Drew Brees Was Limited In Practice For "Rest", And I Think It Was Probably Of The Mental Variety

#Saints QB Drew Brees limited on rare day of rest https://t.co/6euLseMGmM

— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) December 15, 2016

I suppose it's entirely possible that a 37 year old quarterback that's been throwing the ball upwards of 40 times a game for the last decade just needed to dial back his mid-week workload in an effort to  make sure his money maker is fresher come Sundays. If we are being honest, that scenario probably makes the most sense.
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That said, as a Saints fan I could absolutely empathize if their All-World signal caller was limited in practice to ease the stress on his mind just as much as the stress on his arm. Hell, it takes me until  approximately Wednesday to accept the mind blowing ways in which the Saints manage to lose. I can't even wrap my brain around the strength of mind it undoubtedly takes for the most important player on the team to put it behind him within 24 hours in preparation for the next game.

There are no shortage of media types predicting a Peyton Manning-esque implosion of Drew Brees talents, but I'm truly more concerned him having a mental breakdown than a physical breakdown. I don't even blame his back-to-back zero touchdown, three interception games on poor reads or bad throws. I blame them on the anxiety that a man who has been held personally responsible for covering up a leaky defense and a piss poor special teams unit for the better part of his tenure in New Orleans has to be feeling. Now granted, the defense has actually been rather impressive as of late and the kicking team has managed to hold it instead of wetting themselves at the worst possible time. Still, is it that crazy to think that carrying an entire team on your back since 2012 can result in some cerebral exhaustion? If Sean Payton came forward and said that Drew Brees wasn't practicing until 2017 then I wouldn't even question it. If he's not taking meaningful snaps then I would rather have him taking Ambien and soul cleansing naps in hopes that he can fend off a panic attack until retirement. 

P.S. I see through it...

Sean Payton said Drew Brees was limited in Wednesday's practice to basically keep a "pitch count" on his throws,... https://t.co/Uk7f4Ha3q2

— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) December 15, 2016