New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees drops back and scans the field before locating rookie wideout Marques Colston on the right sideline with separation from his defender. Brees fires a dart to Colston, who snags the pass at the five-yard line and navigates his way between two defenders into the end zone.
The routine play on September 10, 2006, which was Brees’ first touchdown in a Saints uniform and the first of Colston’s career, seemed miniscule at the time, but it was the start of one of the most feared quarterback-wide receiver combinations of the last decade.
The duo went on to link up for 71 more touchdowns, etching Brees’ name into NFL and Saints history while securing Colston’s status as the top receiver in franchise history.
But those days are long over. After consecutive seasons with a sub-.500 record, it’s more apparent than ever that New Orleans’ first dynasty has sadly come to an end.
New Orleans officially released Colston on Tuesday, leaving Brees as one of three remaining players on the roster from the Super Bowl XLIV Championship team, along with coach Sean Payton.
Colston’s release is a bittersweet moment for any Saints fan.
Who would have known the 252nd pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of Hofstra would make the roster, much less grab 70 balls for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns in his rookie season from a guy who came back from shoulder surgery.
But by the end of their reign, Brees connected with Colston 711 times, amassing 9,759 yards and 72 touchdowns, all of which will remain in Saints record books for a long time. Best of all, they brought hope back to a battered city.
Despite his future Hall of Fame status, though, it’s time for Brees — and Payton — to join Colston among the ranks of the unemployed.
For fans of the franchise that had a whopping one playoff win and lost more games than it won in the 39 years before Brees’ first touchdown pass to Colston, it only makes sense to be apprehensive of letting the two go.
They were the figureheads that turned one of the NFL’s notorious bottom feeders into perpetual contenders and were directly responsible for the single happiest moment of my life vas a sports fan — Super Bowl XLIV.
But what goes up must come down, and, boy, has the New Orleans franchise come down. The last two Saints teams were major stinkers that were lucky to win seven games apiece.
With obvious hard times ahead for New Orleans’ currently assembled team, it’s time to be honest with ourselves. Those last few guys remaining from the glory days just don’t have enough left in the tank.
There was a time when Payton drove defensive coordinators crazy with his schemes and unpredictable playcalling, but his prowess dropped off significantly. It’s no secret he doesn’t command the locker room like he used to. Neither the offense nor the defense is where it used to be, and Payton had to use former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan as a scapegoat just to keep his job this year.
Meanwhile, Colston recorded three consecutive seasons with less than 1,000 yards, including a career-low 520 last year.
Brees’ numbers haven’t exactly dropped off, but it’s obvious he’s not the same player anymore, and the 37-year-old isn’t going to do anything but keep the team just good enough to be outside of the top 10 picks in the NFL Draft while not being good enough to make the playoffs.
General manager Mickey Loomis should accept that fate, bolster the defense with this year’s draft picks as he did for the offense in 2006’s draft and tank next year for the quarterback of the future.
Jacob Hamilton is a 21-year-old political science junior from Slidell, Louisiana.