METAIRIE, La. -- Having Drew Brees back in the lineup is a great start. But the New Orleans Saints still need to figure out how to get their entire offense back to full strength.
No matter who has been playing quarterback, the 0-3 Saints have been missing that explosive, big-play element that once helped define their offense.
By all accounts, Brees has shown enough arm strength in practice this week to make deep throws as well as short ones, which is a must since New Orleans can't afford to just keep playing "dink and dunk."
The Saints have just three passing plays of 25-plus yards this season, none of which have gone for touchdowns. It's a big part of the reason why they're tied for 19th in the NFL with 20 points per game.
Asked if those big plays aren't as much of the Saints' offensive vision this year, coach Sean Payton said, "I hope not."
"We just finished talking about those numbers specifically," Payton said earlier this week. "You have to have more explosive plays because the odds of just constantly having these 10-12 play drives [aren't good]. You need to be efficient at doing that, and yet there's got to be the ability to [gain yards in bigger chunks]. And it doesn't necessarily mean just in the passing game. They come in the running game as well."
This downward trend started last year.
In 2014, the Saints led the NFL in yards per game, first downs, completion percentage and third-down conversion percentage. But they had only 29 passing plays of 25-plus yards, which was their lowest total since 2007.
Receiver Brandin Cooks, whose dynamic speed gives the Saints a great chance at some of those explosive plays, called them "a must."
"I really wouldn't say we've struggled [in that area]. The way things have been going, we've just got to take our chances. And I feel like that's coming," Cooks said. "Every now and then we probably take our chances. But not like in the past in this offense. I think [Payton] is seeing that, and as players we're starting to feel that as receivers. So we've got to start coming up with those types of plays.
"And that's an area that we've got to get better at as receivers. The quarterbacks, they trust us, but we've got to be better on the outside and win those one-on-one matchups throughout the game. ...
"We trust and we know that [Payton] is going to come up with something special."
There are many reasons for the deficiency. The Saints' run game has struggled this season, which has forced them into too many long-yardage situations and hasn't allowed them to open up the playbook enough.
Brees' shoulder injury didn't help. He tried to throw deep a couple of times after suffering the injury in a Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay and came up woefully short -- including one interception that was intended for Cooks.
Then last week, Cooks came within inches of reeling in the biggest pass play of the season at Carolina. But Panthers cornerback Josh Norman made a fantastic leaping interception in the end zone to rob the Saints of a potential 23-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Luke McCown.
McCown played great for most of the game as the Saints offense finally started to find a rhythm. He completed 19 of his first 20 passes and finished with 310 passing yards. But McCown's longest completion was a 23-yard dump-off to running back Mark Ingram on the final desperate play near midfield.
Asked if the Saints offense felt like it was "on the cusp of something" last week, Cooks said, "We definitely felt that, at a point. But obviously we needed a little bit more. We're feeling that things are starting to come on more and more as we go on."
Another player who could help provide that dynamic element is newly-signed runner/receiver C.J. Spiller.
Spiller was limited by a knee injury earlier this year. But Payton regretted that he didn't get Spiller more involved this past Sunday and said he has to find a way to get him more touches.
Spiller has just four rushes and three catches this year, but two of those catches have gone for 19 yards each.
Asked if he feels ready to "bust out," Spiller said, "I feel like that every week. I don't think it's a switch that you turn on one game and then turn off."
Too bad it's not that simple, because the Saints' offense has been switched off for too long.