It was evident that Drew Brees was grinding through his final season last year, but only recently did the recently retired quarterback reveal just how tough it was for him.
Brees, speaking at a Pro-Am charity golf tournament on Wednesday, revealed to the New Orleans Saints website the extent of how much he was struggling.
“I only really felt good in one game, form the perspective of, I had all the tools in my toolbox,” he said. “I had a lot of limitations throughout the season as to what I could and couldn’t do, and I recognized that.
“And that’s really hard for a competitor. That’s really hard when you know what you should be able to do, and yet you can’t because of various injuries, or things that are taking place with your body.”
Brees, who played last season at 41 years old, missed four weeks due to multiple cracked ribs and a collapsed lung.
There was also an abdominal issue he dealt with that limited his ability to rotate.
“…As a quarterback, everything you do is rotation,” he said. “And you can’t rotate the way that you want, you all of a sudden begin to accommodate in ways and everything for you kind of narrows. Because it’s like, ‘Well, I know I can’t make that throw, I can’t make that throw, I can’t make that throw. So, what’s now in my toolbox?’ And it’s harder to play the game that way. And yet, you’ve got to find a way to still get it done. And I felt like we did that, but it was difficult.”
Brees announced his retirement in March, and while there was some speculation he may return, it was a widely expected decision after the Saints were ousted from the playoffs by eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Bucs.
But Brees said retirement has allowed him to do other activities – like mountain biking, skiing — and stuff with his family that his contract would have prohibited in the past.
Brees will also still be a familiar face during the NFL season next year as he is set to begin a broadcasting career with NBC.
“I’m excited for the next chapter,” he said. “I’m excited for this opportunity, but at the same time, I do recognize that there will be challenges. There’ll be kind of a range of emotions, especially as we get closer to football season, when you start getting that itch and that excitement knowing that guys are going back to work and starting to prepare for another season, and you’re not a part of it as a player anymore.”
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