Support Matters

Posted: June 3rd, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Support Matters

Football and real life intersect from time to time. It can help unite a team or it can open a can of worms that can devastate a team. We’re about to find out a lot about the Saints.

Oh boy.

That didn’t go over well with a lot of people. Teammate Michael Thomas wasn’t happy at all.

Malcolm Jenkins, who played with Brees previously and is now back for this season, was really upset.

https://twitter.com/JClarkNBCS/status/1268296832175742977

Jenkins later put up a different video.

That is a man baring his soul right there. He and Drew are going to have some tough conversations coming up.

Remember how Chris Long handled the idea of protests?

Long found a way to support his teammate while also doing what made him comfortable during the anthem. You have to understand the importance of the men in the locker room with you. Long supporting Jenkins and other teammates helped the 2017 Eagles play as a united team. Heck, they had a very family feel for parts of the year. That doesn’t happen if the players don’t listen to each other and respect each other.

I’m sure Brees had no ill intentions with his comments. But that’s part of the problem. He’s incredibly tone deaf to be saying those things at a time like this. He is an important public figure and has a unique position where he works closely with a lot of black men. Brees should have chosen his words very carefully instead of flying right into the “don’t disrespect the flag” line.

The fact he still thinks kneeling during the anthem is about the flag or the troops is mind boggling.

This situation could rip the Saints apart. But they can always turn to Sean Payton to act as their leader and calm the waters.

Yikes.

I love to joke around as much as the next guy, but this is not the time for bullshit like that.

It is possible that this will all blow over and won’t affect their season all that much. It is also possible that there will be chemistry issues in that locker room all year long. That can ruin a season.

Jenkins will talk to Brees. If Drew listens and shows genuine remorse for how he answered the question, this could actually bring them together. But Drew will have to really mean it. The players in that locker room will have their BS detectors on full alert.

A lot of players around the league are upset. Even retired guys are ticked off right now.

Brees is one of the greatest QBs in NFL history. He has been a respected leader for the Saints and the city of New Orleans. This makes it all the more painful when he speaks out in such a callous way.

Brees can talk about his grandfathers and their service, but he still needs context for things like that.

Instead of being someone that could help settle things down, Brees has made them worse. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t intend that. Things played out that way.

In order for Brees to become part of the solution, he’s going to need to do a lot of listening to his teammates and people in general. He’s going to need to choose his words very carefully and he better hit the right notes.

The Saints saw themselves as Super Bowl contenders. That status is on delicate ground right now. A special season could turn into a nightmare.

*****

I really do look forward to focusing on the Eagles and just football.

If you need a distraction right now, watch this. That should cheer you up.

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