Once again, here we are at through the first few weeks of the Saints football season, and once again, they are off to a dismal start. Of course, in traditional Saints fashion, the games have been very close and cause many to have blood pressure issues. Recently, I wrote an article analyzing the state of LSU football, and clearly the program read my article. They seem to be taking my advice. Because of this recent success, I've decided to do the same for Saints football. However, first I want to say what is NOT the problem.

Drew Brees is not getting worse. Over the past ten years or so, we have been spoiled with absolutely ridiculous performances and records. He is now just not putting up numbers that are as ridiculous as they used to be, and that is absolutely fine. No one can sustain that type of play for an entire career. Statistically, he is still consistently one of the top quarterbacks in the league year in and year out. I firmly believe that it doesn't matter who Drew's receivers are. He will still complete the passes (as long as those receivers do not drop the ball).

Also, the running attack is, well, adequate. All the Saints have to do is have the ability to run the ball. When an offense has the ability to pass the ball so well, they simply need to have the threat of running the ball. The Saints do not necessarily need big running plays. Are they nice to have? Yes. Could we use more of them? Absolutely. But with the current state of the team, a pass-heavy attack will work. The Saints have still been putting points on the board with it, so the offense/rushing attack is not the problem.

Obviously, the problem is the defense. What's scary is that I'm not entirely sure how to fix it. It's true that the Saints do not have any big stars on the defensive side of the football. But no individual player seems to be very bad either. This is evidenced by players' performance on other teams. Every offseason, the Saints seem to sign new players that are supposed to finally save the defense, but they never seem to deliver. They seem to be great players...until they play for the Saints. The same thing happens if players leave. Time and time again, defensive players for the Saints seem to find "new life" once they leave the Saints. So, what's the problem?

If the problem is not the player's, then logically, I thought, it has to be the coaches. But that is not the answer either. Sean Payton is an offensive-minded coach, so I cannot expect him to fix the defense. His offense is undoubtedly a success. That is why the defensive coordinator position is so important for the Saints. However, every single person in the job has ultimately failed, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Once again, these coordinators come with excellent resumés, and yet, when the time comes for the defense to play, it looks the same as the year before. The coordinator gets fired, and then he finds success with another team.

So if it is not the players and not the coaches, then what is the solution? The answer: I don't know. Some say that the thing to do is to trade Drew Brees away to gain cap space to sign defensive stars. This idea comes from the Denver Broncos/Alabama Crimson Tide formula for success. Defense comes first with a run-first offense. But here's the problem: we would not win a game without Drew. He is literally all we have. I also believe that Sean Payton can only run his offense with Drew at the helm. Another problem is that, as stated earlier, the Saints do not have a stellar running game. This solution would require an overhaul of both sides of the football, and I don't think getting rid of Drew would solve that problem. I do agree with the formula of "defense first." It has shown success, but the Saints are simply too deeply entrenched in their ways now that sacrificing Drew for the sake of the team would simply be counter-productive.

The Saints are in trouble. I don't mean for just this season, but also the future of the organization. Drew will one day have to retire, and that will be a very bad day for the Saints. I'm not saying that it is time to break out the old paper grocery bags, but we need to be prepared for a long drought from success again. Unless someone can fix the defense while Drew is still our quarterback, it may be a while before we see another Super Bowl. The only possible solution that I can see is a complete overhaul in team personnel, coaching staff, and philosophy. In other words, starting from scratch.

That being said, I am still hopeful. I'm not giving up on my team. Is there work to do? Yes. But that only makes the championships more joyful when we get them. There is always a chance, and I will continue to believe. And so, I finish in solidarity with the Saints: "Who Dat!"