Buccaneers Scouting Report: A Look at greatest rivals, post-Brees era

It’s official Buccaneers fans. As of about 5 pm EST today, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees confirmed that he will no longer be playing football for New Orleans or any franchise, and has officially retired. The news comes via a touching Instagram video featuring all four of his kids, saying he will retire because he wants to spend more time with them being their father.

This puts so much into perspective and also raises some pertinent questions: primarily, why now? Brees and his crew were doing all the things you’d expect of someone who wanted to run it back, at least one more time. There were timelines head coach Sean Payton put out that were never following; “leaked” videos of Brees working out in the neighborhood, trying to show his strength and vitality were still intact; and his own wife publicly posting a list of Brees’s ailments supposedly in an attempt to explain that lackluster Divisional Round performance this year.

We can only naturally deduce from this that Brees was never fully resigned (typical of all great competitors) and somebody, we do not know who yet, had to have a very frank conversation with the 42-year-old QB about his future in this league and the Saints’ organization.

Regardless, despite our many heated battles, the objective Buccaneers fan will surely walk away from this news with profound respect for the legacy and career Brees had: a Super Bowl champion, five-5,000 passing yard seasons under his belt, the most career passing yards in NFL history, the most accurate passing game in NFL history, and a HUGE thorn in the side of the NFC South, no doubt he will be immortalized in Canton in the not too distant future.

Today should also serve as a point of pride for Devin White and safety Mike Edwards who in essence retired the future Hall of Famer with picks on back-to-back series.

However, let’s now take a look at the historic foes going into the 2021 season and what we can reasonably expect. The Saints definitely didn’t do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers any favors in their fantastical 2020 Super Bowl-run season. 40% of Buccaneers’ losses last season came at the hands of the Saints.

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But, no doubt, this news should make every Bucs fan across the world smile a little bit. Going into 2021 the Bucs were slated to have the second-easiest strength of schedule out of all 32 teams in the league, (the Philadelphia Eagles being #1, due in large part to the dilapidated NFC East) according to the NFL. This just took an “easy” schedule and relaxed it a bit more!

Here are just some of the names of players who have been cut or left the organization since their playoff meeting in January: guard Nick Easton, tight ends Jared Cook and Josh Hill, linebacker Kwon Alexander (a member we’re quite personally acquainted with and was just traded to the Saints via the 49ers!), wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, as well as cornerback Janoris “the Jackrabbit” Jenkins, and of course now, Brees. But at least they still have Taysom Hill there under center, right?!

Why all the cuts? The Saints had sold out for at least the last four seasons, desperately trying to win Drew Brees and the franchise another ring before this year. They had seemingly abused the rules surrounding signing bonuses and prorated contracts, but of course, eventually, you will always have to “pay the piper.” The Saints are in what analysts are affectionately dubbing “cap hell”. They were roughly $112 M dollars over the cap at the end of the 2020 season. Cuts, like the ones we just saw, as well as the contract restructures of players like defensive end Cameron Jordan and wide receiver Michael Thomas are all meant to try and kick the can further down the road and stop a bit of the bleeding.

Rumors are circulating that cornerback Marshon Lattimore is currently on the trade block, so it would not at all be a surprise if we’re far from done with big-name moves and big-name stories coming out of New Orleans this offseason.

What is the picture we are currently looking at? Essentially this is the collapse of a stalwart and powerhouse in the NFC. Akin to what we saw out of New England this season– expect a middling six or seven-win record, pulled off almost entirely by solid coaching– not locker room talent. It also should be A LOT easier to “air it out” this coming year as a lot of the casualties have come, and are anticipated to come, from the Saints’ secondary/defense.

It also should be a good bet that the Buccaneers will have an easier time on the defensive side of the ball as well. Pressure should be able to get in a lot more with fractures in the O line (and more soon expected). Whether it is Jameis or Taysom Hill behind center, Bucs fans can be confident that Todd Bowles will have much more success with exotic formations and unique packages compared to a master of the game and an addict in the film room like Brees was. The absence of tight end threats like Cook and Hill also means Tampa will be able to roll coverage/attention over to Alvin Kamara who will suddenly see his role expanded dramatically. Expect to see the kind of offensive focus that the Panthers gave to Christian McCaffrey in 2019.

All in all, though, this is a day for remembrance and grace, as we think back to all of the great nail bitters Brees has been apart of, as fans of the game, over the last 20 years. It is also a time to be supremely grateful that after switching hands between the Panthers, then the Falcons, and then the Saints for the last few seasons, the NFC South seems to be finally in the palm of our hands… at long last!