Drew Brees ‘pretty confident’ he will play on Sunday

Drew Brees is trying to earn some tough guy points this week.

The New Orleans Saints quarterback said on Wednesday that he is “pretty confident” he will be able to play Sunday in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers despite a shoulder injury suffered in Week 2. He told reporters that whether he plays comes down to how he feels and how effective he thinks he can be.

Brees says it's not about his shoulder hurting. More of a strength thing.

— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) September 23, 2015

Brees was hit hard in the shoulder early in the team’s loss to the Buccaneers in Week 2. An MRI revealed a bruised rotator cuff, which could have an effect on his throwing ability. He certainly had a much weaker arm than we’re used to seeing in the second half of the game.

Brees did participate in the open portion of practice Wednesday, which consisted of stretching and individual drills. Perhaps the Saints are just looking to keep the Panthers on their toes.

If Brees does play, that would be a big change from Monday when it was reported the Saints were expecting their QB to miss games, perhaps several games