Drew Brees went directly from a Hall-of-Fame playing career to a primetime spot on Sunday Night Football, but not everyone is thrilled about what they're hearing.
One of those detractors is analyst and podcaster Bill Simmons, who delivered a scathing review of the former Saints quarterback's performance after Week 16. His biggest gripe, Simmons said, is that Brees doesn't say anything interesting.
“It’s really rough," Simmons said. "I actually though Rodney Harrison was pretty good with [Tony] Dungy, I didn’t mind them. And now it’s like super awkward.”
Listen to the episode below.
The topic was broached on the Dec. 27 episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast" at the 57-minute mark, during a discussion about why the Saints' Monday Night Football game against the Dolphins wasn't delayed due to a COVID outbreak. That led to the news from last week that the Saints had reached out to Brees to gauge his interest in possibly coming back with both Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian on the COVID list.
Brees reportedly considered the idea, but ultimately decided he was happy in his newfound analyst role.
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“Brees should’ve bragged about it on TV, it would’ve been the first time he’s been interesting on TV all year," Simmons said. "He’s a corpse.”
Simmons also characterized the promos shortly before halftime as being like a "bad SNL commercial," though he does find them unintentionally funny.
The outlook for Brees' role at Sunday Night Football isn't entirely clear, though it appears he could be an option to take over in the booth if and when the duo of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth hang up the mics. Brees and Mike Tirico also partnered on the call for Notre Dame games this season, with the duo climbing up into the booth as the broadcast crew for the Saints' Thanksgiving showdown against the Buffalo Bills.
Whatever the case, Simmons has a suggestion to perk things up going forward: "Maybe some coffee for Drew Brees."