Notebook (Sept. 27)

Built differently

The Green Bay Packers are built for today and tomorrow. The New Orleans Saints are built for the here and now.

With time running out on 41-year-old quarterback Drew Brees and his quest to win a second Super Bowl championship, the Saints have assembled a win-now roster. That’s evident in several areas of roster construction.

Based on the NFL’s analysis of week one rosters, the Saints have a league-high 14 players who are 30 or older and have the oldest roster in the league at 27.00 years old.

They signed 33-year-old receiver Emmanuel Sanders and 32-year-old safety Malcolm Jenkins in free agency to bolster an already-old roster.

It’s all in hopes of adding another championship to a dynasty that never quite got off the ground. The last three seasons, they’ve gone 35-13. However, those seasons ended in playoff heartache with the “Minneapolis Miracle” loss to the Vikings in 2017, the controversial loss in the NFC Championship Game to the Rams in 2018 and an overtime loss at home to the Vikings in 2019.

Could this be the end of the line? The Saints have been kicking the salary-cap can down the road for years. Now, potential disaster awaits. With no fans in the stands due to COVID-19, the salary cap is expected to fall from $198 million this season to $176 million in 2021. That’s left New Orleans $79.1 million over next year’s cap, according to OverTheCap.com. That’s not a misplaced decimal point.

Meanwhile, the Packers have the sixth-youngest roster in the league, with the average member of the team being 25.51 years old. That’s Green Bay’s typical way of doing business.

Ted Thompson took over as general manager in 2005 and was replaced by Brian Gutekunst in 2018. In those 16 seasons, the Packers have fielded one of the 10 youngest rosters every season in all but 2017, when they were 11th.

Green Bay has its own cap problems due to COVID. It’s only $5.1 million under the projected cap, with left tackle David Bakhtiari, running back Aaron Jones, cornerback Kevin King and center Corey Linsley among those who will be free agents after the season.

Rodgers vs. Brees

This is a quarterbacking clash of the titans. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is the NFL’s all-time leader in passer rating. New Orleans’ Brees is the all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns.

Rodgers is off to a sensational start with six touchdowns vs. zero interceptions. He’s No. 4 on the MVP board at PointsBet sportsbook.

“He’s doing it again. It’s hard to root against him,” said Andrew Mannino, PointsBet’s senior sports content analyst. “If the Packers make a real run, he’s going to be instrumental in that. I think bettors are seeing that the NFC isn’t exactly lopsided the way that some of the AFC is, so if they get on a run, he’s going to be a big part of that. I think the odds reflect that.”

Brees is off to a slow start by his lofty standards. Coming off an NFL-record completion percentage in 2018 and just missing the mark in 2019, he ranks only 21st with a 64.7 percent completion rate to start this season.

“My job is to execute the offense,” Brees said after Monday’s loss at Las Vegas. “I’ve always evaluated myself on being a good decision-maker. And so, at the end of the day, I’m going to throw the ball to the open guy, move the ball down the field, score points, help us win football games. That’s my job.

“My job is not to have the most air yards, or throw the ball down the field the most, or anything like that. My job is to help us win. My job is to help put everybody around me in a position to succeed and that’s all I’m focused on.”

Money backs

Two of the best running backs in the NFL, New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara and Green Bay’s Jones, will be on the field on Sunday night. While Kamara is being paid like the elite back that he is, Jones is waiting his turn.

On Sept. 12, the Saints signed Kamara to a five-year extension worth $75 million that extends through the 2025 season.

Kamara was a third-round pick in 2017. Jones was a fifth-round pick and 19th running back selected in that draft. In their three-plus seasons, Kamara has played in 47 games and recorded 2,503 rushing yards (4.9 average), caught 257 passes for 2,214 yards, and scored 41 total touchdowns. Jones has played in 42 games and tallied 2,494 rushing yards (5.2 average), caught 92 passes for 780 yards, and scored 36 total touchdowns.

While Kamara has by far better numbers, Jones is coming off a monster 2019 season and had a huge day against Detroit. His 236 yards from scrimmage were the most by a Packers player in 64 years.

Also in that 2017 running back class, Minnesota extended Dalvin Cook (five years, $63 million) and Cincinnati extended Joe Mixon (four years, $48 million). Even Chicago’s Tarik Cohen, a fourth-round pick who is more of a niche player than every-down threat, has inked a three-year extension worth $17.25 million.

“I’m definitely open to getting something done whenever but, like I said, that’s not my main focus,” Jones said after the game. “Just going to continue to focus on football and helping this team bring in the wins, as many as possible.”

No flight zone

It will be a fascinating matchup between Brees and Saints receivers Michael Thomas (if he plays) and Sanders against Green Bay cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Kevin King.

Alexander is the top-graded cornerback in the league at Pro Football Focus. King wasn’t even targeted by Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“Sunday night, Monday night, those primetime games when the people are watching, that’s when you can’t go out there and try to do too much because that’s when bad things happen,” King said. “Make sure you study, you know what’s going on out there and you know what you’re supposed to do and know what the other team is going to do.

“Just play your technique and the plays are going to come. That’s the thing, we get 11 guys on the same page doing things the way Pet (defensive coordinator Mike Pettine) needs us to do, then we’re going to be a scary team for the whole year.”

Year 2 jump

As a rookie, Green Bay outside linebacker Rashan Gary was a disappointment. The 12th pick of the draft, he barely caused a ripple, ranking 19th in the rookie class with two sacks and tied for 24th with three quarterback hits.

Through two games this season, he has 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hits. Pressures against Minnesota and Detroit turned into critical interceptions. Against Minnesota, his late rush turned into an interception just before halftime that helped turn the game in Green Bay’s direction. Against Detroit, his quick victory produced Chandon Sullivan’s pick-six that essentially clinched the game.

“I think Rashan’s grown as much as anybody in the 20 games we’ve all been together,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think he continues to put forth great effort. I think he’s got a better understanding of what it is we’re asking him to do, his assignments, the adjustments within a play. I think it’s always fun to watch a guy who puts everything into it reap the benefits of that. So, we’ll continue to push him and see how much better he can get on a weekly basis.”