Latest news with #Brees
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
One of Derek Carr's all-time favorite plays came at the Saints' expense
'We went right down the field and we scored' Former New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr isn't throwing many footballs these days, but he's still keeping busy in retirement. After being talked into cutting his list from of the best plays from his NFL career down from 20 to just his top five, Carr reflected on his favorite moments as a pro during a video shared on the Home Grown Network YouTube channel he started with his brother David. None of those five plays happened when he was wearing a Saints uniform, but one of them came against the black and gold. Carr said he threw the second-best ball of his career back in 2016's season opener. "Number two, in New Orleans, alright?" Carr began, clapping his hands for emphasis. The irony that the second-best play in his career happened against his future team wasn't lost on him. He continued, "With (Michael) Crabtree. I know that this is a funny one, I've got Saints helmets and Raider helmets all around me. Just the memory of this one, we're playing against Hall of Fame Drew Brees. We're going against D.A., Sean Payton, all these guys. Brandin Cooks just caught a 109-yard touchdown on us. Like, this game was unbelievable." Trailing the Saints 34-27 with about six minutes remaining, Carr spoke with head coach Jack Del Rio on the headset and agreed they should go for two rather than give Brees a chance to win. He and the Raiders drove 75 yards on their final possession, helped by two defensive penalties to convert a 3rd-and-4 and a pivotal 4th-and-5 deep in New Orleans territory, before Carr connected with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts. They got the two-point play he wanted, and the rest, Carr says, is history. "We went right down the field and we scored. And we called a zone play, we got a one-on-one play and Crab was my guy. I had a lot of those guys, but Crab on that moment was my guy. He had the fade, I gave him a chance, he made a great play back in the Superdome. It was awesome. I remember looking up and obviously it's Drew so you're like, man, if there's any time on this clock we left too much of it. But we ended up winning that game. It's one of my favorite memories," Carr finished. Brees did get a chance with 47 seconds left but no timeouts, and a pair of passes to Willie Snead only got him up to the Raiders 43-yard line before a throw to tight end Coby Fleener fell incomplete. Then-rookie kicker Wil Lutz tried a 61-yard field goal but couldn't make it, and the Saints started their third consecutive season with a loss. As for Carr's Raiders? They ended the year at 12-4 but were beaten by a 9-win Houston Texans team on the road after Carr was injured in Week 15. That season didn't end how he wanted, but Carr did enjoy a memorable start. We just have to ask: did it really have to come at the Saints' expense? According to Stathead and Pro Football Reference, Carr led 143 possessions with the Saints at home in his two years as their starting quarterback, and he managed this feat (driving downfield at least 75 yards and scoring a touchdown) just 11 times, with nine of those drives coming in the same four games. If he had played better in New Orleans, maybe he would have more fond memories to look back on when he was wearing the home uniform instead of the visitors'.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
One Chargers draft pick seen as one of the best in the 21st century
The Chargers have hit on a handful of players through the draft over the years, with the likes of Justin Herbert, Derwin James, and Rashawn Slater, among others. However, according to Bleacher Report, there hasn't been a pick as good as Drew Brees, who was selected 32nd overall in the 2001 NFL draft. Brees checked in at No. 4 on the list of the best draft selections from the first quarter of the 21st century. One of the most decorated and productive players in the history of the sport was overshadowed by Michael Vick, LaDainian Tomlinson and 29 others before finally going to San Diego in '01. During his five years with the Bolts, Brees started in 58 games and passed for 12,348 yards, 80 touchdowns and 53 interceptions. After hurting his shoulder in 2005, the team lost all confidence in Brees, leading to the decision to let him walk in free agency. He then signed with the Saints, where he would spend the next 15 years of his career. Brees went on to win a Super Bowl (XLIV), be named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year twice (2008, 2011), and earn 13 trips to the Pro Bowl. Brees finished as the NFL's all-time leader in career passing yards (80,358) and ranked No. 2 in touchdown passes (571) and completion percentage (67.7%). All in all, Brees is an all-time great quarterback and is one of the best players in Chargers history, despite his time with the team being cut short. LaDainian Tomlinson deserved to be on this list, but Bleacher Report excluded players who were drafted in the top 10, and Tomlinson was selected fifth overall.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Darren Sproles' 72-yard punt return TD is the Saints Play of the Day
Sproles introduced himself to Saints fans in a big way We're on Day 72 in our countdown to the New Orleans Saints' 2025 season opener, which means our pick for the Saints Play of the Day is this 72-yard punt return touchdown from Darren Sproles. He started his Saints career and the team's 2011 season with a bang against the Green Bay Packers, rallying New Orleans back to life after they fell into a 21-10 hole in Week 1. You can see Sproles stun the Packers for yourself here. It was a moment of vindication after everyone spent the offseason talking about how great a fit Sproles would be in Sean Payton's offense, catching passes from Drew Brees and running routes that linebackers hadn't seen before. It was just a little surprising that neither Payton nor Brees were involved with this play. Sproles caught the punt with room to run, then he found a lane through the heart of the Green Bay coverage unit. Then he was gone. While his time in New Orleans was short-lived (just 44 games across three years), Sproles proved to be one of the better free agent pickups of the Payton-Brees era. He racked up 3,048 yards from scrimmage and scored 21 touchdowns as a runner and receiver, gaining more yards and scoring more TD's than he did with either the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. He chipped in 871 punt return yards and 1,827 kick return yards with the Saints, too, proving to be a player who could threaten the defense any time the ball was in his hands. This touchdown wasn't enough to turn the tide against Green Bay -- the Packers stopped Sproles' rookie teammate Mark Ingram II at the goal line to get away with a 42-34 win -- but the 2011 season proved to be, arguably, the greatest regular season in franchise history. Sproles led the league in all-purpose yards with Brees setting a new record for single-season passing yards, plus a career-high 46 touchdown passes. New Orleans paced the NFL in a variety of offensive categories while looking like a worthy follow-up to the 2009 Super Bowl team. It's a shame their year didn't end with another championship, but we'll always have these memories.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
How Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees' career-ending injury left his throwing arm permanently damaged
This one hurts and not just for Saints fans. Drew Brees, one of the greatest quarterbacks in history, recently resurfaced in headlines after an old interview clip went viral again. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In it, he admitted that his right arm, the one that threw for 80,000+ yards and 571 touchdowns 'doesn't work anymore. ' Yeah, read that again. It turns out the damage from that brutal 2005 shoulder injury never really healed the way we thought. And now, Brees says that when he's just casually tossing the ball in his backyard, he has to throw left-handed. It's heartbreaking, and fans are only now realizing how much that man gave to the game. Drew Brees says his 2005 injury left him with a degenerative shoulder that ended his arm for good Let's rewind for context. Back in 2005, Brees suffered a nasty shoulder injury with the Chargers, a complete 360-degree labrum tear and a partial rotator cuff tear. Doctors weren't sure if he'd ever play again. But Brees shocked the world with a comeback that led him to New Orleans and to football immortality. Fast forward to a 2023 interview on ESPN Radio, and Brees opened up about what that injury did long-term. He said: 'I don't throw with my right arm anymore. My right arm does not work. So, when I throw in the backyard right now, I throw left-handed.' He added that the shoulder has developed arthritic changes and has degenerative issues that forced him to call it quits even though mentally, he felt he had more football left. Fans are calling it 'heartbreaking,' 'gutting,' and 'a reminder of what players sacrifice.' Others are pointing out that this is exactly why Brees retired when he did not because he was done mentally, but because his body simply gave out. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The man gave everything to the game and the damage was permanent Brees may have walked away with a Super Bowl ring and a Hall of Fame legacy, but he also walked away with a right arm that's no longer functional. That's the trade-off. And now that fans are hearing it directly from him again, it's hitting differently. It's easy to forget what NFL players put their bodies through until someone like Drew Brees casually reminds us that he can't even play catch with his kids using the arm that made him a legend. This isn't just a football story. It's a reminder of the toll greatness takes. Also read -
USA Today
12-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
This 87-yard TD from Drew Brees to Brandin Cooks is the Saints Play of the Day
This 87-yard TD from Drew Brees to Brandin Cooks is the Saints Play of the Day Drew Brees threw for 465 yards and still almost lost We're continuing to count down the days remaining until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2025 season with Day 87, which makes this 87-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Brandin Cooks our choice for the Saints Play of the Day. Every yard and point gained on the play ended up counting in a last-second win against the Carolina Panthers. Sure, things got off to a good start. The Saints offense banged out 21 unanswered points to take a quick lead, including this great pass from Brees to Cooks down the sideline (which you can see here). Cam Newton threw an interception to Sterling Moore in the New Orleans end zone in response. Then things got goofy. Carolina orchestrated five scoring drives of 50-plus yards each and put the Saints defense on its heels; they kept up a frenzied pace and scored 21 points of their own in the fourth quarter to close the gap. It took a 52-yard field goal from Wil Lutz with just 11 seconds left in regulation to break the 38-38 tie and put the game away. That was the way games went for the Saints in the mid-2010's. Brees threw for 465 yards and four scores, with Cooks accounting for 173 of those yards, and New Orleans still nearly lost at home. This was Dennis Allen's first year as the full-time defensive coordinator after Rob Ryan was ousted midway through the 2015 season, and they still had a lot of work to do on that side of the ball. Things would eventually settle down and even turn into a strength, defensively, but in the meantime New Orleans needed every deep shot from Brees to Cooks they could connect.
