Image by dbking (originally posted to Flickr as _MG_5421) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Monday morning, crazy rumors surfaced that Brees had torn his rotator cuff in the loss on Sunday and would miss the rest of the season. The rumors started on a few message boards with posters claiming to have friends who knew doctors who had given them this information, despite every Saints reporter stating that they had heard nothing of it.
Early in the afternoon, Ian Rapoport reported that Brees would miss games, possibly several. Just a few minutes later, Adam Schefter and Ed Werder reported that he had a bruised rotator cuff, was going to Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion, and his timetable for return was based on how the shoulder responded to treatment. Jason La Canfora then reported the exact same thing, stating that it wasn’t out of the question that Brees could even play this Sunday. In his afternoon press conference, Sean Payton stated that the reports that the quarterback could possibly miss several games were “inaccurate” and it would be later in the week before we knew more.
Tuesday morning, Werder tweeted that Dr. Andrews confirmed that Brees’ rotator cuff was indeed bruised, not torn, and told him to “rehab hard”. Werder then said that Brees believes there is a “reasonable possibility” that he plays this Sunday. The first official injury report will be put out later today, so that’s when we will first hear something somewhat concrete from the team. I still would not expect much other than “did not practice” and “questionable”, simply because he is going to have to rehab throughout the week and then try throwing before he even decides whether or not to try and practice, then make a decision on the game.
Friday is an important day to watch, because it is the last full day of practice before the game, but with a veteran like Brees, it’s very possible that he doesn’t practice at all and then plays on Sunday. Something else that I previously mentioned on Twitter, is that Brees making the trip to Carolina doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be on the field. Injured players often don’t travel for road games if they know they aren’t going to play, even if practicing a little during the week. Knowing the type of player that he is, Brees will almost certainly be with the team even if he knows he’s not playing before the Saints leave for Charlotte. In related article about injury, if you need legal help for personal injury go to this link : Texas personal injury attorney.
Obviously, all of us as both those who cover the team and the fans will be part of a waiting game throughout the week. Sean Payton is always very mum on talking about injuries, giving the minimum information required by NFL rules, so don’t expect to hear too much from him. There’s probably a better chance that Brees himself gives better detail. He’s a competitor, so it would not shock me one bit to see him suit up. My opinion, though, is that if sitting out one game means that his shoulder will be significantly more healed for the rest of the season, I think he should sit out. Unfortunately, though, all we have is speculation for a few days, so as we near Sunday’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers, we’ll adjust the previews based on the news.
Stay tuned for more information on Brees’ status and the week 3 preview.
