Brees injury offers Winston redemption

Pilots potent attack after walking plank in Tampa Bay

Funny how the world works, eh? It appears the one-time franchise quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — whom the club gladly allowed to walk away at the expiry of his rookie contract in March — is now temporarily at the helm of the New Orleans Saints, the Bucs’ chief rival for NFC South honours. Jameis Winston, that is.

The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2015 has been backing up Drew Brees on the Saints this season, along with Inspector Gadget himself, Taysom Hill.

But it appears Brees is out, at least for a couple of games.

NFL Network reported on Monday that the Saints “are bracing for Brees to miss some time to fully heal” from a shoulder injury and at least one cracked rib that had been bothering him before Sunday’s homefield 27-13 win over San Francisco, and from multiple cracked ribs plus a lung issue that sidelined him by halftime.

ESPN reported that medical exams Monday revealed Brees has “multiple rib fractures on both sides of his chest and a collapsed lung on the right side.”

ESPN further reported that the “optimistic” timetable for Brees’ return is 2-3 weeks, but Saints leaders are “prepared for it to be longer.”

The team had said Sunday night Brees would undergo both an MRI and X-rays Monday to determine the extent of the injury to his ribs. NFL Network, before those tests, said Monday morning that only cartilage damage was feared. The tests revealed much more damage.

The 41-year-old passer got blown up big-time and driven hard into the ground on a second-quarter sack by 49ers pass rusher Kentavius Street.

Although Brees toughed it out and finished the quarter — and wow, eh? — he pulled himself at halftime, and sounded sombre afterward about what he described only as “accumulative” upper-body injuries.

“I was not going to be effective,” he said. “I’m just taking it one day at a time. I’ve done that this entire season. And I’ll continue to do that. I’m not sure what (Monday) holds. But you can know I’m gonna do everything I can to be as effective as I possibly can come next week.

“I mean, nothing’s a long-term thing. It’s just a matter of how long it’s gonna be. And, honestly, I really don’t know. It’s not something quite to this extent that I’ve experienced.”

Saints head coach Sean Payton on Monday told reporters on a conference call he would not shed any light on any injury situation, including Brees’, before required to do so on Wednesday.

NFL Network said Brees is unlikely to be placed on injured reserve, which suggests the team expects or at least hopes he can return within the next three games, as this season the minimum IR stay is just three weeks.

So who starts until then, Winston or Hill?

Tellingly, given the choice against the Niners to award the majority of second-half snaps to either, Payton chose Winston.

And Winston, while not spectacular in any way, was solid enough to guide New Orleans to victory. He completed 6-of-10 mostly short passes for 63 yards.

Hill got seven cameo snaps at QB after halftime but never got off a single pass; he’s still mostly a run specialist. Hill ran for one yard on 3rd-and-2, was sacked on 3rd-and-4, ran for five yards on 1st-and-10, ran for nine yards on 2nd-and-5, ran for four yards on 1st-and-10, ran for 10 yards on 2nd-and-12, and fumbled on a 3rdand-2 carry.

Look, if Payton and Saints GM Mickey Loomis had viewed Hill as a viable short-term fill-in for Brees, then why sign Winston this year? And why keep Teddy Bridgewater last year, who started all five games when Brees was out with a thumb injury?

No, it’ll be Winston who starts and takes most of the snaps for any games Brees cannot play in.

Can Winston avoid all those tragic interceptions he threw with spirit-sapping regularity in his final two or three years in Tampa? We’ll see. That’ll be the key.

At least if the Saints need, or choose, to rest Brees for a time, there aren’t any imposing opponents on the schedule for the next month. The next team with a winning record the Saints face is Kansas City on Dec. 20. Before then: Atlanta (twice), Denver and Philadelphia.

As long as Winston isn’t throwing pick-sixes left and right, indeed why not rest Brees for three games, until the week before the Chiefs game?

CHRIS GRAYTHEN / GETTY IMAGES Jameis Winston had a penchant for game-killing interceptions in Tampa Bay, but he arguably has a better supporting cast in New Orleans as he fills in for injured 41-year-old starter Drew Brees.