The preseason schedule hasn’t even started for the Green Bay Packers and the regular season doesn’t kick off for a month. That doesn’t mean the matchup against the New Orleans Saints can’t be examined closely given what is unraveling in The Big Easy.
For all the mocking that the anti-cheeseheads did this summer, plenty of other teams are enduring chaos themselves.
What was thought to be a gut-check Week 1 tilt in New Orleans for Green Bay is now turning into a sad scene for the Saints. It’s hard to feel bad for a team that has tortured so many souls in recent years, but, my goodness, they are in a world of trouble.
For those who made jokes about the Packers’ quarterback problem, I’ll raise you the situation in Metairie, La. Training camp is underway, and the Saints still don’t have a starting quarterback.
Drew Brees retired in the offseason, and now Sean Payton has to decide between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. This isn’t exactly like choosing between Shaq or Kobe during the Lakers’ heyday. It’s more like deciding between a Natty Ice or a Keystone Light in college. Both are underwhelming and leave you feeling shameful. But, hey, it’s all you can afford.
Even though Brees dropped off in his last couple of seasons before retiring, it’s likely the Saints would give just about anything to see him in training camp right now. Meanwhile, the Packers have to be salivating at the matchup.
Davante Adams has been a trending topic in recent weeks because he and the Packers have not been able to work out a contract extension. Adams is set to be a free agent at the end of the season, so it is not an advantageous spot for Green Bay, given that he is the best wide receiver in football.
How are things going in New Orleans with star wideout Michael Thomas?
Thomas is pissed off at the Saints, and the feeling seems mutual.
The stud wide receiver suffered an ankle injury early in the 2020 season and missed a chunk of games. He came back but wasn’t the same. The Saints pushed for offseason ankle surgery in January and Thomas more or less gave a double-bird back at New Orleans. Instead, he went for a second opinion and was told he didn’t need surgery only to find out five months later that he, um, needed surgery. Now Thomas has undergone the ankle procedure and will miss the start of the season.
Sean Payton, your thoughts?
“Well, look, it appears we’re gonna have to spend some time without him. It’s disappointing,” Payton said during his opening training camp videoconference before the Saints’ first practice Thursday. “And we’ll work through it with the other players that are here. But the surgery took place, and obviously we would’ve liked that to happen earlier than later. And quite honestly, it should’ve.”
Kudos to Michael Thomas for staying quiet after Payton dropped that bomb. Er, wait. Michael Thomas totally responded to this with a cryptic tweet.
If all of this wasn’t bad enough, let’s give the CliffsNotes version of what else is going on with the Saints that will directly impact them in Week 1.
- Starting defensive tackle David Onyemata tested positive for a banned substance in July and will be suspended for the first six games of the season.
- Starting cornerback Patrick Robinson, who was expected to compete for the No. 2 job after Janoris Jenkins signed with the Tennessee Titans, decided to randomly retire this week. He likely looked around and realized he should avoid the mess in the easiest way possible.
- And to really put a cherry on top by hitting all three phases of the offense, defense, and special teams, kicker Will Lutz will miss the beginning of the year after re-aggravating a previous injury.
Outside of all that, everything is just peachy for the Saints.
Look, this doesn’t mean a Week 1 win is a certainty for the Packers. There is no such thing in the NFL. But given that Rodgers is back and cooler heads have prevailed for now, the Saints don’t look too frightening given all their issues. Of all the recent matchups between the Saints and the Packers, this one appears to be the most winnable for Green Bay, even though it’s in New Orleans.
However, the Saints still have time to figure out some of these problems. A starting quarterback will be named, and they have other options to replace Patrick Robinson. But Michael Thomas won’t be playing and Drew Brees isn’t walking through that door.
With all the grabby headlines all offseason involving the Packers, one would think they are in for a 4-13 season. Look around the rest of the league, though, and everything seems perfectly calm in Green Bay.