status. But Super Bowl wins aside, Brees’ incomparable accuracy and massive
volume of production throughout his career have cemented his status as a future
first ballot Hall of Famer as well. There are many similarities between them.
Both played college ball in the Big Ten Conference. Both were overlooked in the
draft. Brees, who expected to be drafted in the first round, didn’t go off the
board until the first pick in the second round. Just one year earlier, Brady,
who thought he’d go no later than the third round, had to wait until the 199th
pick in the sixth round.Both overcame serious injuries in the first half of
their careers. Brees sustained a career threatening complete labrum tear and
partial rotator cuff tear in his throwing shoulder while Brady lost an entire
season from a torn ACL. Both would become obsessed with their health and with
maximizing their sports performance well into their late 30s.Both are shattering
seriously hard to achieve records seemingly each and every week. Brady set a new
record for most wins by any player and scored the elusive 500th touchdown of his
career. Brees broke Peyton Mannings’ record for most career passing yards and
scored his 500th touchdown too.When I dug into their supporting rosters over the
span of their careers, one amazing similarity stuck out more than any other.
These two can both make legit cases as the best quarterback ever, and they may
have done this without a traditional “number one” wide receiver for the bulk of
their careers.If we exclude longtime Patriots special teams ace Matt Slater, who
has amassed seven Pro Bowl appearances while listed as a wide receiver, Tom
Brady’s wide receiving corps, over the entire course of his career, have earned
seven Pro Bowl selections total.Slot receiver, Wes Welker, earned five
consecutive Pro Bowl selections between 2008 and 2012. Randy Moss’ most fruitful
season of his magnificent career earned him one last Pro Bowl selection in 2007
and Troy Brown started Brady’s career off well with his lone Pro Bowl season in
2001.That’s it.Of course Brady has enjoyed exceptional tight end play for the
majority of his career. Brady had current Saints tight end, Ben Watson, for six
seasons before the Patriots drafted both Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in
the 2010 draft.Brady’s tight ends account for six Pro Bowl seasons over his
career. Gronk alone has five of them, along with 7,584 yards and 77 touchdowns
of Brady’s career totals (68,035 yards, 504 TDs). If we break those down, Gronk
accounts for about 11% of Brady’s career yardage and more than 15% of his total
touchdowns.Similarly, Brees’ most prolific target in his career was also a tight
end, even though he thought of himself as a wide receiver. Jimmy Graham’s 4,752
yards and 51 touchdowns represent 8% of Brees’ yardage and 12% of his touchdowns
in a Saints uniform. Brady has had Gronk for nine years. Brees had Graham for
only five. Just think if Graham had stayed longer. Brady and Gronk have averaged
843 yards and 7.7 TDs per season, but Brees and Graham averaged 950 yards and 10
TDs per season during their shorter time together.True, both quarterbacks
benefitted from exceptional tight end play, but both excelled without major star
wide receivers. Brady remained Brady, even with wide receivers like Chris Hogan,
Brandon LaFell, Aaron Dobson, Kenbrell Thompkins, Jabar Gaffney, David Givens,
and David Patten. Outside of Randy Moss’ 2007 season, Brady has never really had
more than a dominant slot receiver like Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, or Danny
Amendola.While Brady’s receiving corps has earned 13 total Pro Bowl selections
over his career, Brees’ Saints receiving corps has only received four. Jimmy
Graham, a tight end, has three. Upstart third year wide receiver Michael Thomas
finally became the first Saints Pro Bowler at his position since Joe Horn
achieved it before Brees’ arrival.Obviously Marques Colston should have a few
Pro Bowl selections, but his competition was stiff those many years and for some
reason, #12 just wasn’t given the respect he deserved. Still, the fact remains
that Drew Brees has only had one wide receiver make the Pro Bowl one time during
his tenure with the Saints.Household names to Saints fans like Devery Henderson,
Willie Snead, Brandon Coleman, Tommylee Lewis
Womens Josh LeRibeus Jersey , Robert Meachem, and Lance Moore haven’t had their same impacts outside of the black and gold uniform. It’s not hard to
fathom that only hard core Steelers, Ravens, and Chargers fans might be able to
name one of of them.Drew Brees has thrown for 59,967 yards and 421 touchdowns as
a Saint. Most of this production came without a traditional #1 star wide
receiver. He may be sick of comparisons to Tom Brady, but in this case, I think
it means Brees is in really good company.2018 New Orleans Saints Training Camp
Preview: Cornerback The New Orleans Saints won the NFC South division last year
for the first time since 2011, thanks in large part to a vastly improved defense
that complimented their always prolific offense. The play and health of the
Saints secondary, often a team weakness, was a major reason for the improvement.
The team had an incredible Seven defensive backs miss significantly time with
injuries in 2016, severely limiting any consistent effectiveness. The Saints
addressed the issue in a big way before entering last season, drafting a
cornerback with the 11th overall pick and a safety, Marcus Williams, with the
42nd overall selection in the 2017 draft to add to their already very young
defensive backfield. After previewing the safety position last week, we take a
look at what could turn out to be one of the deepest positions on the team in
today's training camp preview.CORNERBACK Key Losses: Delvin Breaux (free agent,
CFL)Key Additions: Patrick Robinson (free agent, Eagles), Natrell Jamerson
(draft, 5th round)Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesMarshon Lattimore
surprisingly fell to number eleven in last spring's draft, and the Saints wasted
no time in pouncing on the Ohio State star. Lattimore would not only win the NFL
Defensive Rookie of the Year, but became the first New Orleans cornerback since
Eric Allen in 1995 to be voted to the Pro Bowl, and just the fourth cornerback
in franchise's 52-yr. history to receive such an honor. Lattimore led the Saints
in interceptions (5, including one for a touchdown), pass breakups (18), and
quickly established himself as one of the league's top cornerbacks. He can play
either outside or slot, is equally effective in man to man or off coverage, and
would often lock on to the opposition's top receiver. He has the size,
athleticism, and natural cover skills to match up with the NFL's best receivers.
Lattimore was primarily responsible for limiting star wideouts Jarvis Landry,
Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson, DaVante Adams, DeSean Jackson, and Mike Evans to an
average of just 25 yards per game when facing the Saints last season, and not a
single touchdown reception. Atlanta's Julio Jones, widely considered as perhaps
the top receiver in the league, was held out of the end zone in two memorable
matchups against the Saints star rookie in what looks to be a gripping rivalry
for many years going forward. Lattimore's ability to take on the opponent's best
receiver with little help has an effect on the entire defense. It allows
coordinator Dennis Allen to employ more intricate coverage schemes, as well as
freeing up extra defenders for run support or more aggressive blitz packages.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY SportsKen Crawley was literally thrown into the fire
in 2016, his rookie season. After making the team as an undrafted free agent
from Colorado, Crawley was pressed into a starting role due to the team's
mounting injuries in the secondary. The result was a predictably uneven
performance, but one where Crawley showed potential as he gained valuable
experience. After an inconsistent performance last preseason that caused him to
be inactive for the first two games of the season, Crawley was inserted back
into the the starting lineup, where he and Lattimore formed one of the better
cornerback duos in the league. Due to Lattimore's lockdown skills, Crawley was
often targeted by opposing offenses, and responded with the second most pass
breakups on the team, along with his first career interception. He was
particularly tough to throw against near the goal line, giving the opposition
fits with his tall frame and long reach. Crawley does struggle with
smaller
Womens Benjamin Watson Jersey , shifty receivers, but performs his best against big physical wideouts, a trait that certainly suits him well against the
bigger targets through the NFC. Like Crawley, De'Vante Harris was pressed into
action during his rookie year of 2016 after making the team as an undrafted free
agent. Unlike Crawley, Harris has not progressed, struggling mightily a season
ago. He opened up the year as a starter in the first two games against Minnesota
and New England, both losses. Harris was benched after those two contests, as
the New Orleans defense surrendered a combined 692 yards passing, six touchdowns
and 80% completion percentage. His defensive snaps were limited after that, but
in two games when Harris did receive more extensive playing time, the Saints
gave up a combined 665 yards and five passing touchdowns in games against the
Redskins and Rams. Although he will be given an opportunity to compete for a
roster spot again, Harris seems likely to be the first veteran cut from this
group. Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsAfter playing in less than six quarters in
his first two seasons due to injury, P.J. Williams played in all 16 games in
2017, starting six. Although he had 2 interceptions and nine pass breakups,
Williams' performance was inconsistent, and he often struggled in man coverage.
Arthur Maulet looks to make a bid for extensive playing time this season, after
making the squad as an undrafted free agent last year. The native of Kenner,
Louisiana is a bit undersized, but is an aggressive man-to-man defender with
explosive leaping ability. He earned a roster spot last season with solid
coverage during the preseason and standout special teams play. Another special
teams standout was reserve cornerback Justin Hardee, who had the third most
snaps on the team on special teams, providing solid kick coverage, and blocked a
punt against Tampa Bay, returning it for a key touchdown. Photo by Brian
Kersey/Getty ImagesPhoto by Abbie Parr/Getty ImagesPatrick Robinson returned to
the Saints this offseason, where he played for five seasons after being drafted
in the first round (32nd overall) in 2010. Robinson was often inconsistent
during his first stint in New Orleans, and has played for three different teams
in the previous three years, but was one of the better slot corners in the
league last season with the Eagles. Natrell Jamerson was drafted in the 5th
round this spring, in part because of his outstanding special teams play, and
also for his versatility in the secondary at Wisconsin. Jamerson, who was
recruited to the Badgers as a wide receiver, played both safety and corner
during his final three collegiate seasons. He will likely see snaps at both
cornerback and safety this preseason, and shows natural defensive back instincts
despite his inexperience. Crawley, Harris, and Maulet all made impacts as
undrafted college free agents, and the latest player to watch may be former
University of Cincinnati star Linden Stephens. Stephens has both the size and
athleticism to match up with most receivers, and exhibits the aggressive
coverage style that Dennis Allen and secondary coach Aaron Glenn prefer to play.
The top three roster spots at cornerback look set, with Lattimore, Crawley, and
likely Robinson. The major questions at this position are this:1) Will the
Saints get the erratic Patrick Robinson of 2010-16, or the Robinson that starred
for a tough Philadelphia defense a year ago?2) Will any of the young New Orleans
corners (Maulet, Jamerson, Stephens) be able to take spots away from more
established veterans like Williams, Hardee, and Harris?Competition for those
final 2-3 cornerback positions should be fierce throughout training camp and
preseason games. The performance of Lattimore and Crawley helped spark a major
defensive improvement in 2017, but the defense struggled when either of the two
were out of the lineup. The improved depth of the Saints cornerback unit could
be one of the keys to a championship run in 2018.
