Tag: Tank

B/R argues the Saints should tank for next year’s draft

Bleacher Report says the Saints should tank for a high pick in next year’s draft, but Dennis Allen has one big reason to avoid this strategy

Until the New Orleans Saints put together a playoff season, the national sentiment will remain the team is trying to keep open a window that is already closed. Even a playoff berth may not be enough to dispel this thought.

New Orleans was one of the six teams Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine laid out who need to tank this season. Ballentine pointed out the Saints have handled the cap in a way that suggests they are a Super Bowl contender when they’re far from it.

Tanking in 2024 could give the team the reset they could need right now. With a high draft pick, the Saints could select the future of the franchise at quarterback. They haven’t had that guy since Drew Brees signed in 2006. Even if Derek Carr performs well in 2024, he is too old to be considered the future.

Dennis Allen’s job security should keep the Saints from tanking. Allen’s tenure as the Saints head coach hasn’t been good, and he should be coaching for his job in 2024. Coaching for your job and tanking for next year mix as well as oil and water.

If the Saints have a horrendous record next year, it shouldn’t be because of a purposeful decision to prioritize a high draft pick in 2025.

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6 reasons the Patriots won’t tank after Tom Brady’s exit

The Patriots won’t crumble in 2020 even with Tom Brady’s exit.

(Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)

We’ve seen it before. A perennial playoff team suffers and injury to, the retirement of, or an exit of their quarterback. Since that’s kind of the most important position in football, the team struggles the next year. Finding the next franchise signal-caller becomes a chore. That team bottoms out — and sometimes make moves with the future in mind like trading veterans and loading up on draft picks — until they can find their new franchise quarterback. It’s the normal cycle of things in the NFL. The question is whether or not the Patriots will follow the same pattern now that Tom Brady has chosen to take his talents elsewhere.

The path to a high draft pick is clearly visible. Don’t sign a veteran quarterback and ride with Jarret Stidham. If Stidham struggles early on, rest some veterans, maybe make some trades, figure out how to stockpile assets to move up in the draft and target Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields. Remember, this is the Patriots we are talking about. They aren’t going to tank and here’s why:

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