At 8:00 Eastern on Friday night, the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints will meet for their third preseason game. The contest, which will be broadcast on CBS, will pit ex-teammates Philip Rivers and Drew Brees against each other, and both quarterbacks figure to be on the field for more snaps than they have so far in the preseason.
Chargers-Saints, 8:00 P.M.: Former Teammates Rivers, Brees Meet In New Orleans
Be sure to check out our Chargers blog, Bolts From The Blue, and our Saints blog, Canal Street Chronicles.
Preview courtesy of Sports Network.
Quarterbacks Drew Brees and Philip Rivers will be reunited on Friday night, when Brees' Saints meet Rivers' Chargers in the third preseason outing for each team from the Louisiana Superdome.
Brees and Rivers were teammates with the Chargers in 2004-05, with Brees’ ascendancy after a formerly mediocre run as San Diego starter, coupled with a rookie holdout that diminished Rivers’ chance at winning the starting job, defining an interesting two-year era for the Chargers.
Brees was 20-11 with a Pro Bowl appearance in 2004-05, winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors when Rivers was a rookie, but an injured shoulder suffered in the final game of the 2005 regular season impacted the Chargers’ decision not to give Brees a serious contract offer heading into 2006.
Rivers took over from there, and has gone 46-18 with a pair of Pro Bowl appearances in the four seasons Brees has been in New Orleans.
Brees has an inferior 38-25 record since signing with the Saints in 2006, but leads Rivers in Pro Bowl appearances (3) and Super Bowl victories (1).
Friday will mark the second time Rivers and Brees have squared off since the latter left San Diego, with the other occurring in a regular season game at London’s Wembley Stadium during the 2008 season. The Saints won that game, 37-32.
Not surprisingly, both players have looked sharp during the 2010 preseason. Rivers is 15-of-21 passing (71.4 percent) for 187 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Brees is 14-of-23 for 91 yards without a TD or turnover.
The QBs are expected to receive their most extensive time of the tune-up period on Friday.
On the injury front, linebacker Shawne Merriman (Achilles') is among the notable Chargers not expected to be in uniform on Friday, while the Saints' Darren Sharper (knee) is also unlikely to appear.
The Chargers hold a 4-1 edge in their all-time preseason series with the Saints, including a 21-20 home victory in the last such meeting, prior to the 1985 campaign.
As mentioned, the teams last met in meaningful play during the 2008 season.
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