The New Orleans Saints quarterback challenge has become an institution after daily training camp practices, with Drew Brees and the other passers on the roster competing in increasingly-intricate tests of skill.
This year, Brees is joined by Teddy Bridgewater, J.T. Barrett, and the defending quarterbacks challenge champion, Taysom Hill. They went all-out in planning the first challenge of this year’s training camp, taking inspiration from the Nintendo “Mario Kart” video game series; racing games in which players use homing-missile turtle shells to sabotage their competitors. The game has been a fixture in the Saints locker room for years, and makes for a natural fit in the quarterbacks challenge.
But it turns out that throwing spiked turtle shells isn’t easier than throwing a football. Barrett and Hill each went 0-for-4, while Bridgewater struck just one of his targets. As you can see in the video embedded below, Brees performed a little better. Surely he hasn’t been preparing for this challenge by borrowing the turtle shells and playing catch with his kids all offseason.
However, there’s a challenger on the horizon. Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, one of the most-competitive guys in the league, had a blast participating in the challenges during last year’s joint practices with the Saints. And the Chargers threw down the gauntlet on his behalf to let Brees and the Saints know that Rivers is ready for a second go-around.
