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Q: After seeing Heath Evans' comments about Brees' knee injury, do you think Evans' chances of re-signing with the Saints are diminished? I can't imagine Payton being happy about one of his players letting the cat out of the bag like that. Leo McGovern, New Orleans.

A: Trust me, a veteran like Heath Evans knew exactly what he was doing when he made those comments. I think Evans made them more as a tribute to Brees' toughness than as any kind of revelatory gesture. I'm still somewhat mystified by the buzz created by Evans' comments. After all, Brees' injury was well-documented at the time when it occurred. While no one knew the specific nature of the injury, it was thoroughly reported that he indeed suffered a knee injury and was playing through it. In fact, Brees spoke at length about the injury, when it occurred and further discussed how it affected him, his throwing motion and how the brace he chose to wear would affect his mobility during practice and games. Payton didn't deny that Brees had an injury. He just refused to reveal any specifics. That's certainly not the first time that's happened. The NFL only requires teams to submit a practice participation report on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Because Brees practiced and did not miss any drills the team was not required to report his injury. Consequently, I don't see why the Saints would be upset at Evans. So he revealed the specific nature of Brees' injury. Big deal. Brees is fine now. There's no competitive disadvantage to revealing the specifics of the injury. In fact, I think the Saints would view Evans' comments positively, as a teammate praising another teammate. If Evans isn't re-signed, it'll be because the club has moved in another direction at fullback and wants to upgrade the position with a younger player more than any retribution for his comments, which, in my mind, were benign.

Heath Evans one of many New Orleans Saints speaking highly of Drew Brees: mailbag | NOLA.com