New Orleans’ Payton won’t say whether Brees will miss action
Cowboys’ Romo expected to be out about 2 months; God a ‘Packers fan’ in win
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton isn’t ready to say whether he expects Drew Brees to miss snaps because of a hit he took to his throwing arm.
“It’s early right now. Today’s the day after” the injury, Payton said when asked whether he’d consider resting Brees this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. “Certainly, we’ll do the best thing for him and where he’s at.”
Brees was in the locker room Monday when it was open to reporters. As usual on Mondays, he did not do an interview. . His appearance in the locker room offered no hint at anything unusual, but on Sunday he had acknowledged that one of the hits he took hurt his throwing shoulder and probably affected him on some throws. On Monday, ESPN reported that Brees could miss several games with a shoulder injury.
Brees, who hasn’t missed a start because of injury since joining the Saints in 2006, never left Sunday’s 26-19 loss to Tampa Bay. He didn’t play to his usual standard of 300-plus yards and multiple touchdowns. He passed for 255 yards and one touchdown. His 16-yard scoring pass to first-year receiver Willie Snead came in the fourth quarter, well after Brees’ right shoulder injury in the second quarter.
“Obviously, I saw he wasn’t putting a lot of zip on the ball down the field, like past 30 yards,” Snead said of the Saints’ 36-year-old quarterback.
But on shorter throws, Snead said: “I felt like he was putting a lot of velocity on the ball. I didn’t really see a difference. But I could tell his arm was hurting. Hopefully he’s OK.
“Drew’s a warrior,” the receiver added. “He’s going to do everything in his power to make sure he’s ready to go. He’s just that type of guy. He’s been doing this for a long time and he knows how to do it.” Romo out with broken collarbone: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is expected to miss about two months with a broken left collarbone, though he won’t need surgery.
The loss of Romo in Sunday’s 20-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles means the defending NFC East champion Cowboys (2-0) will be without their starting quarterback and All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant, possibly through October.
Coach Jason Garrett said Monday that tests revealed no ligament damage for Romo after the second broken collarbone of his career. The other was in 2010, and he missed the final 10 games of the season. But Dallas was out of playoff contention before he could have returned.
The most optimistic time frame for Romo’s return is during a two-game Florida swing on Nov. 15 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Nov. 22 (Miami Dolphins). Otherwise, his absence could approach three months if he skips a short week for the Thanksgiving home game against Carolina and returns Dec. 7 against the Washington Redskins.
Brandon Weeden replaced Romo against the Eagles and threw a clinching 42-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams in the fourth quarter.
Weeden started in place of Romo once last season after the Dallas starter suffered a back injury, losing to the Arizona Cardinals. It was Weeden’s eighth straight loss as a starter. Rodgers takes jab at Wilson: Aaron Rodgers has said he doesn’t think God cares about football. Chances are pretty good the Green Bay Packers quarterback still believes that — but he apparently just couldn’t resist getting in a subtle jab at Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on Sunday night.
After responding to a reporter’s question about the Packers’ 27-17 victory over the Seahawks, Rodgers added, “And then getting help from God. I think God was a Packers fan tonight, so he was taking care of us.”
In January, the two teams played in the NFC championship game. The Packers led 16-0 at halftime and held a 12-point lead at the two-minute warning. But the Seahawks were able to force overtime and won the game on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Jermaine Kerse.
Afterward, Wilson reflected on his four interceptions earlier in that game. “That’s God setting it up, to make it so dramatic, so rewarding, so special,” he told Sports Illustrated.
Tribune Newspapers contributed to this article.