updated 8:49 p.m. ET March 15, 2006

NEW ORLEANS - Drew Brees patiently fielded repeated questions about his injured throwing shoulder, then smiled when asked whether he was tiring of the subject.

“I don’t mind talking about it. I’ve got a big smile on the inside because I know where I’m going to be in about four months,” the new Saints quarterback said during his introduction in New Orleans on Wednesday. “So all this speculation, especially during this process where people just like to kind of drag you down ... they’ll be eating their words.

“It’s not the first time somebody said ... I couldn’t do it,” he added. “I’ll leave the talking to my play come September.”

Brees said doctors gave him a 90 percent chance of a full recovery immediately after he had surgery in January to repair a torn labrum and partially torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. He was spending about six hours a day on rehab and expects to begin throwing again by mid- to late-April.

“Definitely by training camp I’ll be out there getting ready to have a great season,” Brees said. “No concern whatsoever.”

It doesn’t really matter what Brees says at this point. He’s no longer trying to sell himself, having already signed a six-year, $60 million contract that guarantees him $10 million up front with a $12 million option in his second year.

If he comes through as promised, he’ll earn about $25 million in his first two years, including base salary — and the Saints will be doing something that’s a bit of a novelty around here. Namely, winning.

Brees is undaunted by New Orleans’ recent struggles, and he has the track record to back up his confidence, from his college days at Purdue to his first five years in the NFL with San Diego.

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“It seems like at Purdue and then the Chargers and then to here — it’s kind of a situation where maybe they had a couple of rough seasons. The community was just craving that winner. And maybe there was a change, like a new coach, a new attitude and you’re just able to step in and become a winner,” Brees said. “That’s what we did at Purdue and at San Diego, and now we plan on doing that here.”

It didn’t go quite that way in San Diego. Brees struggled often in his first few seasons, prompting the Chargers to trade for Philip Rivers during the 2004 draft.

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