blacksaint

Quarterback feeling healthier, seems to be playing at '06 level

Saturday, August 18, 2007
By John DeShazier

CINCINNATI -- Signed to a new team, thrown stone cold into a new offense, fresh off shoulder surgery that was career-threatening, Drew Brees became the most prolific one-season passer in Saints history in 2006.

Records were set by the handful -- yards [4,418], 250-yard passing games (nine), completions (356), completion percentage (.643) and passer rating (96.2).

Now, he's comfortable -- really, really comfortable -- with what he's doing. Which means everyone expects big things to be poppin' -- really, really big things -- for the Saints.

"He's 100 percent," Coach Sean Payton said. "Obviously, he's feeling well. He's a lot further along than he was a year ago this time."

"I've been able to focus on a lot more things other than just getting the shoulder back, which was, obviously, a high priority last year," Brees said of training camp 2007. "It's been a lot better."

It has shown during training camp and in preseason games. The Saints (0-2) will play their third tonight at Paul Brown Stadium, where they will face the Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at 6:30 p.m. And Brees, who's expected to play just a little more than one quarter, appears to have picked up where he left off last season.

He has been sharp against teammates in drills, was crisp but the victim of a few drops against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Hall of Fame Game, dissected the Buffalo Bills in the Saints' preseason home opener, and on Thursday had his way with the Bengals' defense that he'll see again tonight. The Saints and Bengals practiced together twice Thursday.

"Obviously, it's preseason, and there's still a lot we're trying to accomplish," Brees said. "I thought it was good practicing against them because they're definitely a different style, a different mentality defensively than our guys.

"Just to get a different look, especially when you're about to play the team, you can't draw a better card for your scout team to run against you than what those guys were doing, because that's their defense. I think it was good work for us. I enjoyed (Thursday)."

It stands to reason that he would have.

Last season, against many of the same Bengals defenders in a regular-season game at the Superdome, Brees had the sixth-best passing performance in league history. The Saints lost 31-16, and Brees threw three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown. But he also completed 37 passes for 510 yards, both team records, eclipsing the previous one-game highs by three completions and 69 yards.

"I think we all forgot about it," said Brees, who also owns the third-, fourth- and fifth-best passing performances in team history. "It was kind of one of those things where last year was last year. And I know we're not going to play these guys unless it's in the Super Bowl. Let's hope that that's the case."

The Saints might be able to attain such a prize if Brees is as effective as he was last season, and he appears ready to be.

"Our relationship has grown over a year," said receiver Marques Colston, the surprise of the 2006 draft class who caught 70 passes for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns. "Having an offseason together has given us just that much more chemistry.

"He's pretty much the same guy. As for the rest of us, there are just different guys stepping up, trying to fill in their roles around him, including me. But Drew is probably as even-keeled a guy as you can ask for in a leader."

Even-keeled and easygoing, as exhibited by his rapport with country music star Kenny Chesney, who was invited by Payton to practice with the Saints on Friday.

Brees good-naturedly took the blame on the disconnect between him and Chesney on a long pass attempt, gave Chesney props for running a reverse, juking a defensive back and imitating one of Reggie Bush's touchdown celebrations after scoring, and played along with the ruse that the performer was ready for a spot on the NFL team.

But that, and nothing else, distracts him from the task for long.

"I'd say the word this year is -- obviously expectations are a lot higher -- we need to focus, knowing that we need to be better," Brees said. "We're not satisfied. We got to stay hungry, just continue to motivate one another. We have so much that we have the opportunity to accomplish, and we don't want to let that go to waste."

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saint4life
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LongTimeFan

If Brees has a season as he did last year you won't hear me complain a bit..
Monster season last year..