METAIRIE, La. -- Drew Brees said next season is "a long way away" and he's not thinking about it at this point, with the New Orleans Saints still having one game left to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. But true to his optimistic nature, Brees insisted Wednesday that, "This year did not dissuade me in any way from feeling the way I always have about this team and myself and what we have here and what we're continuing to build here." "I'm very confident," Brees said. "I look around me at this team, and I feel like we have all the pieces in place, knowing we're going to go out and add pieces as well. I'm very confident in our management, our general manager Mickey Loomis to do that, Sean Payton, our entire coaching staff." Although Brees' comments were laced with bravado, his feelings aren't totally misplaced. As badly as the Saints (6-9) have struggled this year, they still have a lot of core players in their prime on a roster that many thought had Super Bowl potential this season. As I've written a few times in recent weeks, I believe their salary-cap situation is manageable. But they absolutely need to get a lot more production out of those core leaders they've invested in than they did in 2014 (including Brees, tight end Jimmy Graham, safety Jairus Byrd, guard Jahri Evans, defensive end Cameron Jordan and several young rising defensive players). I also wonder how much motivation plays a part. I don't think motivation is everything in the NFL, compared to talent and coaching. But I do believe there's a difference between feeling good about yourself vs. having that salty taste in your mouth or a chip on your shoulder or whichever cliché you prefer. Think the Saints' 2011 season vs. 2010 (their Super Bowl hangover year). Cornerback Keenan Lewis acknowledged Wednesday that those lofty expectations surrounding the Saints heading into the offseason could sometimes hurt a team. "You know, a lot of guys, we read a lot. And sometimes when you get so caught up into reading, you get caught up into that and you're feeling yourself," Lewis said. "And sometimes the reality check hits you. And I'm pretty sure it did for us this year. Coming in, people had us favored to win it. It didn't turn out like that. "So next year, I'm pretty sure guys will remember this feeling and put that to the side and play ball. … You gotta be motivated, especially when you're coming off of a season like we had this year." The Saints insist they'll remain motivated to finish this year strong, as well, with Sunday's season finale against the 2-13 Buccaneers. But outside linebacker Junior Galette shot down the notion that they'll consider it the "first game of next season." "No, it's not. It's the last game of this season," Galette said. "I don't want to bring anything from this season into next season, I know that."
|