Saints coach Sean Payton makes Drew Brees claim ahead of Eagles playoff game
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS head coach Sean Payton addressed the fact Drew Brees is approaching 40 years old as they prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs on Sunday.
Brees, who is in his 18th season in the NFL, is having a fantastic season as the Saints quarterback and finished the regular season with a career-high 115.7 passer rating.
He ended the year passing for 3,992 yards, 32 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions.
The NFL veteran might be celebrating his 40th birthday on Tuesday, but Payton admits he doesn’t feel like Brees is closing in on the milestone.
“[Brees] had an outstanding season and I do not feel like it’s 40 for him,” Payton said.
[Brees] had an outstanding season and I do not feel like it’s 40 for him
“I think it has been really uneventful relative to seeing any age.
“He is playing at such a high level. I'm glad he is our quarterback.”
As for Brees, age doesn’t make a difference to him.
“I stopped counting birthdays a long time ago,” he said.
“It does not make a difference at this point.
“Maybe once we get to the offseason, it'll set in that I’m 40.”
The Saints will host the Eagles at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in Louisiana on Sunday and New Orleans come into the divisional round of the playoffs as the number one seed in the NFC.
The Eagles, who are the sixth seed, progressed from the Wild Card round after a 16-15 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Philadelphia’s victory over the Bears was a big win insists Payton.
“The win they [Eagles] had last week on the road was impressive,” he said.
“I think we felt Chicago was one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament.
“We felt like, that's a tough team. With the way they play defence and the way they're improved on offence, that was a big win.
“That was a huge win for them.”