Saints quarterback Drew Brees turns 42 this Friday, and his head coach Sean Payton was asked Wednesday if he had anything special planned for the future Hall-of-Famer.
"Oh, just a good red zone plan, short yardage and goal line,” Payton said with a laugh.
Payton mentioned that holiday’s and special event can be tough for players as there’s so much pressure to succeed, p articularly in the postseason.
“A quick atta-boy, a quick shout out, and then, here we go, here's your red zone and goal line section,” Payton said. “And I think that's probably how he would want it too."
The Saints are set for a Divisional round matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday at 5:40 p.m. and the idea that Brees would be hyper focused on game is an easy one for his teammates to accept.
“It's like, every day is a new challenge for him,” Saints tackle Ryan Ramcyzk said. “And watching a film or being out at practice, and it's just like he's always challenging himself to be better and you can really see that…
“He is going to be 42 years old. He's been playing this game for how long? You think maybe, oh, I don't know. There'd be something where I'd be like, I don't know. He knows everything, but he's constantly studying and working at his craft, which is just, that's impressive."
Brees said that what drives him, even at 42, is the competition.
“I’ve always loved athletics, I've always loved to compete. I've loved the grind, I've loved the preparation. I've loved all the process that goes into it then actually competing on Sunday,” he said. “So much of that is part of the fun, and that's what drives you and to be your absolute best and that is what the competition is about. It's about the opportunity to compete and find ways to win. So is that a huge part of what drives me? Yes."
Brees did say that when he first entered the NFL he never thought he’d still be preparing for a game at age 42.
“I mean, that wasn't even on my radar,” Brees said. “I’ve said this many times, but when I signed with the San Diego Chargers back in 2001, as a second round pick, my goal was just someday to become a starter, if I just become a starter in the NFL.
“And when I first became a starter, it was well, man, I'd love to take my team to the playoffs, love to make a Pro Bowl. And then once we accomplished those things, it's let's try to win a championship and we win a championship and maybe I can play 10 years, maybe I could play 15 years. And you just kind of keep setting these goals and these benchmarks along the way.”
