Specialist: Saints QB Brees has torn thumb ligament requiring surgery

Saints quarterback Drew Brees has a torn thumb ligament on his right hand and requires surgery this week to repair it, multiple sources confirm.

Head coach Sean Payton refuted part of the reports, saying Brees is seeking a second opinion before any plans on surgery are finalized. If the procedure does take place to repair the ligament, the expected recovery time is approximately six weeks.

Brees suffered the injury Sunday during the Saints’ loss in Los Angeles against Rams when the 40-year old hit his hand on pass rusher Aaron Donald’s arm on the follow through of a pass during the first half. Unable to return to play, Brees had X-rays taken at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and visited a hand specialist immediately after the game.

Teddy Bridgewater, who relieved Brees during the 27-9 defeat that featured a rematch of the two teams in last year’s controversial NFC Championship Game, is expected to become the first Saint other than Brees to start for the team at quarterback since Luke McCown filled in at Carolina in 2015.

New Orleans (1-1) is staying on the West Coast this week ahead of their next game Sunday at Seattle (2-0).

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New Orleans Saints Tackle Ryan Ramczyk
New Orleans Media Conference Call
Monday, September 16, 2019

What were some things that you liked and some things that you all didn’t like?
“I think starting with things I didn’t like, way too many penalties, myself included on that. It was getting to be kind of sloppy football there. Some of the things I did like, I think we came out, we played physical in the first half. We were able to move the ball bit and unfortunately couldn’t get into the end zone. But watching the tape this morning, there was definitely some things that we liked. But at the same time, there was a lot of sloppy stuff that we didn’t like as well.”

Can you describe any similarities or differences between Teddy (Bridgewater) and Drew (Brees) from your perspective in the huddle?
“We’re accustomed to Drew. That is all I have known since I have been here. So Drew’s demeanor and everything he does in the huddle, out of the huddle, everything is very consistent. It’s the same and I think Teddy does a good job of being on kind of the same level, as far as doing the play in and out of the huddle and being on the same tempo. I think there’s still a couple of hiccups that we had in the game we need to work through. And we’re going to be definitely working on that this week, but I think Teddy did a good job stepping up in there and playing.”

What will be the biggest adjustment in going from Drew to Teddy if that’s the case this week?
“I think just communication is going to be the biggest thing with us. Outside of getting the call and stuff like that, I guess communication is the biggest thing for sure. Teddy is obviously a very capable, good quarterback in this league and we are going to work on it this week and make sure we are solid with everything going forward and into the Seattle game.”

When you’re looking back at some of the penalties and sloppiness, particularly on the offensive line, what do you think went into that? Since that’s kind of so atypical for the way you all usually play.
“There is nothing I can pinpoint saying we did this because of this. I think it is just seeing sealing our blocks to avoid those holding calls, getting our shoulder in the right positions. Some of those calls are iffy, but they call them on the field and that’s how we got to play the game. So we have the change we’re working with a little bit. And like I said, we got to get our feet and get our bodies in front of bodies and not get extended and holding that type of stuff. So (this) definitely going to be an emphasis this week.”

Is it better this week getting a chance to stay out here in Seattle instead of flying back to New Orleans then making the trip back? Is that a big difference or something that you’ve noticed or we’ll notice this week?
“I think it helps. The two-hour time change definitely has an impact on your sleep and your sleep schedule. So I think being able to stay on the same schedule is going to be nice and beneficial for us. So, I think it’ll help for sure.

Have you had a chance to talk to Drew Brees since yesterday and if so, what’s been his mindset?
“I haven’t talked to him actually. I haven’t talked to him yet.”

New Orleans Saints Defensive End Cameron Jordan
Conference Call with New Orleans Media
Friday, August 16, 2019

After watching the film yesterday, is there anything stood out about that those three scoring drives? Anything your weren’t doing or that they were doing differently there?
“Yes, three scoring drives. 75, 75, 26 (yards), that’s 170 something yards in three drives. That’s something we didn’t give the entire game. You look at it and there was a lot of missed tackles out there. That’s something that’s on the whole defense. That is something we’ve got to take care of ASAP.”

I know that there’s no like definitive thing going on with Drew (Brees) right now, but was there a sense among your group that it’s kind of on the defense to pick up the team right now or do you not think about it like that?
“Honestly, that is always our mentality going into the game. If we are able to put nine points on the board, we should be able to hold their offense to six and that is how we felt the entire game. Of course, they scored late in the third quarter and then tacked on two more touchdowns. We always feel like when we go into a game, you have to do your part. We have to do whatever we can to get the ball back in the offense’s hands. I think we did that once this last game. It would have been a touchdown, which would have put us at 10-3. It’s a mess at this point. Going forward, that’s just something that we have to do. Create a turnover, create a big play, and be able to turn that into momentum for our team.”

How much does it help to stay out in Seattle as opposed to flying back to New Orleans and then making the trip back to the west coast? Does that help much with preparing for this week?
“If anything, I guess the climate. Coming from Louisiana where it’s 85, 90 degrees daily and then you go play in LA where again it’s 85, 90 degrees daily, then you come here. We’re probably up a little higher in the atmosphere where it’s below sea level in Louisiana. Whatever Coach (Sean) Payton believes in, we’re here for a reason.”

Coach (Sean) Payton said you guys would find out if you’re built to sustain without Drew (Brees). What’s your feeling? Do you feel like you got in the built to sustain without him?
“Look, we have 53 people on our team. Drew (Brees) is a huge part of that. You can’t replace Drew, but at the same time we don’t know exactly what Teddy (Bridgewater) brings to the table. It’s been (over) two years since he has really had a complete Pro Bowl season that he had over in Minnesota. With him at the helm, we will have to be able to tighten up on deepest and see what we have on offense. At this point, I cannot tell you whether we can withstand without Drew. That is something that the New Orleans Saints haven’t had to deal with for nine years, 10, 11, 12, whatever the timeframe is. There hasn’t been a picture without Drew in it so this is a chance.”

Not to beat a dead horse, but when you were watching the play again on film, the fumble recovery for a touchdown, what did you see on the field in the moment?
“What do you mean? What do I say? It was a clear fumble, which turned into a fumble recovery, which turned into a defensive touchdown, which was robbed. There’s no real whining about that. It is what it is. The referee did whatever they felt was right at the time, which is laughable. At the end of the day that clearly affected the game, but we have to find ways overcome that. We played a whole quarter without fault where at the end of the third quarter it was 9-6. That’s totally reachable for our offense. At the end of the third quarter, we let a touchdown happen and that’s something that can’t happen. A bad special teams field led to another seven points on the board which even isn’t where it should have been where it should have been. It should have been three and finish on defense. We put everything on ourselves and (do) not make excuses for anything. So moving forward we have to tighten up our defense to be able to hold teams without touchdowns. If we had turned those field goals to touchdowns we’re looking at a whole different mindset, a whole different ball game in the last five minutes of the game.”

Did you guys make the improvements in the run game that you were looking for or you, do you still think you can get better there?
“This one is like looking at a game of two halves, two different teams. First half you have like a team that was stout in the run, stout in the pass. The one pass they had early on in the first quarter, we only yielded three points out of that one. You talk about what we did defensively that first half with sort of taking away the entire game the Rams. And then of course, the second half it seems like whether guys weren’t on assignments or missing tackles, that something that can’t happen. You talk about the amount of missed tackles that led to huge YAC. That led to huge gains for the Rams offense which gave them momentum. And again, that’s on the defense.”