That Super Bowl win just feels like a long, long time ago.
The New Orleans Saints were bordering on being the next America's Team. After that dirty trick Katrina ransacked New Orleans, the Saints became the new freedom riders for everyone in the Big Easy. Soon thereafter, the Ain'ts converted to the Super Saints and a Lombardi Trophy was brought home to Louisiana for the very first time.
Now, in 2012, things have definitely changed for reasons that we can only call Bounty-gate. Sean Payton's gone for the entire season due to negligence. Gregg Williams has been sent to permanent exile for the encouragement and support of a bounty and star players on the defensive side of the ball are fighting for their professional lives with the legal system. Yet, through all of those transgressions, the biggest issue this off-season has nothing to do with the aforementioned individuals. The biggest issue has been, "Why in hades haven't the Saints signed Drew Brees to a deal???"
Per ESPN's Pat Yasinskas, it seems that the Saints and Brees are picking over pennies. You know, if pennies are valued at $100,000 a coin.
Can I see Brees actually playing that kind of hardball when it comes right down to it? Yeah, his competitive streak and pride are part of what make him so good on the field, and I think he’s just stubborn enough to do it, because he’s probably looking at the last contract of his career.That said, I still highly doubt this will come down to a holdout. In relative terms, there still is a lot of time to get a long-term deal done.
Talks have been going on for months, and both sides have a common goal. According to Mortensen, the Saints have offered a deal that averages $19.25 million a season, while Brees is seeking a contract worth $20.5 million a year. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not that large a gap. One side can go up or one can go down, or the two can meet in the middle. That’s what negotiations are about, and we really are just getting down to the heavy part.
To be clear, a lot of time is the end of the week. If the Saints don't sign Brees, then this team could be worse than the 2011 Indianapolis Colts. That team was terrrrrrrrible. So pray for a Saints fan, unless your team is a rival of theirs; then, it's totally acceptable. The Saints are going to sign Brees before the deadline....right?
Here is your pertinent reading material for Wednesday, and tune in to The Unsportsmanlike Conduct Show tonight at 9pm. Enjoy.
The Well Versed: Ranking The Klitschkos, Ortiz’ Future & Keeping James Toney Out Of The Ring
FOX Deportes: Team USA Players Discuss The Importance of Tyson Chandler
Sherdog: Farewell To A Partnership - Andrerson Silva and Chael Sonnen
SLAM Online: Undrafted, But Not Forgotten
Smoking Section: 20 Historical NBA Teams That Deserve Books Written About Them
The Classical: Federer Takes the Long View
Edge of Sports: Steve Nash to the Lakers: the political impact
NY Mag: Knicks Power Rankings: Impromptu Off-season Edition
SB Nation Dallas: Has The Cowboys Front Office Turned The Corner?
Pasta Padre: NCAA Football 13 General Impressions
Hardwood Paroxysm: Moreyball Is Dead, Long Live Moreyball
Eddie Maisonet is the founder and editor emeritus of The Sports Fan Journal. Currently, he serves as an associate editor for ESPN.com. He is an unabashed Russell Westbrook and Barry Switzer apologist, owns over 100 fitteds and snapbacks, and lives by Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “I am the straw that stirs the drink.”
