Drew Brees criticizes Saints offense under Jameis Winston

Former All Pro New Orleans Saints quarterback and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees had some choice words about the Saints offense. On NBC’s Football Night in America on Sunday , Brees was critical of the Saints offense with Jameis Winston under center.

“It was a little sloppy. I don’t see just the rhythm, tempo, passing game that just complements the run game. You get some of these splash plays and then you get some of these well-timed, well-designed third down plays…” Brees said while reviewing New Orleans highlights. “… Good play design and good on third down, but besides that just on first and second down moving the ball possessing the ball, we just haven’t seen that rhythm over the last few weeks.”

New Orleans is hurting, bad

The New Orleans Saints are currently 3-2 on the season and have looked like a Super Bowl contender at times and a team poised for a top-draft pick at others. However, it must be taken into consideration that the Saints are missing a plethora of high-profile starters and key players.

Offensively the Saints are without starting offensive linemen Terron Armstead and Erik McCoy, and they are also without Brees’ favorite weapon over his last few seasons in wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas started the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list after having surgery to repair his ankle before the start of camp.

Defensively, they are without David Onyemata, Marcus Davenport and Kwon Alexander. Both Alexander and Davenport were added to the team’s injured reserve after their week one win over the Green Bay Packers. But the injuries have not been just limited to the Saints’ offense and defense. Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz also started the season on injured reserve while dealing with a core muscle injury.

Some new faces stepping up

Sticking strictly to the offense, it would be hard for the Saints to start off firing on all cylinders. Not only are they attempting to acclimate Winston fully into the system as a starting quarterback, but they are also doing it without any of their top receiving threats outside of running back Alvin Kamara. Of the players from last year who have played this season, only two had at least 20 catches last season — Marquez Calloway (20) and Donte Harris (21).

Given his interior knowledge of the organization, Brees would be best suited to know exactly how the offense should be flowing. After their bye, New Orleans should get a handful of players back from their various injury lists. And with those players coming back, the Saints could have the complementary offense Brees is referring and give him a better opportunity to evaluate their progress without him.