New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees has been vocal about wanting to playing into his 40s, so he’s been looking to guidance from someone who played well into his 40s…
Enter Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. Who also happens to be his childhood hero…
Brees said he’s spoken to MLB pitchers about the similarities between their schedules, and one player who has offered guidance about his weekly habits is Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan,” Josh Katzenstein of Nola.com reported.
His Texas roots run deep, which is why #Saints quarterback Drew Brees' admiration for MLB legend Nolan Ryan goes beyond what he did on the field and into how long he was able to do it at the highest level. pic.twitter.com/sqvk6ywM34
— NOLA.com Saints News (@SaintsNOW) August 12, 2018
“I remember studying Nolan Ryan VHS tapes on how to throw a four-seam fastball and curveball and all these different things,” Brees said, per Katzenstein. “I feel like I know his career pretty well. (He’s) from Alvin, Texas, played until he was 47 years old, threw his last fastball 95 miles per hour at age 47. He didn’t stop pitching because he couldn’t still throw strikes and get people out. He stopped pitching because it became more and more difficult to turn around every five days and pitch like those guys were required to do in a starting rotation.”
Drew Brees just brought up how he admires Nolan Ryan as a kid. Certainly someone he’s trying to follow Ryan’s lead since Ryan pitched until he was 46 and pitched 27 years in the majors.
— Larry Holder (@LarryHolder) August 12, 2018
This is great inspiration for Brees. Now I’m curious who is mentoring Tom Brady about playing well into his 40’s.
