Welcome to another edition of #4Downs!
1st Down: Brees Kept Safe
Without Zach Strief in the offensive line, it seemed that the Saints may have stumbled into a solid O-Line. Andrus Peat has slowly but surely progressed in his rookie season along with players like Armstead and Unger being the stars of this line in 2015. Strief has regressed as of late and Brees has been under pressure a lot more because of it. This is why Brees has become injured more frequently. However, this isn’t the best sample size to look at as the Jags have had trouble in the past with the pass rush.
2nd Down: Hightower Continues Resurgence
Tim Hightower’s redemption story is fantastic. After Hightower suffered a torn ACL with the Redskins in 2011, he didn’t play for an NFL team until joining the Saints this year and after some injuries to the other running backs, he has been given a chance to shine. And he has taken the opportunity in stride. With Spiller being a healthy scratch heading into the matchup against Jacksonville, Hightower received an increase of snaps and played extremely well with 122 yards and a pair of TDs on 27 carries. If the last two games of the 2015 season are to see who stays with the organization, then he should be one of those choices.
3rd Down: Playing through the Pain
When I woke up this morning and saw that Brees was listed as active, I thought it would be a bad idea. He should be sitting out at least one game to try and preserve his career. After hearing reports throughout the week about it feeling like he was walking on broken glass and that the pains was severe, it was pretty obvious that any normal player would sit out a game that meant next to nothing. But Brees is not a normal player. Brees not only played through the pain, but was the best we had seen him play in some time. He threw some questionable passes, but they got to his receivers with incredible accuracy from the veteran QB. There were also reports that he might have to take a cut in pay to stay in New Orleans in 2016. Based off of how he performed for his team, he could be willing to sacrifice the almighty dollar to give the Crescent City’s team a fighting chance.
4th Down: As The Dome Turns
The backstage drama for the Saints (and also the Pelicans) in 2015 could be confused with a storyline for a soap opera. With the Benson family feud being the center of the three-ring circus, There was a front page article on a newspaper that said Benson should sell the franchise now. But owner Tom Benson was not having any of that. And I don’t blame him. He released a statement not long after the game in which he said he was not going to sell the team any time soon. In my opinion, he handled the situation perfectly. Benson shouldn’t have to sell the team unless he wants to.
-Clint Domingue