Tag: Drew Brees

Did Sean Payton take a dig at the Saints in Broncos’ postseason presser?

Did Sean Payton take a dig at the Saints in Broncos’ postseason presser? He credited a couple of ex-Saints on his team’s medical staff for keeping players healthy:

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton shared some interesting commentary when boasting about the health of his team, some of which felt like a dig at the New Orleans Saints.

The Broncos were one of the healthiest teams in the NFL this season, and Payton rightfully felt proud about that. Payton told Broncos media in his postseason presser, “Once again, the injury data, I think 32 teams, a year ago, we finished first. This year, we’re currently second.”

And Payton gave credit for that to a couple of former Saints staffers, including strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple, who was fired by ex-head coach Dennis Allen shortly after he took the job. Payton continued, “That’s a credit to Beau Lowery (vice president of player health and performance), that’s a credit to the training room, to strength and development, everyone involved. There’s a lot that goes into that.”

Lowery worked with the Saints as an athletic trainer and physical therapist before being promoted to director of rehabilitation and sports medicine from 2011 to 2020, and reunited with Payton in Denver after a two-year stop at LSU. Former players like Scott Shanle and Michael Thomas (citing Drew Brees’ endorsement) vouched for him on social media in response to Payton’s remarks.

Where it got interesting is when Payton addressed teams with injury problems: “If you’re finishing towards the bottom, there’s a lot that goes into that too, and you’ve earned that. … Here’s the thing, you’re also selling to your players. And now your players are wanting to be here for the recovery, they want to be here for the offseason, they want to be here lifting, they want to be here. They’re not all disappearing to the satellite, private workout, expert facilities that are supposedly (better). They’re staying here.”

It’s rare someone tells you you earned your misfortune, but that’s what Payton said. It’s a comment that could make you wonder why he said that, as the answer centered around Denver’s lack of injuries. It was so random it felt direct, and a logical target would be the Saints. Not only are the Saints a logical target, it applies.

Injuries were a defining aspect of New Orleans’ last two seasons. Derek Carr, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Erik McCoy, Taysom Hill, Marshon Lattimore, while here, and Alvin Kamara were all impacted by injury. That’s only the beginning. Kamara is a high-profile player who trains away from the team in the offseason, but he isn’t the only one choosing to look outside the facility for treatment.

Payton has been known to be petty, so it wouldn’t be out of character for him to take a shot at his former team. Maybe this a bit dog hollering. Either way, the sentiment applies to New Orleans. They’ve got to find a way to shake the injury bug going into 2025. If you go back and watch Payton’s postgame handshake with Allen from early this season, the first thing he tells his successor to do is “Get healthy.” They couldn’t do that, and their season went in the tank soon after.

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Future HOF QB believes NFL teams should learn from 49ers, Brock Purdy

Drew Brees thinks more NFL teams should follow the model the 49ers laid out with Brock Purdy.

The San Francisco 49ers avoided a potentially catastrophic quarterback situation when they selected QB Brock Purdy with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

Former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance got hurt in Week 2 of a crucial second season where he was to be the team’s starter, and his development track was derailed to the point it may never match up with the 49ers’ immediate timeline for contention. Purdy stepped in and right away helped solve the biggest question mark on the 49ers’ roster.

Future Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees believes NFL teams can learn from how the Purdy situation shook out in San Francisco.

Purdy landed the QB3 job out of camp behind Lance and veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers were a Super Bowl contending team coming off a trip to a second NFC championship game in three years, and boasted a loaded offense guided by one of the league’s best offensive minds in head coach Kyle Shanahan.

It was a nigh perfect situation for Purdy to step into when he took over for an injured Garoppolo in Week 13 of his rookie season. Mr. Irrelevant led the 49ers to the NFC championship game as a rookie, and then to a Super Bowl in Year 2 where they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.

Brees told Saints Wire’s Crissy Froyd that QB-needy teams around the league should be looking toward the team-building blueprint San Francisco stumbled upon.

Via Saints Wire:

“(He just) maximized everything about what they were doing offensively in order to win these games. And he’s very cerebral,” Brees said.

There have been some issues in San Francisco that need to be fixed, but Purdy in his own right has proven he can be the quarterback of the future for the team if they can put the right type of consistent pieces in place. Every team needs to support their quarterback, but that’s even more critical for young pros like Purdy.

“So, if he gets into a situation in San Francisco where he’s got a great offense, great run scheme, great head coach and he’s got all this high level experience, that equates to success right away,” Brees said. “I think there’s a lot that can be learned from that story when you talk about how you draft guys and the situations you put them in.”

Ironically, this is also the crux of the discussion surrounding Purdy’s impending contract extension. He was outstanding in his first year-plus as a starter, but his situation was also about as good as a quarterback can ask for. That brings up questions about whether it was the QB or the situation that generated the unprecedented success for a QB who was the final pick in the draft.

The 49ers may not have done it on purpose, but it has worked well for them and all signs point toward Purdy getting a massive contract at or near the top of the QB market this offseason.

It’ll be interesting to see how teams continue building moving forward knowing how players like Purdy and Sam Darnold thrived in more ideal situations. Perhaps we reach a point where teams beginning rebuilds atop the NFL draft focus more on building a strong foundation that lowers the necessary bar for any potential franchise QB to clear.

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Drew Brees says NFL teams could learn a lot from Brock Purdy’s story

Drew Brees says he hopes other teams can learn from Brock Purdy’s underdog story. It’s a new blueprint for drafting and supporting a young quarterback:

Drew Brees knows his way around the quarterback position — that much is evident by the simple fact that he is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. The New Orleans Saints legend retired with quite a few records to his name and a place waiting for him at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

While he is far from proving he can reach the same heights as Brees, former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy has far exceeded the expectations with the San Francisco 49ers.

Once seen as “Mr. Irrelevant” as the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft, Purdy has become a legitimate starting NFL quarterback and has earned the praise and recognition of many around the league, including Brees.

“This is the way I look at Brock Purdy. Every single time he stepped on the field in college, he was an underdog,” Brees told me this week. “So, here’s a guy who always had to play kind of with an edge, with a chip on his shoulder.”

In conjunction with Cyclones standout Breece Hall, Purdy made everything Iowa State was doing offensively that much better, in the eyes of Brees.

“(He just) maximized everything about what they were doing offensively in order to win these games. And he’s very cerebral,” Brees said.

There have been some issues in San Francisco that need to be fixed, but Purdy in his own right has proven he can be the quarterback of the future for the team if they can put the right type of consistent pieces in place. Every team needs to support their quarterback, but that’s even more critical for young pros like Purdy.

“So, if he gets into a situation in San Francisco where he’s got a great offense, great run scheme, great head coach and he’s got all this high level experience, that equates to success right away,” Brees said. “I think there’s a lot that can be learned from that story when you talk about how you draft guys and the situations you put them in.”

The former Saints quarterback hopes that other teams can learn from the home run that San Francisco hit here.

Purdy will look to get back to business next season in hopes of returning to the Super Bowl stage, and he’ll likely do it with a new contract. He completed 65.9% of his passes for 3,684 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024. The 49ers have done a great job taking care of Purdy to this point in his career, and they’ve worked hard to retain talent around him. Now it’s his turn to cash in after developing into someone they can because of, not just with.

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Drew Brees talks partnership with Bounty, Super Bowl heading to New Orleans

Saints quarterback Drew Brees and former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski have partnered with Bounty paper towels, and are headed to New Orleans together for the Super Bowl:

Drew Brees and Rob Gronkowski’s playing days are behind them, but they’re doing big things off the field. And they are doing it together. Both players have partnered with Bounty paper towels ahead of this year’s Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome, and I caught up with them earlier this week.

“I’m a Bounty man, I’ve been with them for about three years now and I’m fired up to be once again,” Gronkowski told me. “Every year I have a wingman. Last year, it was Julian Edelman, who was my teammate on the New England Patriots for nine years.”

Partnering with Brees especially appealed to Gronkowski because of the fact he has such strong connections to the Big Easy.

Gronkowski continued: “And, now this year, with the Super Bowl being in New Orleans, I needed a final wingman out there to show me the city, because I’ve never really been there before. Who is better to do that than Drew Brees?”

Brees has brought a lot of success to the city that it has not seen since he left the field there.

“He’s brought the Super Bowl to the city there and is basically the mayor there,” Gronkowski said. “He knows all the things about that place, knows all of the restaurants, so I call up Drew, asked him to be my wingman, and he accepted it with no problem.”

The former Saints quarterback was immediately on board with the idea and Gronkowski’s thinking behind it.

“He loved the saying — you can’t have football without wings and you can’t have wings without Bounty,” Gronkowski said. “Loved that I’m from Buffalo, and I love my buffalo wings … But whenever I eat them, I always cause a mess and it gets cleaned up by my quicker picker upper, Bounty paper towels. So, I appreciate Drew tagging along this year.”

Brees echoed Gronkowski’s thoughts and said he was greatly looking forward to the pair teaming up down in the bayou.

“I’ll be his wingman any time,” Brees said. “I’m excited to get Gronk out to New Orleans and I can’t believe he’s never been down there before. We’re going to have a great Super Bowl there.”

Super Bowl LIX is set for Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome. Like Brees and Gronkowski, we’ll be watching.

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If Saints choose to hire from within, Drew Brees has his pick for head coach

Drew Brees named who his pick would be if the New Orleans Saints choose to hire their next head coach with another internal promotion:

The New Orleans Saints are one of just many teams who enter a search for their next head coach as they begin the 2025 offseason.

Saints legend Drew Brees named former Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn as his current top choice for the head coaching position when I asked him who his personal top candidate was this week.

But Brees also mentioned how many times the Saints have chosen to hire internally. That would not be entirely out of the picture in his eyes, and he says that if he had to choose one person from within the organization in which to promote, he would give the job to current offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

“I really like the job (Klint) Kubiak did. I love the offense he brought. I love the shifts, the movement, the run game scheme, and then obviously the play-action that comes off of that,” Brees told me this week.

It’s his first year on the job after coming to the Saints via the San Francisco 49ers, who Brees doted on Kubiak for doing such a good job with, also mentioning how well Brock Purdy has done there.

And Brees could hardly be more of a fan of the offense Kubiak has put together. While that side of the ball had its high points and low points, there is no denying how electric it looked when it was at full capacity for the first two games of the season.

The Saints scored 91 points over that time span.

Kubiak may have caught some flack from fans when the Saints were at their lowest, but it is important to remember just how much adversity New Orleans faced, especially on the injury front.

“I think Kubiak did a great job, obviously in a tough situation,” Brees said. “Not having a lot of weapons and then going through three quarterbacks for a lot of the year.”

Regardless of who they Saints choose to hire as their next head coach, Kubiak does not seem to have any concern over the direction of the franchise as a whole.

We’ll see how it plays out, but I think the Saints are going to be just fine.”

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Drew Brees weighs in on the state of Saints after disappointing 2024 season

Ever an optimist, Drew Brees shared his thoughts on the Saints as a team and where they stand after the concussion of a disappointing 2024 season:

The New Orleans Saints are in quite the state of transition after finishing the 2024 season on a low note, falling 27-19 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the season finale. That ended their year with a 5-12 record, a top-10 pick in this year’s draft, and an uncertain future without a head coach in place.

There’s plenty of work to do as the team looks to find their next coach, has questions at quarterback for the long-term and has multiple positions of need to fill as the 2025 NFL draft looms ahead.

We spoke with former Saints quarterback Drew Brees on the state of the team and how he reflects on last season. Brees quickly pointed out that the biggest issue was the injury bug, which the Saints caught in a major way.

“The tough part with the Saints is that they weren’t healthy,” Brees told me this week. “They lost both of their starting receivers early in the season between Rasheed Shahid and Chris Olave.”

The difference between the first two games of the season, in which the Saints looked like an offensive juggernaut scoring 91 points, compared to what the rest of the season looked like was like night and day.

Brees continued: “You look at what they did the first two weeks of the season when everybody was healthy. They were as good of an offensive team as anybody in the league. All of the sudden, guys just start dropping like flies, and then you lose Derek Carr there toward the end. You lose Alvin Kamara, you lose Taysom Hill.”

Brees went as far as to say that it was not totally fair to evaluate the Saints because of just how many elements were missing.

“The were shorthanded most of the year, which put a lot of pressure on guys both of offense and on defense,” Brees said. “So, kind of unfair to evaluate the team, other than noting they had a lot of young guys who stepped up and had a chance to play.”

And there were some diamonds in the rough who did show their talents and gained some recognition for the bright spots they were able to provide in an otherwise largely abysmal season.

“You trade Marshon Lattimore, arguably one of the best defensive guys in the secondary, kind of midway through the season, which allowed some young, secondary players to come in and get more time,” Brees said. Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry played more snaps after Lattimore was traded, but other defensive backs like Ugo Amadi, Shemar Jean-Charles, and Rico Payton got more opportunities because of it, too.

Despite the blunders and the fact the Saints have to practically totally rebuild on all fronts going into next season, looking to bounce back from a 5-12 overall record that put them at dead last in the NFC South, Brees views this team as being in a “good position.” He’s always been an optimist.

“So, look, they’re kind of in good position. But, obviously, they’re going out and looking for a new head coach, whether they recruit that guy from within, which is kind of where we have been the last 20 years,” Brees said.

The Saints have another option here, and it may just be time to pull the trigger on it. Brees does not seem too opposed.

“Or,” Brees added, “you go outside of the building and go get somebody with some fresh perspective.”

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Drew Brees shares his take on Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener

Drew Brees shared his take on New Orleans Saints quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener: ‘This will be a great offseason for both of them to really compete’

The New Orleans Saints have not had a truly reliable quarterback since the legendary Drew Brees retired, but have been going back and forth between different options.

For now, those primary options are Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. While the veteran Carr is clearly the guy for now, the Saints must start looking to the future soon and must evaluate the potential of both Rattler and Haener.

Brees recently weighed in on both players, who got a ton of playing time when Carr went down with an injury not once, but twice during the 2024 season.

“I think both of them showed great signs of what could be to come. Both of them have some unique traits,” Brees told me this week. “They’re kind of smaller, undersized guys, more my size at about 6-foot-1. Both of them are very athletic and they can make a ton of plays on the perimeter. This day and age, you see that becoming more the norm of the quarterback position.”

Brees also said that he views the Klint Kubiak system as a solid fit for both signal-callers, though that obviously could change at some point. How the head coaching search shakes out will have a ton of bearing on that.

“The offense suits both of them well. This will be a great offseason for both of them to really compete,” Brees said. “We will see what offensive scheme is in place, based on what happens with the head coach. They’ve shown what they can do if given the opportunity.”

Jake Haener was the preferred backup for Spencer Rattler on game days, but it was Rattler who got the start most often once Carr went down. It will be interesting to see what the Saints choose to do at this position moving forward and what the future holds for a team in the midst of full change.

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Drew Brees reveals his pick for who should be the next Saints head coach

Drew Brees shared his top pick for who should the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints. It’s someone he’s known for decades as a coach and teammate:

The New Orleans Saints are in a state of transition as they move forward in their coaching search to permanently replace Dennis Allen, who had been replaced by Darren Rizzi at least for the interim.

New Orleans has been busy scheduling interviews with candidates, and one of those is former Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn, who is currently the defensive coordinator for the red-hot Detroit Lions.

And that’s Drew Brees’ pick for who should be the next Saints head coach, a position he says should be a “highly sought-after job.”

“He would be my top pick right now,” Brees told me this week.

It didn’t take the former quarterback long to come to that conclusion, either.

“The first guy who comes to my mind is Aaron Glenn,” Brees said. “Arguably, one of the greatest defensive backs to ever play the game. I played against him, I was a teammate of his too. He’s a leader of men. He garners a ton of respect. He knows the game. He is highly competitive.”

Outside of Glenn’s pure coaching abilities, his methods and what he brings just as a person and with ideas of how to build for success appeal greatly to Brees.

“He’s great interacting with players, and is an exceptional teacher,” Brees continued. “I think he would put together a great staff as well that will come out and continue to accentuate New Orleans currently has in the locker room with his talent.”

The interest is clearly mutual, as the Saints scheduled an interview with Glenn this Friday. He’ll be a huge get for whichever team he accepts the job from, currently also set to interview with the New York Jets (who drafted Glenn, and who have hired him before as a scout), Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars as well. It would not be at all surprising to see that list grow, either.

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Saints Super Bowl champ says they wouldn’t’ve let Mike Evans pad his stats

Former Saints Super Bowl champ Scott Shanle says he and his coaches wouldn’t have let Mike Evans pad his stats: ‘No way he’s getting that record on us’

Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints was especially meaningful for Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans. Evans tied the record set by Jerry Rice for the most seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards in NFL history (11), but he had to pad his stats to do it. The Bucs took over with a comfortable lead in the final seconds after rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler’s final pass fell incomplete, but they made time to get Evans a quick pass before kneeling out the clock.

And some Saints defenders took offense at that, swiping at the ball after the whistle and visibly showing their frustration. But hey, if you don’t want it to happen, stop it. That’s what Saints fans have told Atlanta Falcons faithful for years after Drew Brees and Darren Sproles ran up the score on them back in 2011. And that’s the message former Saints Super Bowl champion Scott Shanle shared on social media.

“The guys I played for would have doubled that dude Mike Evans like it was a punt return,” Shanle wrote of the pivotal play. “No way he’s getting that record on us!”

That’s exactly the aggressive approach previous Saints defensive coordinators like Gregg Williams were known for. And maybe it would’ve made a difference on Sunday. Either way, Evans got his record, and the Saints defenders who failed to stop him will be steaming about it until their next chance at evening the scales in 2025.

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NFL Legend Drew Brees shares his thoughts on Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ success

NFL Legend Drew Brees shares his thoughts on Kansas City #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ success | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs’ Christmas Day victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers clinched the top seed in the conference and served as a historic broadcast. Netflix debuted its NFL coverage with the Week 17 game, and one of the best quarterbacks in league history was an analyst.

Clutch Points host Rob Lepelstat recently interviewed New Orleans Saints legend and Netflix NFL analyst Drew Brees about what makes Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes an all-time great and so hard for opposing defenses to stop.

“He’s extremely smart. He can make every throw. He knows he can make every throw, he’s got ultimate confidence.” said Brees. “He’s wise, though. He takes care of the ball; He knows situations… He knows how to manipulate the game.”

Brees will likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer once he’s eligible after a record-setting career. Mahomes has outpaced him in several statistical categories since his first year as a starter and could be on his way to achieving the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat.

According to Nielsen, the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans (24.3 million average minute audience) and the Chiefs vs. Steelers (24.1 million average minute audience) were the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history.