For the Saints, a rough offseason would get a whole lot worse if quarterback Drew Brees went down with an injury. So Saints coach Joe Vitt wasn’t pleased when he saw Brees shaken up on Friday night against the Jaguars.
“We’ve got to protect Drew better,” Vitt said after the game.
The biggest hit Brees took came after Saints tight end Jimmy Graham missed a block on Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey, and Mincey got a direct shot on Brees, hitting him on his throwing hand and shoulder, forcing a fumble. Mincey said the Saints’ offense gave him a direct shot on the play.
“I was just watching what they were doing on offense and one guy shifted out, so I made an inside move on Jimmy Graham and took the quickest path to the quarterback,” Mincey said.
Brees returned to the game after that hit, and he marched the Saints down the field with six straight completions on a drive that ended with a touchdown pass. So he bounced back from that hit just fine.
But Vitt would prefer not to see his franchise quarterbacks take any more hits like that in the preseason.