With the pocket collapsing in front of him, Drew Brees waited just long enough for Lance Moore to get open, then lofted a perfect pass over LB Scott Shanle and in front of FS Malcolm Jenkins.
It was quintessential Brees. Despite missing every offseason team workout, he looked no different in the first practice of Saints training camp than he has in the past.
“I’m as strong as I’ve been since I’ve been here,” he said. “I am as fast as I’ve been and throwing the ball as well as I have.”
After signing the richest contract in NFL history, the biggest adjustment Brees had to make was to coach Sean Payton’s absence.
“It is something we’ll have to get used to,” Brees said. “It’s little things like the start of a meeting with Sean getting up and just running through the schedule. He had a great way of telling a story and drawing an analogy. That was one of his great strengths as a communicator, and we’ll miss that.”
Brees did not miss many receivers Thursday, which was moved indoors because of bad weather. He looked deep early and often.
“I told those guys we are going to throw some balls down the field today that maybe we shouldn’t,” he said. “But let’s go make some plays.”
Follow Saints reporter Guerry Smith on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLNO.
