Pats-Saints clash a showcase for aging Brady, Brees

Brady, Brees and Bono. How’s that for a middle-aged power trio?

When New England quarterback Tom Brady and his prolific New Orleans counterpart, Drew Brees, take the Superdome field on Sunday, it’ll be just days after U2’s concert there. Seems fitting, given the association the Irish rockers had with seminal moments for both franchises in that same stadium.

U2 played when the renovated Superdome reopened a year after Hurricane Katrina for the Saints’ triumphant 2006 home opener. They also played halftime of Brady and the Patriots’ maiden Super Bowl victory in the Big Easy in 2002.

For many football fans in New Orleans, U2’s latest Superdome show could be viewed as an apt prelude to a game featuring two quarterbacks who are not only among the most accomplished in NFL history, but who also can actually remember when “The Joshua Tree” album came out in 1987.

Meanwhile, Brady, 40, and Brees, 38, come in highly motivated to help their clubs recover from Week 1 losses.

“It is very important. It is our home opener and we want to get everybody back on track,” Brees said. “Obviously there’s a lot of things to correct.”

Similarly, Brady noted that the Patriots “played very poorly in the fourth quarter” of a season-opening loss to Kansas City.

This week, they must “be the kind of players that our teammates can depend on and try to go get a win at a very tough place to play,” Brady said.

Between them, Brady and Brees have combined for staggering passing numbers: 128,251 yards and 922 TDs. Brees stands third in NFL history with 66,402 yards and 466 TDs, and Brady fourth with 61,849 yards and 456 TDs. Brady’s 208 career wins as a starter, including playoffs, rank first in NFL history.

They also hope their careers are nowhere near over, particularly after last season, when Brees led the NFL in yards passing, while Brady led the Patriots to a fifth Super Bowl title.

“I’d say we probably both have the mindset that we want to change the norm of what is possible in regards to how long a guy can play and the level that they can play at,” Brees said.