Saints quarterback Drew Brees comes face-to-face with his former team for the first time at Wembley on Sunday.
Saints quarterback facing former team at Wembley
Drew Brees comes face-to-face with his former team for the first time at Wembley on Sunday, with the New Orleans quarterback knowing the showdown with the Chargers could be vital for both teams' seasons.
Saints quarterback Brees was released by San Diego at the end of the 2005 season after suffering a serious shoulder injury in the final game of the campaign, and Sunday's game will be his first against his former club.
Brees had to undergo major surgery on his shoulder after slipping into free agency, but his comeback at New Orleans has been remarkable to say the least.
His throwing shoulder seems stronger than ever and this season alone he has thrown for 2,224 yards and 12 touchdowns in seven games, and he will look to continue that form against his former teammate and the man who replaced him - Philip Rivers.
Personal
Brees knows Sunday is more than just another big NFL game, and has some personal issues to sort out, along with trying to get the Saints back on track after four defeats already this season.
"I dislocated my right shoulder, my throwing shoulder, in the last game of the season and I no longer had a contract with the team after that and went into free agency," Brees told
Sky Sports News at Saints practice in London.
"I was thinking 'Why now?', and that this was the worst thing that could ever happen to me, but now that I look back at it in the end it turned out to be the best thing for me."
Brees is calling on the Wembley fans to get behind New Orleans on Sunday, with the team hoping to increase awareness that the city is a great place to go again after hurricane Katrina.
"Post-Katrina most people may have forgotten about new Orleans or think that there's so much damage still there that its not worth going, but in many ways its better than ever," Brees added.
"For London this week we want to see the fans wear black and gold and root for the Saints.
"Cheer really loud when our defence is out there on the field and keep it quiet when the offence is out there so we can hear ourselves think."
Urgent
Saints coach Sean Payton is purely concentrating on football matters, and knows that after a fourth loss of the season against Carolina last week, this is a huge game.
The well-fancied Chargers have also suffered four defeats from seven games this term and both teams know that a fifth reverse would make their season a tough battle.
"Both teams need a sense of urgency for this game, we've certainly talked about it and I know San Diego has done the same," said Payton.
"It's a big game with both teams coming off tough road losses before we came here, we've got to rebound quickly and get activated and get back on schedule."
