NEW ORLEANS — If Drew Brees starts against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday it might mean our time as New Orleans Saints fans with Teddy Bridgewater is over, for 2019 and perhaps forever.
If this is the case, can I just say what a fantastic five weeks this has been?
I've been on this earth 43 years - a Saints fan since my brain could create memories - and this stretch with Teddy Bridgewater has been some of the most fun regular season I've ever watched.
If this Sunday is indeed Teddy's final start as a Saint (or if the Chicago win was), it's been fantastic. It'll be an achievement that will be remembered for a long time by Saints fans.
I can make a case that what Teddy Bridgewater has done the last five weeks is as great a quarterbacking achievement any non-Drew Brees Saints signal-caller has managed. Teddy Bridgewater starting 5-0 as Saints quarterback in 2019 was the darndest thing we ever saw, and it will be something we yammer on about in 2050 to grandkids probably.
Acquiring Teddy Bridgewater might be the best trade in Saints' history. A third-round pick for starting quarterback that leads your team to 5-0 is the bargain of all bargains.
When Drew Brees got hurt and you asked me, "How much is the Saints going 5-0 without Drew worth?" I'd have offered a body organ, my 401K, possibly my soul in exchange for five straight weeks of winning without Brees.
And all the Saints had to pay was a third-round draft pick? Sean Payton is getting talked about, rightly, as NFL coach of the year, but I'm just gonna go ahead and give whatever award or gift card the NFL executive of the year gets to Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.
Loomis prepared accordingly for a potential crisis.
If the Saints had lost Brees, didn't have Teddy, and were currently looking like the Atlanta Falcons, we'd be ROASTING Loomis daily for not being prepared for the worst-case scenario. Let's salute him for doing the hard, unsexy work of creating one hell of an emergency plan.
Let's not forget, at the time of the trade the Saints trading a third-round pick for Bridgewater wasn't viewed as some masterstroke. It was mostly viewed as the Saints overpaying for a guy who hadn't played in two years. The Saints bought some really good and expensive insurance when lots of experts didn't think it was a good idea at all.
Teddy has steadily gotten better over five weeks and some NFL team is going to be willing to make him their starting quarterback next year at a decent salary. By almost any statistical measure Teddy is better with the Saints then he was in Minnesota. He has a higher completion rate, higher QB rating, plus lower interception and sack rates. He looks like a quarterback a good team can win with.
Do you think the Bears wouldn't LOVE to have Teddy Bridgewater to go along with their great defense? If Mitchell Trubisky was playing as well as Teddy, Bears fans would be eating polish sausage or swimming in Lake Michigan or whatever Bears fans do when they are happy.
Our Teddy Bridgewater experience has been fun, hasn't it?
One of the underrated joys of watching Teddy is he's so very cautious with the ball that when he does unleash a deep throw there is like a 90% chance a receiver, likely Michael Thomas, is wide open. He's just so good at not making mistakes. Why take risks when you have a defense like the Saints?
Another thing Teddy managed to do is somehow make the loss in the 2018 NFC Championship hurt less.
It isn't like Saints fans are over the 'no-call'. We probably will never get over it. But with Teddy playing, it at least faded into the background and we were able to just focus on the Saints surviving and thriving week to week without Drew Brees.
The Saints wins in Seattle and over Dallas were as fun and enjoyable regular seasons wins as I've ever seen Saints get. That moment where the Saints went up 27-7 over a Seahawks team was just wondrously joyous out of body experience.
"This can't be happening. How is this possible?"
It wasn't all Teddy of course, but doing enough to help the Saints get a blowout win during his first start wasn't some easy task. He got the ball to Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas and let them do their thing. It seems simple but simple ain't always easy.
If this is it, it was fun every week and worth the price the Saints paid to have Teddy be their quarterback.
Saints Fan Mood and Meditation Music
I Thank You -- ZZ Top
When Drew Brees got hurt disaster was staring every Saints fan in the face and the 2019 season seemed over before it even really started, but Teddy stepped in and the Saints are 6-1 and Super Bowl favorites just like they were heading into the season. So Teddy, this ZZ Top song is for you. You are a Saints legend now.
The Games
Last Week: 2-3
Season: 21-13-1
New Orleans (-9.5) vs. Arizona
Will Drew Brees be playing or not? I'm going to guess yes, Drew looks like a guy ready to go.
The Cardinals have been playing well lately and have beaten some terrible teams like the Falcons and Giants. Wins are wins. The unique thing is for all the so-called passing genius that is Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury, it's the running game that's helped the Cardinals get to 3-3-1. Arizona is averaging 127 yards per game and 4.8 yards a carry. Good thing the Saints defense is in the business of humiliating teams rushing offenses.
Whoever plays quarterback for the Saints gets to face a defense giving up 27 points and 392 yards a week. Saints head into the bye in style.
Saints 38-17
LSU (-14) vs Auburn
These gigantic LSU betting lines against good teams is just a bizarre experience. LSU-Auburn is always a knockdown drag out bloody affair and now Las Vegas is like "It's going to be a cakewalk for LSU". The Tigers survive this and then it's two weeks until dare I say the most anticipated LSU-Alabama game ever?
LSU 35-17
Seattle (-6.5) at Atlanta
The Falcons traded Mohamed Sanu to New England and are starting 679-year-old Matt Schaub. That's the white flag of surrender sadness. Did you know Schaub was still in the NFL? I did not.
Seahawks 31-3
New England (-13) vs Cleveland
The Patriots have faced the easiest schedule in the NFL. The Saints, in case you were wondering, have faced the 4th hardest schedule. New England gets all the breaks. I hate them.
Patriots 27-13
Minnesota (-16) vs Washington
Teddy, when the Redskins call you in March and want to talk about you being their starting quarterback, hang up.
Vikings 42-10
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Ralph Malbrough is a contributing writer and Saints fan living in Houston. Email him at saintshappyhour@gmail.com, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at @SaintsForecast or download the Saints Happy Hour Podcast.
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