Kirby Jackson

The hardest part is that all of the rules are collectively bargained. Part of the reason that the NBA and NBAPA have such a better relationship is because they develop the plans together. It isn’t a bunch of owners and then a union sending proposals back and forth. They engage in the process to come up with something that both sides can agree on. The NFL ABSOLUTELY has to take that approach on this subject (especially now). They were crushed the other day for releasing that statement while acting differently. If they could address the issue TOGETHER it would be infinitely more impactful. But alas...

This is the EXACT issue that the other players are having with him. You’ve had 4 years to have these conversations. 4 years later you just indicated that you still have no idea what the grievance was. How is that possible?

I agree here but the problem is all voices aren’t the same. Drew Brees’ voice on the subject is one of the most important. He, along with Brady and Rodgers are the most recognizable white athletes in the country. They are considered leaders. His voice is WAY more important than yours or mine.

Do you think Kapernick taking a knee had any influence on those protests? Do you think that he had any influence on any of these other athletes speaking up?

Where he’s coming from? He was asked about protesting police brutality and he talked about his grandfather in the military. That’s like asking me if I like coffee and I start talking about cleaning supplies. His point was nothing. His answer was “I don’t understand the question.”

I don’t think that everyone can wrap their heads around how Brees is viewed in New Orleans either. Think about the way Buffalo views Jim Kelly and then multiply it by like 20. Brees came to New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. He came here when no one wanted to be here. Brees and the Saints played THE most important role in New Orleans rebuilding. He has given millions and done more for this city than just about anyone. With that being said that’s where the hurt comes in. This city is 60% black. They face these issues on a daily basis. Here’s a guy that has been viewed as nothing but a hero to this group not fighting with them. There is a real disappointment and outrage. They just wanted him to condemn racism and instead he switched the conversation to something that it wasn’t about. Don’t ever meet your heroes.

So when no one was watching? Got it What better way to get your message to the world than when you are home alone.

He does get the benefit of the doubt for saying what he believes!! That’s the point. Now he’s backpedaling because what he said was incredibly stupid and tone-deaf. If you remember the protest started with Kap sitting. Boyer and he discussed what would be appropriate and that’s where they got to the knee. I never said Kap wasn’t divisive and maybe that’s why the message was lost. Clearly Brees didn’t “understand” the goal.

What timing would you have approved of?

If you guys think this was “an innocent mistake by a good guy” I’ve got a bridge for sale.

I really don’t want to go too far down that road but know a bunch of guys that were/are on that team. My ex and his ex (not Brees another player) were best friends and we became close (I was supposed to be in their wedding but it didn’t happen). He’d get a few drinks in him and start telling stories. Brees is pretty fake I’ll just leave it at that. His image isn’t who he is. In terms of the thread this has to be tough for y’all. It’s arguably the biggest football story of the offseason and it’s so divisive what do you do? Hopefully we can all remain respectful. My opinion is that Brees knew what he was doing. He could have stepped around it easily. Now he’s backpedaling and trying to save face because they’re burning his jersey in New Orleans!! He went from messiah to pariah in minutes. He got caught up in a moment of honesty. What’s that Maya Angelou quote? “When someone shows you who they are believe them?” Brees knows damn well that the kneeling was never protesting the flag, military, America, etc... The idea came from a conversation with Nate Boyer, a green beret, and Kap. That’s why the backlash has come so hard. No one is asking Drew to kneel. They were asking him his thoughts on what Kapernick & co. were trying to achieve. His comments showed that he either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care to understand what the goal was. He has had years to be having conversations with guys like Malcolm Jenkins about “what can I do to help?” He could have done all of that without ever having to take a knee. 4 years later, he still believes that it had anything to do with the military? He’s either completely tone-deaf or he didn’t care to listen.

He’s public enemy number 1 in New Orleans at the moment. This comes months after his work with Focus on the Family, a group that supports conversion therapy. Keep in mind New Orleans is 60% black. He can’t possibly be as tone-deaf as he has let on over the last year. That’s who he is. That’s why you haven’t seen players shocked, just mad. Brees was being called on to say something and he could have EASILY stepped around the question. “I support the cause that Kap was fighting for. I stand with him to fight systemic racism.” Now that would have been a weak response but not a tone-deaf one. He could have went right back to sticking his head in the sand. The point being that those guys have always respected Drew Brees the player. Drew Brees the man is not beloved by his teammates. That’s been true for over a decade.

Oh man, seeing as the last 2 Brees threads were shut down I’m sure this one will last... While I do think that we should have this discussion on here it can’t be on the main board. It’s WAY too divisive of a topic. Maybe PPP? Either way, this topic is going to do nothing but divide up the board and people are going to say some uncomfortable/uneducated stuff. I’ll just leave on this. Brees has never been the person that everyone thought. He has maintained a squeaky clean image but was never “Breesus” as some believed. There are some skeletons in that closet that have been tucked away. This may not end well for Drew...

Anyone on here ever tell you that Brees is not a good person before it was popular?

100% this

Oklahoma has entered the chat

They still beat 3 of those top 10 teams on the road last year. Add in that they added Diggs and won 10 games its hard to imagine them going backwards. 10 wins and you’re a top 10 team.

That’s ridiculous. I’m not sure I’d have the Raiders at 28 lol. 13 is too low on the Bills too. They’re the 3rd best team in the AFC.

Ha ha, you’re talking to the wrong guy “obviously.” I know who Brees is and what Brees did. I know who Tua is and what he did. Their strengths are the same. They are incredibly accurate and are great with the ball.

He has a long way to go to be Brees (obviously). Their strengths are the exact same though.

Breaking every Big 10 record? I’m not sure your point? If it’s that I don’t appreciate Brees you’re talking to the wrong guy. Tua’s strengths are the same as Brees.

I live in New Orleans and have seen just about every snap since he’s been here. I’ve seen probably 10-12 Tua starts as well. It the way that they run play action and how accurate they are. This isn’t a based on size. It’s based on what they do well. Tua is a poor man’s Brees at this point.

I DESPISE Alabama. If anything I’m harder on them than I should be. I do agree that he had elite skill players. He may have 4 1st round WRs and a 1st round RB. He has OL too that went early. He’s surrounded by elite players. He is elite too. Tua has MAJOR health issues though. I’m not comparing him to Brees I’m saying that they have the EXACT same strengths coming out. They are accurate and good with the ball.

I’m not a big fan of that scale either. It’s totally antiquated too. The NFL game used to influence the way that the college game was played. Now it’s the other way around. Spread offenses and mobile QBs are all over the league. What it takes to be successful now is totally different than when Parcells was around. I don’t know what that list of criteria would look like at this point? I would want to judge them on their toughest opponents because that’s the closest that we have to the NFL but it’s tricky. Clemson is a great example of this. They always have more talent on the field than the team across the field. The only times that it is equal is when they play Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, etc... It’s tough to judge them when they are steamrolling Georgia Tech. At the same time if you apply this logic to Josh or Jordan Love how are they supposed to succeed against Oregon? Every guy on Oregon locks up their inferior skill players. I think that this works better for non-QBs. Khalil Mack was the best player on the field when Ohio State played Buffalo. That should tell you all you needed to know. Interviews would probably be the top criteria on the list. What makes this guy tick? What do the coaches think? What about his teammates? Josh would be incredible in this category. I’d want to see their ability to improvise. The biggest plays made in today’s NFL are off-script. Look at the last 2 MVPs and Aaron Rodgers whole career. They make plays when plays aren’t there to be made. I would want at least 2 years as a starter. Trubisky is the reason for that. You can’t have TOO small of a sample size. 3 isn’t realistic in the current environment but 20-25 starts is necessary. 60% completion seems reasonable. I’d keep that. I’d probably judge total TDs vs. total turnovers and want that closer to 3:1 (at least 2.5:1). There’s more scoring now so that is me adjusting for inflation. I’d also want some metric to judge how many times they got to their 3rd read. That to me just shows an ability to get through progressions and make good decisions. I don’t know what that number would be because I don’t know the sample size. It’s just something that I’d want to see happen consistently. Obviously, size, arm strength, athletic testing numbers are all crucial.