Brees Talks about Stinchcomb
 

New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees
Post-Practice Press Conference
Monday, August 15, 2011

What are your thoughts on Jon Stinchcomb?
I think he is one of the greatest teammates I’ve ever had. He is a true pro. He is everything you would want in a teammate, a football player, a man, in a leader. Obviously, he is going to be missed. He has been a mainstay for this team and this offensive line for a long time, especially during our time here. I have had five great years with him. He will always be one of my close friends. I wish him and his family the best. I am not sure what is next for him, but I always love that man.

Were you surprised when you received the news?
Yeah. I guess not, in a bad way, because I think at times you hope that these times will last forever. Especially since we feel like we still have so much to accomplish. The last five years have been unbelievable, especially with him and him being a huge part of that. I guess that’s it. It’s the reality of the game we play. There is a time where it comes to an end for all of us. I guess the fact that we have all been together for so long, you just feel like it is one more guy who is all of a sudden no longer a part of this team anymore for this year. He will always be one of the greatest Saints to play just because of what he brought to the team and the city and the type of person that he was.


What growth have you seen in Jimmy Graham?
It’s easy to spot just raw talent, which he obviously is. Then, to actually play the tight end position with a knowledge and an understanding of the bigger picture and understanding that I have an important role in the blocking scheme, I have an important role on certain routes where I’m not getting the ball, I am the go-to guy a lot and I understand how they are going to start playing me. He is in a position now, especially when you go through a camp like this where he is running around a lot, he is doing a lot of physical things so he is getting beat up a little bit, you have to fight through a lot of that stuff and understand what it is to play tight end in the NFL. He is a guy who loves football. I think that is one of the most important things, he loves the game. He wants to be great and he is willing to work to do that. That is everything that you would want in a guy. He listens. He is one of those guys that thinks that he is better athlete than everybody else and he can go out there with just raw talent and just beat you. He is starting to understand how important technique and fundamentals are. He has a great mentor in David Thomas, who has helped him tremendously throughout this entire offseason. I think he has a good group of veteran guys around him that help steer him in the right direction.

Full interview below.
Brees Talks about Stinchcomb

Were you surprised when you received the news?

Yeah. I guess not, in a bad way, because I think at times you hope that these times will last forever. Especially since we feel like we still have so much to accomplish. The last five years have been unbelievable, especially with him and him being a huge part of that. I guess that’s it. It’s the reality of the game we play. There is a time where it comes to an end for all of us. I guess the fact that we have all been together for so long, you just feel like it is one more guy who is all of a sudden no longer a part of this team anymore for this year. He will always be one of the greatest Saints to play just because of what he brought to the team and the city and the type of person that he was.

Yeah. I guess not. so you weren't

Doesn't sound like he is real impressed with Graham this year. Am I the only one getting that?

I don't think so. I think this is a pretty heavy time with Stinch getting cut, so he was more honest than we expect from players, since the filters were off. This is probably an accurate view of Jimmy as a player, he is really raw and has the talent to make plays, but he is not a complete TE. He may never be a complete TE, but we have David Thomas and now Lorenzen to pick up those roles. Put him in basically as a 6th WR in the spread set, or a blocker in draw situations.

We all automatically scale back interview answers from the overly optimistic spin that we generally hear, in this particular interview, it is probably safe to just take it at face value.

EDIT: I just wanted to reiterate how shockingly honest that presser was, when you read it you get an actual on the ground feel for what it the realities are for the team. It almost sounds like Stinch and the FO came to a mutual agreement where he would give his spot up for a younger player and they would agree to release him in such a way that he would still get his full salary.

Didn't get that. Sounds like he did nothing but praise the guy while at the same time left it open for Graham to realize that he's still got work to do.

I think Stinch came as a little bit of a surprise to most. Sorry I don't feel too bad for him. He has already made miore money in a few years then I will make in my entire life.

Of course he is something important to society - an entertainer, so....

Are we are getting very thin on the offensive line???

Were you surprised when you received the news?
Yeah. I guess not, in a bad way, because I think at times you hope that these times will last forever. Especially since we feel like we still have so much to accomplish. The last five years have been unbelievable, especially with him and him being a huge part of that. I guess that’s it. It’s the reality of the game we play. There is a time where it comes to an end for all of us. I guess the fact that we have all been together for so long, you just feel like it is one more guy who is all of a sudden no longer a part of this team anymore for this year. He will always be one of the greatest Saints to play just because of what he brought to the team and the city and the type of person that he was.



Drew seems relieved..no more getting blindsided on the by the right...

If you watch the video, you can see what Brees was saying. He was not jumping for joy, Stinchcomb is his best friend on the team, he was not "relieved".

I think if you were to ask Brees a Question about every player on the offense, he would say they need work, including him.