Drew Brees' stat line against the Cowboys last Sunday night sure didn't look like one belonging to a banged-up quarterback.
Brees went 33 for 41 for 359 yards and threw two touchdowns, including the game-winner on the second play of overtime, a 15-yard wheel route that C.J. Spiller caught and took to the house for a walk-off, 80-yard touchdown.
Brees was excellent, but the Saints' passing game looked different. Brees and head coach Sean Payton switched up the offense, using a lot of quick, short passes to mitigate Brees' bruised right rotator cuff.
Against Dallas, 32 of Brees' 41 pass attempts traveled no more than nine yards in the air. At the half, he was 17 for 20 for 115 yards, Sam Bradford-esque numbers.
This might have been the direction the Saints wanted to head in anyway. With the exception of Brandin Cooks, Brees no longer has game-breaking weapons at wide receiver and tight end. Marques Colston is on his last legs, Jimmy Graham is (mostly invisible) in Seattle and Darren Sproles' unique talents now help the Eagles, not the Saints.
Dinking and dunking might be the best way for New Orleans to move the ball regardless of Brees' shoulder.
"They've changed a lot of parts around him, but Drew doesn't seem like he's missed a beat," Chip Kelly said Wednesday.
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Eagles safety Walter Thurmond said Brees and the Saints are running a more "passive" offense than they used to. Thurmond doesn't think it's just because of Brees' shoulder, but rather a combination of the injury and the different skill players he's working with.
"It could be a little combination of both," Thurmond said after practice Wednesday. "But I can see it — changing the offense up a little bit and probably some of the shoulder injury as well, probably not getting the distance he once used to, plus some of the receivers they used to have, and him getting older. Just probably playing more conservative ball."
That conservative ball worked for the Saints last Sunday night against the Cowboys. Brees found a rhythm by getting the ball out quickly and putting his team in manageable third downs. Kelly has talked all season about how the Eagles' offensive failures on first and second down are the reason their third-down conversion rate isn't where they want it to be.
The Saints, despite a 1-3 record, are doing a better job of keeping the offense on schedule.
"On first and second downs, [Brees] gets the ball out quick and gets in manageable third downs," cornerback Nolan Carroll said. "See a lot of things on film, there's a lot more 3rd-and-2 to 3rd-and-5 than 3rd-and-longs because on first and second down, he's getting the ball out fast whether it be screens or the quick game."
You'd figure that with all the short passes and check-downs the Saints use, Spiller's role will only grow as the season goes on.
Kelly went out of his way Wednesday to compliment Spiller, who is in his first year with the Saints. Payton brought him in to try to fill that Sproles role, and against the Cowboys he did, catching five passes for 99 yards and the game-ending TD.
"I've always admired the way C.J. plays because he is one of those tough matchups," Kelly said. "He's got a lot of Sproles characteristics to him."
The Eagles' defense should be well-prepared for Spiller because of how often it goes against pass-catching running backs in practice. Who better to play the Spiller role in practice than Sproles? It also sounds like Kenjon Barner has assumed that role on the scout team.
"He's very versatile," Thurmond said of Spiller. "We have Darren Sproles, who gives us a great look every single day, and Kenjon Barner, as far as the body types and the speed that comes with that. We're very prepared for that situation."