The last time Drew Brees attended a Thanksgiving day Saints game in New Orleans, he was leading the team to a convincing 31-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, tossing not one, not two, not three, but four touchdowns in the process — all to different receivers.
The Saints are hoping for more of the same when he comes to town on Thanksgiving this time around... only instead of actively participating in the game, he'll be calling it from the booth alongside Mike Tirico on NBC.
Along with making his first appearance in the booth of an NFL broadcast since his retirement, Brees will be honored at halftime, giving "the team, fans and the city... the opportunity to thank Drew and his family for everything they have given to our community — on and off the field — in their 15 years with the team," (via the team website).
Since his retirement, Brees has called games as a color analyst before, though not at the NFL level. However, sports media writer Richard Deitsch sees his hire as a decision made by NBC "with a long-term eye of him sitting next [to] Tirico in the post (Al) Michaels-(Cris) Collinsworth era." Whether or not that pairing will be with Tirico remains to be seen, though a good start on the national stage of Thanksgiving would be an encouraging sign.
Andy Masur, who writes for our friends over at Barrett Sports Media, reviewed some of Brees' early-season work calling games for Notre Dame and likes what he saw, saying that the future Hall of Famer "has a future in the industry." He brings what other former players can bring to a broadcast, particularly in the form of anecdotal commentary that both entertains and provides insight into the minds of NFL players.
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Week 12 represents a key point in the schedule for the Saints, who could definitely use a win after falling to the Eagles in Week 11, but the Bills certainly don't represent an easy opponent. However, there's a link between the Bills and Brees that, if you're superstitious, might help New Orleans out. Since Brees said the Bills were the best team in football and that it "wasn't even close" ahead of Week 6 — check out the video at the top of the page — Buffalo has sputtered to a 2-3 record, with especially ugly losses in recent games to the Jaguars and Colts.
Could Brees' presence serve as a good luck charm for New Orleans while simultaneously continuing to jinx the Bills? We'll find out at 7:20 p.m. CT this Thursday.
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