Anyone who has watched even 10 minutes of any New Orleans Saints game this year or paid attention to any fantasy football or NFL discussions on radio or TV has heard it. Drew Brees isn’t what he used to be.
The whispers about the 41-year-old Saints quarterback are out in the open conversation now. The Saints passing offense has become decidedly less aggressive, and Brees’ yards per attempt of 7.3 is the lowest since 2010 for the NFL’s all-time passing yardage leader.
Despite all that talk, Lions coach Matt Patricia isn’t buying into any Drew Brees decline. Patricia is still very wary of the future Hall of Famer heading into the Week 4 matchup with the Saints in Ford Field.
When asked if he saw any indication of a decline from watching the tape of Brees from the first three weeks, Patricia offered as clear of an answer as he’s given at any press conference this season.
“No, I would say absolutely not,” Patricia quickly said.
Coach Patricia elaborated,
“I think you always look at the quarterbacks that have been in the (NFL) for a long time. Is there anything that shows up that’s different: arm strength, mobility, what they’re doing from a communication at the line of scrimmage standpoint – guys that are established like that. I’ve played against Drew Brees for a long time. I have the utmost respect for him, and his arm talent and his arm strength is still phenomenal. I don’t really read into all that stuff.”