Saints' Drew Brees has 'every intention of playing' despite bum shoulder
METAIRIE, La. — A shoulder injury may take something off Drew Brees’ fastball, but he still commands a room.
“Let’s roll,” the New Orleans Saints quarterback said Wednesday after striding into the media room at the team's headquarters.
Brees said a bruised rotator cuff “sounds accurate” when asked for a diagnosis of the injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Whether he will play this weekend at the Carolina Panthers is a concern that has so captured traditionally Roman Catholic New Orleans, that his health is a bigger local story than Pope Francis' visit to the United States. But a sense of dread was probably inevitable in light of the Saints' 0-2 start.
“I have every intention of playing, but I do have to be smart,” Brees said.
“I’m not used to this, I don’t like it, but the idea is to make progress every day. Each day you wake up and see what you can do, but you don’t want to aggravate it.”
Brees dressed for practice Wednesday but did not throw. He said he has gone as long as four or five days without throwing in practice before but has still been sharp on game day. Brees insisted it would be his call to play against Carolina, and he maintained no chapter of the Saints’ voluminous playbook would be closed if he suits up.
Brees said he knew immediately that his injury would not be season-ending. He relies on painful experience. In the last game of the 2005 season, the labrum in his throwing shoulder was torn during his final game with the San Diego Chargers. Brees maintained that injury made him a smarter and better player.
“When I dislocated it in 2005, I was told I would always have to watch the shoulder,” he said. “So I started doing things I’d never done before, learning what felt right and what didn’t. In the end, I felt like my shoulder was stronger than ever before.”
The only start Brees has missed since joining the Saints in 2006 was in 2009, when he was rested in the regular-season finale. But he now finds himself in the odd position of splitting reps with backup Luke McCown, who has nine starts in 12 NFL seasons. The Saints have occasionally modified practices to accommodate Brees when he's been banged-up in the past. But the concept of being sidelined is completely foreign to him.
Coach Sean Payton wouldn't offer a guess as to who will be under center at Carolina, only maintaining Brees will remain under evaluation.
“I’m not going to go through hypotheticals,” Payton said in a conference call. “From an injury standpoint, there’s nothing I’m going to say beyond we’re taking it day-to-day and we’ll be smart.”
The Saints' season may hinge on the next two games against the Panthers and depleted Dallas Cowboys, but Brees feels no additional pressure to play.
“I don’t want to give myself an excuse,” he said. “It’s not about it hurting. Just from a pride standpoint, I want to play.”
There have been whispers around the league over the past few seasons that Brees' arm strength had been in decline. Some of his throws against Tampa Bay appeared inaccurate or short prior to his injury.
But Brees' teammates say such speculation is inaccurate. Safety Kenny Vaccaro said he’s seen zero dropoff in Brees' velocity during his three years in the league.
“He’s still the same Hall of Fame Drew,” Vaccaro said.