PonyExpress

Just a thought: If SD had kept Drew Brees instead of Philip Rivers, they probably would have won the game against the Pats. Rivers, who screeched and whined on the field after the game, like a spoiled child who had his lollipop taken away, should ponder that all offseason. I hope "Cry me a" Rivers sees Ellis doing a Light Out dance in his nightmares.

PatsChick87

I've always thought that Brees is most like Brady of any current QB playing. A lot of heart and smarts! SD was crazy to let him go!

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Enjoying this Championship era!!

patchick

I'm not so sure....Nobody could have predicted that Brees could return from surgery so quickly and completely. (Look at Culpepper, Palmer this year.) Plus they had plenty of dead money tied up in Rivers, and they had 2 years to watch him and decide they liked his potential. He looks like a good young QB and played fine for his first-ever playoff game -- a lot better than playoff vets like Manning and McNair, and against an excellent defense.

The Chargers had an embarrassment of riches, so they went with the younger, healthier and (given dead money) cheaper option. It's a hard choice to fault, IMO.

MDPATSFAN

Brees would have thrown a few sideline passes during that final drive to kill the clock. Throwing to the middle of the field sealed their fate.

Patstopia

I would agree 100% with this. He is the reason the Saints are where they are now. To lose a QB the caliber of Brees for Rivers just never made sense to me.

Oswlek

I don't know if you can fault SD for siding with a guy that they believed in who was healthy. Obviously in hindsight you might be able to make a case, but SD certainly had a great season and Rivers was part of that.

What killed SD's last drive was, in no particular order.

1) The timeout they lost on the meaningless challenge

2) The timeout that Rivers took immediately after a NE injury TO. What was that?

(BTW, these were the biggest problems. SD was at their 40 with a full minute to play. If they could have stopped the clock things could have been totally different)

3) After the first pass play to the 40, SD absolutely murdered their chances with the next play. 7 seconds ticked off the clock as they waited for a WR on the left to motion to the right. Then they threw a pass to Gates for 3 yards! SO, in all, they lost about 25 seconds to move forward 3 yards. Just ridiculous.

BelichickFan

It's not hindsight for me. They're gonna get a #3 comp pick for Brees - they could have traded Rivers for a lot more. It would have been a cap hit on the SB acceleration but they had cap space. It's not just a matter of which QB is better but that they could have gotten a lot more in return for the signed Rivers vs. the UFA Brees.

ribanez

It a lot easier to make this decision in hindsight but knowing what they knew at the time I don't fault the decision.

1. Brees was coming off of major shoulder surgery. Do you trade what could be the future of the franchise for what was then unknown?

2. Brees, in 4 years as a starter was 33-31. Other than 2004 when they went 12-4 and Brees was the comeback player of the year, his record wasn't that good. The Chargers were already looking for their next QB which is why they drafted Rivers to begin with. Had Rivers not held out, he may have started of Brees after they went 4-12 in 2003.

4. Rivers as a first round draft pick already had guranteed money. Who's going to trade for him and pick up the guranteed portion of his contract when he hadn't started a game yet?

Bottom line, it was better financially to let Brees go. SD went 14-2 with Rivers so I can't really argue that letting Brees go was a mistake.

Pujo

You just can't go back and redo a whole season with another QB. Brees has done well in New Orleans, but maybe he wouldn't have done so well in SD. Maybe they wouldn't have made the playoffs, who knows?

AirForcePatFan

That fact that nobody mentions is scary to me... The Saints season reminds me alot of the 01 Patriot season... The country needed the Pats after 9/11, just like New Orleans needs the Saints after Katrina... It will be very interesting if both teams make it to the SB... Both QB's are great, both teams are awesome....

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