NEWS » only to return to White Hart Lane as Aston Villa

NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees is arguably playing better than he ever has. The New Orleans Saints cannot say the same as a team, and thats becoming a source of consternation in the locker room.Losing is bad enough. Squandering that most precious of NFL commodities -- elite quarterback play -- makes it worse, particularly when the quarterback is 37 years old and under contract for only one more season after this.Brees became the first to pass for more than 300 yards in a game 100 times in an NFL career during last weekends loss at Kansas City, which dropped the Saints to 2-4 and into third place in the NFC South. It doesnt get any easier this Sunday, when NFC West-leading Seattle (4-1-1) visits the Superdome.When you have accolades, accomplishments or records broken with a loss, it kind of takes that joy away, Saints receiver Brandin Cooks said of Brees performances this season. Knowing him, he would rather win in those situations than anything, so you just want to help him get a win so he can enjoy those.The Saints havent been to the playoffs since 2013, when they were eliminated by a Super Bowl-bound Seahawks squad featuring many of the same players invading the Superdome on Sunday. New Orleans has finished below .500 since. Brees seems to be doing everything he can to right the ship, passing for a league-high 350.2 yards per game, which puts him on pace to break Peyton Mannings 2013 single-season record of 5,477 yards by more than 100 yards. Brees 17 TDs put him on pace to threaten his own career high of 46 in 2011.What does Brees think of all this?At this stage in my career, I really do not care about anything else other than how do you find ways to win, get in the playoffs and put ourselves in position to win a championship, Brees said. At the end of the day, thats how Im going to measure myself. Thats what I am focused on.Whetever Brees focus, the Seahawks expect their sixth-ranked defense to face one of its most challenging tests as they try to stop Brees from connecting with flourishing young receivers Cooks, Willie Snead and Michael Thomas.They are getting a lot of explosive plays. They are getting the ball down the field and scoring points, Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said. It is going to be really tough.Some other things to know about Seahawks-Saints:GRAHAMS RETURN: The game marks the first time Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham will play against the team that drafted him in 2010 and developed him into a star before trading him in 2015 to Seattle for center Max Unger and first-round draft choice (used to select linebacker Stephone Anthony). Graham was a fan favorite in the Superdome, where he often jumped into the crowd after his touchdowns.Im sure hes going to be pretty amped up to be back, but I know our fan base loved him and loved what he did for New Orleans and did for our team, Brees said. There is a lot of love there.CHANGE OF SCENERY: Brees said the Seahawks defense of recent seasons might be the best he has ever faced in his nearly 16-year career. Certainly, the Seahawks were able to shut down Brees in regular season and playoff games played in Seattle in 2013. But the Superdome is where Brees has been his best. The crowd lets him communicate. The field is fast and dry and there are no weather conditions to compromise his renowned accuracy. Twice this season, Brees has passed for more than 400 yards at home.SACK SURGE: Led by Cliff Avril, the Seahawks are finding ways to get to the quarterback. Avril has 6 + sacks, tied for the NFC lead, most of them coming in the past three games. Avril had two sacks against Atlanta two weeks ago and 2 + sacks of Arizonas Carson Palmer last week. Seattle has 20 sacks through six games, tied for third in the NFL.TAKING THE BLAME: Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro says New Orleans defense must accept responsibility for Brees squandered production.Weve been in the bottom of the league, Vaccaro said, referring to his units ranking of 31st the past two seasons and 29th this season. Weve got to play better. If we were just in the middle of the league, wed be in the playoffs every year.RUN SOMEWHERE: Seattles run game is shockingly still at the bottom of the NFL. The Seahawks rank 27th, averaging 82.7 yards per game rushing. They have one 100-yard rusher this season, Christine Michael in Week 3. Wilson has not been a threat to run because hes been hampered by knee and ankle injuries. Maybe playing New Orleans will help. The Saints rank 23rd against the run, giving up almost 117 yards per game.---AP Sports Writer Tim Booth in Seattle contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Charles Haley Cowboys Jersey . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Dak Prescott Womens Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.shoptheofficialcowboys.com/Elite-Demarcus-Lawrence-Cowboys-Jersey/ . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Randy White Jersey . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. Roger Staubach Womens Jersey . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. Jose Mourinho could only stand and watch on Sunday as his Manchester United side were humiliated on his Premier League return to Stamford Bridge.The Portuguese maestro is still regarded as a Chelsea legend after guiding the club into uncharted territory, and admitted that it would be hard to keep his emotions under control in the build up to the game.However, things could be much worse -- here are five of the most shockingly bad managerial returns in football.Pep GuardiolaDear oh dear, where do we start with Pep Guardiola? Barcelona have dished out two counts of revenge on their ex-boss.The first came on?May, 6 2015, when he returned to the Nou Camp as an opposing manager with Bayern Munich. His side were thrashed 3-0 -- thanks to a late Lionel Messi brace in the?Champions League semifinal.Guardiola gave it another go in the Champions League group stage with his Manchester City side on?19 October 2016, only for the English side to lose out 4-0. Messi with a hat trick, this time.Harry RedknappHarry Redknapps shock switch across the south coast from Portsmouth to Southampton in 2004 has been described as one of the biggest betrayals in English football.There was absolutely no way Portsmouth were letting Redknapp leave with anything on his return to Fratton Park, as they hammered their fiercest rivals 4-1 on?April, 24 2005.?Just to rub salt in the wound for Southampton fans, Redknapp lead the club to Premier League relegation that season, and then made the switch back to Portsmouth. Bizarre.David MoyesEveryone is aware of David Moyes miserable tenure at the helm of Manchester United. However, not everyone remembers the wonderfully ironic way in which he was sacked.His last game before United pulled the plug was on April, 20 2014, a 2-0 loss at Everton, the club where he spent 11 years as manager.George GrahamArsenal and?George Graham achieved great success together in the nine years they spent together between 1986 and 1995.He led them to two First Diviision titles, two League Cups, one FA Cup and one?UEFA Cup Winners Cup but was sacked?after it was discovered he had accepted an illegal ￡425,000 payment over a player in 1992.ddddddddddddAfter serving a year long ban form the FA, Graham ended up at Leeds United, and returned to Highbury on?October, 26 1996 where Arsenal ran out as 3-0 winners.Glenn HoddleGlenn Hoddle is best known for his time at Tottenham as a player, but he later managed the north London side between 2001 and 2003.Inbetween he had a stint at Chelsea as a player manager, guiding them to an FA Cup final in 1994.?He didnt enjoy the best of returns to Stamford Bridge as Tottenham manager, with Chelsea running out as 4-0 winners on?March, 13 2002.But it doesnt always go wrong...Tim Sherwood was sacked by Spurs, only to return to White Hart Lane as Aston Villa boss and grind out a 1-0 win on April 11, 2015.Sam Allardyce is something of a legend at Bolton Wanderers, having managed them from 1999 to 2007. Having moved to Newcastle United, the fixture list saw him return to Greater Manchester within a week. It was a happy return, his new side running out comfortable 3-1 winners.Paul Lambert likes going back, too. His Norwich side thrashed Colchester 5-0 in Jan. 2010. Incidentally, five months earlier in the reverse fixture, Lamberts Colchester had stuck seven past Norwich -- a result that probably got him the Carrow Road job. Having left Norwich to manage Aston Villa, Lambert returned to Norwich in Dec. 2012 and won 4-1.And sometimes going wrong can still work out alright...Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish returned to Anfield on the final day of the 1994-1995 season with his title-chasing Blackburn Rovers. They fluffed their lines, losing 2-1, but it didnt matter because rivals Manchester United had drawn 1-1 at West Ham to hand the trophy to the Ewood Park club. ' ' '