Brees exits playoffs, perhaps career, on sour note
Nearly two hours after the New Orleans Saints’ season had ended, Drew Brees stood on the Superdome field in street clothes, throwing passes to his children while his wife, Brittany, captured images of those moments with her cell phone.
Brees routinely throws the ball around with his kids after home games, but after a 30-20 playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, he lingered longer than usual — and there was no telling whether that familiar postgame scene would play out again.
Two days after Brees’ 42nd birthday, his 20th NFL season ended with statistically his worst playoff performance.
Brees threw three interceptions, his most in 18 postseason appearances. His 134 yards passing were a career-playoff low. And because of COVID-19 restrictions, there were fewer than 4,000 fans in the 73,000seat Superdome to bid him farewell — if indeed it was his final game in a Saints uniform.
For now, Brees won’t say. But he’s also said nothing that would lead one to be- lieve he’s prepared to play next season, his last under contract.
“I’ll answer this question one time and that is that I”m going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think about a lot of things just like I did last year and make a decision,” Brees said.
That decision for the NFL’s all-time leader in yards passing will come after a fourth straight season that saw the Saints (13-5) win 11 or more games and go to the playoffs, only to come up short of the Super Bowl.
This season, Brees missed four games with multiple broken ribs and a punctured lung, but came back in time to see New Orleans through to its fourth straight NFC South crown and a convincing playoff victory over Chicago in the wild-card round.
Brees said the way this season ended “won’t have anything to do” with his decision on whether to retire. IN-PERSON WORKOUTS NOT ALLOWED FOR SCOUTING COMBINE >> The NFL will not allow in-person workouts for the scouting combine due to health and safety precautions because of COVID-19.
The league informed teams Monday that any workouts will take place on the individual pro days on college campuses. Interviews of prospects and psychological testing and assessments will be done virtually.
“We will work with the schools to encourage consistency in testing and drills across pro days and ensure that all clubs have access to video from those workouts, irrespective of whether the club is represented at a particular workout,” the NFL told teams in a memo obtained by The Associated Press.
The league is working with club physicians and athletic trainers to obtain comprehensive medical information on each of the invited prospects.
The plan will likely involve a combination of virtual interviews by club medical staffs and testing done at labs and medical facilities near the invited prospect’s residence. BUCS’ BROWN TO GET MRI ON AILING KNEE >> Tampa Bay wideout Antonio Brown will have an MRI on his ailing knee, Bucs coach Bruce Arians said Monday.
Brown played just 29 snaps in Sunday’s divisional playoff win over the New
Orleans Saints. He caught one pass for 10 yards and was targeted three times. Brown played 33 snaps in the wild-card round against Washington, catching two passes — one for a touchdown — for 49 yards.
Brown’s best game of the season came in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons, when he hauled in 11 catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns. CHARGERS HIRE RAMS ASSISTANT >> The Los Angeles Chargers hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brian Staley as the team’s head coach.
The Chargers made the decision Sunday after having a second interview with Staley. The interview was held a day after the Rams were eliminated from the playoffs with a 32-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
He is the third assistant under Rams coach Sean McVay to get an NFL head coaching job, joining Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur and Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor.
GOFF FACES ‘COMPETITION’ FOR JOB, COACH SAYS >> Rams coaches and teammates praised Jared Goff’s competitiveness, cool confidence
and oft-tested resilience in an up-and-down 2020 season. He might need those qualities in the 2021 offseason too.
After a 32-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers knocked the Rams out of the playoffs, coach Sean McVay stopped short of promising Goff will be his quarterback come September.
McVay said he wants to create more competition for starting roles at all positions — and pointedly included quarterback.
“Everything’s being evaluated,” McVay said in a Zoom chat with reporters. “I’m not ready to make any sort of statements with regards to anybody’s starting position or not. We’re going to have a level of competition at everything that we do.
“That’s where we’re at.” If Cal’s Goff, 26, faces competition in training camp this summer, it will be the first time for that since the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft became the Rams’ starter as a rookie under coach Jeff Fisher.
The Rams had three other quarterbacks on the
roster for the season that just ended: John Wolford, Blake Bortles and practicesquad rookie Bryce Perkins. Wolford and Perkins remain under contract.
SEAHAWKS INTERVIEW GASE, COVET CHIEFS’ KAFKA FOR OC POST >>
Fired New York Jets head coach Adam Gase and Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka are candidates for the vacant offensive coordinator job with the Seattle Seahawks, according to ESPN.
Gase has already spoken with the team about the opening, ESPN reported. Kafka could be interviewed next week even if the Chiefs advance to the Super Bowl with two weeks between the conference championship games and Super Bowl.
Kafka is reportedly also a candidate to be head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
VEA BACK FOR BUCS >> The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have designated nose tackle Vita Vea to return from the reserve/injured list and the third-year pro is expected to resume practice ahead of Sunday’s NFC championship game at Green Bay.