But the decision of Coach Sean Payton assured that Brees worked smarter, too. Specifically, there was less chance of Brees taking a beating in preseason games this year because he only appeared in two of them, for a total of four drives.
Still, Payton and Brees said, the quarterback with an NFL-record four 5,000-yard passing seasons got in the work that he needed to be ready for Sunday’s regular-season opener, against Arizona at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
“I think, Year 10 in what we’re doing, and based on what we saw in training camp, he’s been sharp, he’s been playing sharp in practice, he’s gotten a ton of reps,” Payton said.