METAIRIE, La. -- Three quick thoughts in the wake of the news that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees could miss time with a shoulder injury:
Doomsday? It's not time to push the panic button just yet. ESPN NFL Insiders Ed Werder and Chris Mortensen delivered the news that an MRI showed Brees' rotator cuff is bruised and not torn, pending a second opinion. And it's possible Brees could play Sunday at the Carolina Panthers, depending on how his shoulder responds to treatment.
Losing Brees has always been the "what if?" scenario that haunted the Saints. Even when they were fielding one of the greatest offenses in NFL history from 2009-11, there was always the unspoken disclaimer, "as long as Drew Brees stays healthy."
And now that the Saints are 0-2 and their offense has become a mere shadow of what it was in those glory years, that "what if?" is much more daunting.
The Saints don't just need Brees back in the lineup -- they need him back close to full strength. We saw what happened when he was unable to throw the ball down the field after the injury in Sunday's 26-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
I just wrote on Monday morning that the thrill is gone from a Saints offense that used to strike fear into opponents with its big-play ability. It's hard to imagine they find that firepower with journeyman 12th-year backup Luke McCown running things.
Another possible detriment: Brees has been the Saints' rock and biggest reason for hope even during the downswings over the past decade. It's difficult to quantify how this could affect the team's confidence as it tries to rally from an 0-2 start.
In the short term, maybe the Saints can use it as motivation. But that will only work if Brees comes back quickly -- and comes back close to his usual self.
McCown serviceable: Fortunately for the Saints, they've never had to find out what McCown is capable of in the regular season. He has thrown exactly one pass in two-plus seasons in New Orleans -- on an ill-fated fake field goal attempt.
The Saints have stuck with the 34-year-old for a reason -- and not just because of his stellar turn as an unlikely national-commercial star. They trust him. He’s smart, he’s experienced (nine career starts while playing for five different teams), and he knows the offense.
If you need McCown to manage one or two games for you, he should be capable. Especially since the Saints have so much talent in their running back corps with Mark Ingram, Khiry Robinson and the now-healthy C.J. Spiller.
That run game has been sporadic so far but showed signs of life in the second half against Tampa Bay.
However, "sporadic" would be a kind word to describe the Saints' defense, which has been a huge question mark for two straight seasons. The defense came up big in the fourth quarter Sunday. To pull off a victory without Brees, the Saints would need several units to play much better and much more consistently than they have played so far.
If Brees were to be sidelined long term, the Saints might have to consider taking a look at rookie third-round draft pick Garrett Grayson. I doubt he's a consideration anytime soon. Grayson looked raw throughout the preseason, while working mostly as a fourth-stringer. Turning to Grayson means turning the page to 2016 and beyond.
Brees' future: This is a bit premature since Brees could potentially be back to full health within a month or two and salvage a good season for himself and the Saints. But it's impossible to ignore the fact that Brees' long-term future in New Orleans remains something of a question mark.
Brees, 36, has just one year left on his contract in 2016 with $20 million in salary and bonuses and a $27.4 million salary-cap hit. The Saints will have to decide after this season if they want to extend Brees' contract to make it more cap friendly and avoid letting him hit free agency again.
I think the Saints should and will extend Brees, because I expect him to remain New Orleans' best option at quarterback beyond 2016. But if the injury lingers and/or the Saints suffer another losing season, that decision becomes more cloudy.
