Speculation The Saints were apparently this close to signing Tom Brady. (1 Viewer)

[Optimistic Ozzy]

It wasn't New Orleans. Next question.

 

[Scorpius the Allfather]

It is a reasonable argument and might be a toss of the coin. The Chiefs have certainly been the better team in the playoffs, but in the 2017 to 2020 stretch, the Saints won 49 regular season games and Kansas City won 48.

I recall reading a stat - which I can't now find - that no other team in history has won that many regular season games in a four-year stretch and not at least made one Super Bowl.

If I recall correctly, had we finished 13-3 last year it would've been the best 3-4 year stretch in history. Also no team had a 6 game winning streak in 3 straight years and not gone to the Super Bowl, well until us last year. But the one stat that wound up trumping all of those and was talked about right before the Tampa game was that teams that swept someone by a certain combined amount of points always lost the 3rd game and we had set the record for most combined points in sweeping a team that wound up facing them a 3rd time.

 

[nolaswede]

It's not out of hand in big picture. The latter few seasons when we finally had a defense that was not horrendous Drew clearly physically degraded. He either wore down late in the year or as in last season we just gave up trying to stretch the field and completely sold out the offense to what Brees could still do. Drew Brees of 2018 was no where near Brees of 2011.

But we knew that. We knew it would have to be a team effort where defense, running game and coaching had to pick up the slack where Brees degraded. They weren't enough.

I will throw some coaching fails in there too at pivotal moments since 2017 and most certainly across the Brees era. The Minneapolis miracle was in large part enabled by a coaching call. Not benching Jared Cook would be another more recent.

But throughout his prime when he could make all the throws Brees carried a putrid, all time worst defense for numerous seasons. And until they moved on from McMahon Special Teams were also putrid. Added nothing. No big plays, no spark, no lift in starting field position, kicker carousel. All that was on coaching and GM for years of carrying cronies on the staff or making terrible personnel decisions.

Once they got heads out of rear father time caught up with Brees. In that regard you have to tip your hat to Brady because he has held age at bay remarkably well.

But didn’t Brees have the best QB rating(by any QB) in a 4 game span Week 14-17 in 2019? End of the season when he is supposed to be really really tired?

 

[SAINT BIGAL]

If I recall correctly, had we finished 13-3 last year it would've been the best 3-4 year stretch in history. Also no team had a 6 game winning streak in 3 straight years and not gone to the Super Bowl, well until us last year. But the one stat that wound up trumping all of those and was talked about right before the Tampa game was that teams that swept someone by a certain combined amount of points always lost the 3rd game and we had set the record for most combined points in sweeping a team that wound up facing them a 3rd time.

Another one for the record books!

 

[blackadder]

But didn’t Brees have the best QB rating(by any QB) in a 4 game span Week 14-17 in 2019? End of the season when he is supposed to be really really tired?

It was more than the rating.

He would always be insanely efficient and accurate (though last couple of years felt like you saw more misfires than you were used to). More the types of throws he would pull back and check down on. The vertical game just disappeared.

Again, still, even with the diminished Brees it was close. Just critical fails here and there. Minneapolis Miracle...bad defensive call to have a poor tackler as last line of defense....Getting outcoached by Mike Zimmer...relying on Jared Cook in a big moment....incompetent or crooked refs...always something