Former Buffalo Bills head coach and Carolina Panthers Sean McDermott was asked who kept him up at night, and there was no hesitation. "Drew Brees," McDermott replied. The former New Orleans Saints quarterback and McDermott played 13 times, so it's safe to say he had a much of sleepless nights.
Even with Luke Kuechly on his side, it was still a long day for McDermott when Brees was on the other side. Brees vs Kuechly was always fun mental warefare between two field generals, and Sam Darnold recently shared a story of Kuechly calling Brees the toughest quarterback for him to face.
What QB kept Sean McDermott up at night when gameplanning?
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) June 12, 2026
Drew Brees.
"He was surgeon...he was able to look off and move defenders and throw opposite the direction he was moving them." https://t.co/CYSRItoc8w pic.twitter.com/TrC5vDv2rZ
Sean McDermott has never changed his tune on Drew Brees' greatness
This isn't the first time McDermott had sung the praises of Brees. In 2017, McDermott talked about the plan against Brees. ""Drew, I don’t think he’s a guy you can stop. I just think he’s a guy that you hope that you’re able to manage what he does," McDermott said.
McDermott had to play Brees twice a year for six straight years as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator. This was in the heyday of the Payton-Brees era. It’s an unenviable task, and he jumped straight into the deep end. McDermott joined the Panthers in 2011 and had to face the Saints offense in the midst of a historic campaign in his first year in the division.
And what an introduction it was. Brees put up a modest 359 yards and two touchdowns in their first matchup. He followed that up in the second showdown with 389 yards and five touchdowns versus the Panthers in the season finale.
While he was likely happy to get out of the division, McDermott didn’t truly escape Brees and the Saints until 2018. The last time McDermott saw Brees was in his debut season as the head coach of the Bills. The Saints thumped Buffalo in that game, but it was mostly through the run game. It may not have been Brees doing all the damage, but his efficiency helped the offense moveÂ
Saints Wire's John Sigler did the math, and Brees led offenses averaged 32 points per game against McDermott led defenses. It wasn't always domination and the Panthers and Saints often had good games. However, those matchups were always ones you had to be prepared for.
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