Drew Brees will get some rest in the New Orleans Saints' regular-season finale at Carolina, likely keeping his NFL-record completion percentage intact.
Coach Sean Payton has decided to start Mark Brunell in place of the star quarterback for Sunday's game.
If Brees doesn't play, as expected, his completion mark of 70.60 percent will break the record of 70.55 set by Ken Anderson with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1982.
Brees was aware of the record.
"When I was a rookie quarterback in San Diego, I looked up all the records," he said on Thursday. "I just wanted to know, you know? So I knew them all by heart there for a while."
Still, Brees said earlier this week that he was prepared to play on Sunday and throw as often as Payton deemed necessary, taking the same approach to maintaining his completion percentage that Ted Williams took to hitting .400.
Brees wears No. 9 in honor of Williams, the Boston Red Sox legend who raised his batting average from .400 to .406 by playing on the final day of the 1941 baseball season.
"I'm going to do whatever I'm asked to do and whatever I can to help this team," Brees said Thursday.
The Saints (13-2) already own the top seed for the NFC playoffs. With little at stake, they also decided to not play safety Darren Sharper and tight end David Thomas on Sunday.
Sharper has a minor soreness in his left knee. He was listed as questionable on Friday, but was downgraded along with Thomas, who had been listed as doubtful with a calf injury.
Fox Sports.
Coach Sean Payton has decided to start Mark Brunell in place of the star quarterback for Sunday's game.
If Brees doesn't play, as expected, his completion mark of 70.60 percent will break the record of 70.55 set by Ken Anderson with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1982.
Brees was aware of the record.
"When I was a rookie quarterback in San Diego, I looked up all the records," he said on Thursday. "I just wanted to know, you know? So I knew them all by heart there for a while."
Still, Brees said earlier this week that he was prepared to play on Sunday and throw as often as Payton deemed necessary, taking the same approach to maintaining his completion percentage that Ted Williams took to hitting .400.
Brees wears No. 9 in honor of Williams, the Boston Red Sox legend who raised his batting average from .400 to .406 by playing on the final day of the 1941 baseball season.
"I'm going to do whatever I'm asked to do and whatever I can to help this team," Brees said Thursday.
The Saints (13-2) already own the top seed for the NFC playoffs. With little at stake, they also decided to not play safety Darren Sharper and tight end David Thomas on Sunday.
Sharper has a minor soreness in his left knee. He was listed as questionable on Friday, but was downgraded along with Thomas, who had been listed as doubtful with a calf injury.
Fox Sports.
