Tim Fletcher: Drew Brees Could Miss Games, But How Many?

Drew Brees suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in Sunday's loss at home to Tampa Bay. The injury affected his play---and will now affect the Saints fortunes over the coming weeks.  An MRI taken Monday revealed what is being reported as a 'bruised rotator cuff.' The Times-Picayune could only find one other confirmed reports of a quarterback with a bruised rotator cuff over the last fifteen years---Marc Bulger with the Rams in 2009, and he missed only one game with the injury.

A torn rotator cuff would be different.  Chad Pennington of the Jets missed the bulk of the 2005 season with the injury but returned to play five more seasons in the league.

An NFL.com report early Monday afternoon indicated Brees' injury was serious and he would miss a significant number of games.  ESPN countered later with a report the injury was less severe---with Chris Mortenson calling it a bruised rotator cuff.

An official injury report will come out Wednesday.  For now, Saints fans can most likely expect former Louisiana Tech Bulldog Luke McCown to start Sunday afternoon in Carolina with rookie Garrett Grayson as the backup.

-Tim Fletcher