![]() A Saints receiver has to have sure hands and the athletic ability to beat NFL defensive backs, but he also must be willing and able to handle the heavy mental workload the Saints system requires. Saints scouts place a heavy emphasis on intelligence, football IQ, and mental toughness at all positions, but especially at receiver. This high standard prevents the Saints from pursuing certain receivers during the draft and free agency. They have this system that they work within, and yet the combinations within it are endless.” I’m spacing a different thing.’ That’s the kind of minutia they have to know and deal with. I’m the guy that’s here to space, so that I understand now when he changes the route for the guy outside of me, so too does my spacing. The wide receivers here have to understand that, ‘Hey, in this route concept, I’m the spacing guy. “Lance Moore used to always say it’s so different than anywhere else he played. “The receivers in this offense are asked to learn so much,” said Strief, now the play-by-play announcer for the Saints radio broadcast team. Players who regularly misalign, run the wrong route, or aren’t willing to put in the extra reps with Brees don’t last long in New Orleans. It’s why smart, reliable role players like Moore, Snead, Carr, and Josh Hill have carved out productive careers in New Orleans after being bypassed in the NFL Draft. Receivers, tight ends, and backs in the Saints system don’t necessarily need to be football geniuses, but they need to be students of the game and diligent in their study habits. So once they become synchronized with Drew, then all of a sudden they’re allowed to do that.” They have that feel, and that their feel matches Drew’s feel. You understand the guidelines of this route and maybe you can get away with fudging it a little. And then all of a sudden, he does something off script and it works and we say, all right, maybe you’re a guidelines guy. “Certain guys are told, here are the rules to this route and you follow them. “There’s rules guys and guidelines guys,” Lombardi said. The standouts like Colston, Graham, and Thomas become so in tune with Brees they’re allowed to improvise on routes. The ones who earn the trust of Brees and Payton eventually receive more playing time and, in turn, more opportunities to shine. It’s why we spend so much time after practice, every practice.”įor the receivers, mastering the nuances of the scheme can be a daunting task. It’s why I have the guys come out with me in July in San Diego. It’s why we spend so much time in what we do. If a team does a good job of reading these splits, we’re going to change it up. “And now we’ve got all kinds of different splits, according to the route, according to the formation, according to who we’re playing. “It’s gone from very simple to much more advanced, to where maybe back in ’06 it was, as a receiver you were either plus two, outside edge, or inside edge, right?,” Brees said. One of the reasons Thomas has emerged as one of the NFL’s most dominant receivers is because of his ability to line up anywhere in the formation on a given play. ![]() This flexibility allowed the coaching staff to move the receivers around like chess pieces in the offensive formation and target favorable matchups against defensive backs. During the Super Bowl run, Colston, Henderson, Meachem, and Moore were interchangeable in the scheme, giving the offensive staff myriad options in the game plan. The Saints’ best offenses have traditionally been the ones with the most experienced receivers. In time, receivers are cross-trained at different positions. ![]() I'm just constantly doing the stuff that I would be doing if I was actually on the field playing.Like everything else, the emphasis on route technique and alignment has evolved over time as Brees and Payton have fine-tuned the scheme. ![]() But just from a strategic perspective and all those things, I mean, as I'm watching a game, I'm totally putting myself in the shoes of the quarterback and of the players on the field and of the coach, to play caller, whoever it might be and totally alongside them playing the game," he said.Ĭontinued Brees, "And so yeah, watching the game with me, I mean, I'm yelling at the screen. I mean, I think it's one of the greatest games, teaches you so many life lessons. In fact, he admitted, "I don't think that ever leaves." ![]() The 42-year-old announced that he would be officially retiring from the NFL after two decades of playing in the league back in March.īrees, who was Super Bowl XLIV's Most Valuable Player, said even now, the desire to get out on the field is still present while he's watching a game. RELATED: Drew Brees Opens Up About Knowing 'It Was Time' to Retire from the NFL: 'There's a Balance' It's been a "fun transition from playing the game to still being involved in the game, being able to do it just in a different way, but a way where I can show a love and a passion for it," said Brees. ![]()
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