Doug Gottlieb Makes Inaccurate Statement About Drew Brees' Play Following Asinine Analogy
Doug Gottlieb has never really been a football guy. A college basketball analyst at heart with the playing credentials to back up his beliefs, the football field has never been his strong suit. But even I was surprised to hear what he said about Drew Brees today and the analogy he used to explain it.
During a segment on First Things First, Gottlieb compared Brees announcing his return to the NFL for another season to him and his friends playing a pick-up game of basketball and one guy wanting to run it back because he lost the last game. He pointed out that's usually when the quality of the game disintegrates and people get hurt. To exemplify that point and return it to Brees, he said Brees is old like him and his friends and his play got worse after 12 games each of the last two seasons.
Oh how wrong you are Doug.
"I love Drew Brees. ... But when you're done, you're done. Don't run it back. I feel like it's a mistake. I think he should have rode off into the sunset as the all-time career passing and touchdown leader." — @GottliebShow pic.twitter.com/M84yNNk72s
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 19, 2020
Forgetting his analogy trying to compare him and a bunch of out-of-shape has-beens playing basketball to a guy who made the Pro Bowl last year, the fact is Brees didn't get worse as the season went on the last two years.
In 2018, Brees averaged 292 yards per game with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions his last final three games, the latter two of which were in the playoffs. This past season, he threw for 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions and averaged 297 yards per game in the Saints' final four regular season games. Sure, he wasn't great against the Vikings in the playoffs, which was his 12th game of the season, but he was sacked three times and hit seven times during the game. That's about the offensive line play, not Brees.
Yes, Brees coming back seems like it has something to do with redemption, which I suppose regular guys feel when they lose in a friendly game of hoops they feel they should have won. But saying he gets worse as the season progresses is inaccurate and comparing Drew Brees to Joe Schmo is insulting. Brees is a living legend with the proven ability and dexterity to put the Saints in a position to succeed late in the season-- just as long as the refs don't screw him and his team again.