Brees deserves a contract, not a ‘franchise’ tag

    The first few days of March were arguably the worst for the New Orleans Saints since Hurricane Katrina. Think that is being overdramatic?
    The Saints could not reach agreement with quarterback Drew Brees on a contract extension. The stalemate is puzzling. The need to use the franchise tag on Brees means the Saints could not apply it to either guard Carl Nicks or wide receiver Marques Colston.
    Media reports say that Brees and the Saints were $5 million apart per season.
    Unless Brees and his agent’s demands were truly astronomical, there is no way the Saints should not have come across with the cash.
    We all remember pre-Brees. No need to dredge up years of bad quarterback play and the endless losing seasons that came along with it.
    In the Brees era, the Saints have won a Super Bowl, played in two NFC Championship Games, won 13 regular-season games twice in the past three seasons. And, the Saints have sold out the Superdome since returning in 2006.
    No quarterback has ever made more of an impact on a franchise. Brees has made head coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis wealthy and made Saints owner Tom Benson even wealthier.
    If I were Brees, I would be ticked off. When he eventually signs his extension, we will hear that all is well and that there are no hard feelings. Weeks or months ahead of that day, I am not buying it.
    And there’s the even bigger mess of the Saints “bounty program.” Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has admitted his guilt, apologizing to Benson, the Saints and the NFL.
    What is truly sad is the NFL’s report says that Payton knew about the program that paid money to defensive players who would knock opponents out of games and did nothing about it. And that general manager Mickey Loomis was ordered by Benson to halt the program and did not.
    This sordid mess paints a picture of an organization run by cowboys (no, not the ones in Dallas) who think they can do anything they desire and get away with it.
    If I were Benson, I would be seething. Since returning here with his team in January 2006, Benson has done many things right. He has been a champion of New Orleans, a man who has given his time and enormous treasure to our area’s rehab, post-Katrina.
    But, sadly, the feel-good story that was the Saints since the hurricane has been tarnished. The Saints will be looked upon much like the Patriots, an organization with a talented head coach and quarterback, but still a rogue organization.

    Maybe the Saints will get past all of this. Maybe Brees signs his deal, the Saints take their punishment from the NFL for its bounty program, and everyone lives happily ever after.
    Me? I think the days of wine and roses are over. And, it is only a matter of a time before either Payton, Loomis or Brees – or any combination of three – are gone.
    Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at edaniels@clarionherald.org.