Officially, Drew Brees is no longer part of the NFL franchise in New Orleans. That doesn’t mean the NBC analyst is not still well-connected inside the Saints locker room. That was evident on Friday during his appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.
Patrick asked Brees how often he still speaks with Jameis Winston, who served as his backup last year and is his successor as the team’s starting quarterback this season. Brees responded that the two exchanged texts after the game against the Packers. That prompted Patrick to push a little more.
Eventually, Drew Brees revealed that he stays in regular contact with both Winston and the Saints’ backup and gadget play quarterback, Taysom Hill.
“Are you an unofficial assistant coach?” Dan Patrick asked.
“I will say this,” Brees said laughing. “I did have the game plan for the (Packers) game in my hand prior to the start of the game.”
Drew Brees admitted that the game plan came directly from the New Orleans Saints. That is a nice leg up on his broadcasting competition for being able to break down what he saw on Sunday nights when he is on NBC.
While it may be strange or even surprising for some to hear that Brees still is unofficially in the loop in New Orleans, there is nothing wrong with it. In week 1 at least, Brees’s new job had him nowhere near the Saints. That likely made it very easy for Saints coach Sean Payton to view him as Drew Brees, the former player, and not Drew Brees, NBC broadcaster.
Now, will the practice continue? Currently, it is unknown whether or not Brees had the Saints’ plans for Sunday’s visit to Carolina.
