The injuries are an obvious issue for the Saints, but what else is holding this year's team back? The answer is actually pretty simple.
Any Saints fan who asks me what's wrong with this year's group, the short answer is injuries. And not just injuries, but injuries to key players like Alvin Kamara, Jameis Winston, Marcus Davenport and several other starters on both sides of the ball and special teams.
But there's more to the equation, and to find the other variables, we have to dig a little deeper. The clearest one that jumps out to me is lack of leadership. It's a bit surprising, considering that Demario Davis, Terron Armstead, Cam Jordan and Malcolm Jenkins are as good of leaders as you'll find. But look at just about every team right now that is in the playoff hunt. Their prime source of leadership comes at quarterback. Even if those QBs don't have the "C" captain patch on his right breast of the jersey, high-level QB play is a constant.
Leadership is a tricky thing. You can slap a patch on your uniform, but that doesn't make you THE leader. When Drew Brees called New Orleans home, he was the clear-cut leader every time the Saints took the field. In order to be be a true leader in the NFL, you also have to play at a high level. That's particularly true at quarterback. Like no other player in football the quarterback holds the hopes and dreams of his teammates in his hands. That's the case on every play of every game, at least when the offense has the ball.
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The Saints don't have that guy at quarterback, at least not the one that the team knows is the guy! This is not a knock on Taysom Hill. The Saints' third different starting QB this season is just trying to find success as an NFL quarterback. In that situation, it's hard to make leadership a focus. What about Sean Payton? Sure, he's a leader, but every good team has a group of leaders on the field and in the locker room that police themselves. The coach is always the leader of a football team but it also has to come from within the player ranks.
New Orleans might fix their issues and make a playoff run this year. After all they have a talented roster if it can just stay reasonably healthy. The Saints will likely be in the market for a QB this offseason regardless of how the team finishes.
Regardless, one thing has become clear: Saints football without Brees has been a pretty miserable experience.
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