On Sunday, an appropriate bow will be put on the 2014 NFL season when the Seahawks and Patriots meet in Super Bowl XLIX. It’s best on best, from the players to the head coaches, and that feels right.

But before we file one of the league’s strangest seasons away for posterity, we can’t let one of the most vexing questions go quietly into the night: What the heck happened to the Saints? Drew Brees still hasn’t quite wrapped his head around it.

“It was my most frustrating season,” said Brees, walking out of the losing Team Carter locker room at the Pro Bowl on Sunday night. “You never want to go 7-9. It’s no fun.”

“I hate the word ‘talent.’ I hate it,” Brees said. “Some of the best players I ever played with, or best teammates I ever played with, that wasn’t their best quality. Everybody’s talented. Their best quality was their work ethic, their leadership ability, their ability to fight through adversity, toughness, reliability. Those are the things I most value.”

via Peter King of SI.com