New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - Article Sean Payton's return energizes Drew Brees

METAIRIE-- Jimmy Graham joked Wednesday that he sat down with quarterback Drew Brees last week for his own press conference.

For selfish reasons, Graham wanted to know when Brees, already 13 years into his NFL career, planned to retire. His answer would let Graham, a tight end, know when he should hang up his own cleats.

The short answer?

No time soon. Not the way Brees' body feels. Not with Sean Payton back on the sideline, calling plays and so many offensive options awaiting his next throw. Not with so much left to accomplish.

"He's definitely got it in him to play until 40 and beyond," said Graham, whose pass catching and physicality makes him one of Brees' favorite targets. "The way he takes care of his body, the way he prepares for the game and the kind of player he is, I think he'll be here for quite a while more and playing at the high level."

That's just the answer the Saints wanted entering Sunday's preseason game at Houston. For Brees, the $100 million playmaker, is the catalyst behind last season's top-ranked offense. The fact that he has something to prove, thanks to a 7-9 season, more interceptions than he'd care to share and a Pro Bowl snub only fuels an already fiery motivator.

Brees is coming off a 5,177-yard campaign where he threw 43 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. If the Saints running game improves as Payton hopes, there may be enough balance that Brees doesn't collect his third consecutive 5,000-yard season.

Think about it. Think how high a quarterback has to be graded if a 5,000-yard season is considered normal.

"That is who Drew is," Marques Colston said. "Really, seeing him work day-in and day-out, it's really not surprising anymore. He puts in the work and deserves to have the success that he's had."

It also tells you how much he missed Payton during his season-long Bountygate suspension.

"Sometimes, we are at practice, and we will be like 'Hey, remember when we played so-and-so in '07, and we ran this?' It is weird how you remember certain things," Brees said. "I can't remember certain things that you told me yesterday, but I can remember a play in a game from ten years ago. And who ran it, or why we called it, or who we were trying to attack, or what the situation was. It is just that crazy kind of memory when it comes to football.

"So, we will sit there and do that all day long on the field. And it is good. We are in the moment. We are talking shop, and trying to find ways to get better, and kind of retool and fine tune this offense to make it better."

The offense could take another step forward, now that Brees is back to spending his offseason with the Saints. Last season's contract negotiations stopped that from happening, leaving Brees' primary communication with players via cell phone versus in the huddle or on the sideline.

"That year when he was gone, he used to text me every couple of days asking me how the guys were doing," Graham said. "So, to have him here early pushing me especially and telling me all the things I'm doing wrong is only for the better. Especially having a lot of younger receivers right now, that sets up and puts us in a better situation."

Nick Toon, a second-year pro, is one of the younger receivers. Toon spent all of last season on injured reserve and is now competing with rookie Kenny Stills for the No. 3 receiver position.

"For any quarterback and receiver, the more time you spend together, the better chemistry you are going to have," Toon said. "Drew and some of the older guys here -Marques Colston, Lance Moore, and Courtney Roby - the older guys in the room had an opportunity to develop that chemistry with Drew over the years and that is something that just comes with time, trust and repetition. The more opportunity and time I get with Drew for myself and Kenny Stills and all the young guys here is helpful and definitely carries over into the game."

Saints Note: The Saints cut left tackle Jason Smith, the former second overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. Charles Brown enters Sunday's preseason game at Houston first in the depth chart, with Bryce Harris second.

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