New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton spoke with the media following his team’s first minicamp practice of the week. Starting quarterback Drew Brees was absent for a court appearance in San Diego, putting backup Teddy Bridgewater in the driver’s seat of the first-team offense. And Payton couldn’t be happier with how Bridgewater responded to the opportunity.
“Look, he’s played in the league and he’s been in some of these situations and in fairness to Teddy, there are certain things that you would begin to build around strengthwise that I think he’s exceptional at,” Payton said. He noted that the minicamp playbook is designed to install new players into the offense, and isn’t specialized for individual strengths. In other words, they weren’t making things easier for Bridgewater. “But he’s extremely bright. I think he has really good arm talent. He has a demeanor about him that suits the position well and I think he’s a good leader. I think the reps he’s receiving obviously are important not only for him, but for us as a team.”
Bridgewater continued to do his best work in red zone drills, timing his throws against coverage and managing the impact of a disruptive Saints pass rush. He dealt with some hurdles at times — a patchwork offensive line missing Pro Bowlers Terron Armstead and Larry Warford allowed some pressure to leak through — but on the whole the 26-year old quarterback handled things well.
When asked whether the team missed a beat with Brees not present, Payton waved away any concerns. “No, we still start at the same time,” he said. “We’re going to still play with the brown round balls and we’re going to kick field goals. When you’re used to having someone like Drew who has trooped in here going on year 14, obviously it’s different. Other guys are receiving the work. There’s that part of you that knows he’s going to be obviously ready for training camp.”
So Payton obviously isn’t stressing Brees’ absence, and the Times-Picayune’s Jeff Duncan reported Wednesday that the starting quarterback should return to practice this week. But Payton still viewed the opportunity as a learning experience for Bridgewater, saying, “Realistically that’s how our season can be sometimes, when you go through injuries, that everything keeps moving.”
