So far, so good – at least as far as Drew Brees’ shoulder is concerned.

After one practice the offseason free agent acquisition who is being counted on to guide the Saints offense pronounced himself ready to go.

“No doubt at all,” he said when asked if he had any doubts about being ready for the first game. “I could go right now. I talked to my doctor last week and he said I could do anything – take a hit, throw the ball.”

Brees did admit that he would be limited to about 80 throws and only once per day on days when the team works twice, but he said that was mostly precautionary.

He said he was also being limited to 55 yards on throws and it didn’t appear that any measured that distance Friday, though one particular bullet late in practice went at least 35 yards on a line.

Brees said he needed practice workouts to complete his rehabilitation saying that the rehab part of it had taken him as far as he could go.

“Just the number of throws,” he said about his limitations.

Head coach Sean Payton concurred. He was pleased with Brees’ passing in general and his location in particular.

Overall he thought the team did pretty well though he said it was a “tough practice,” made even tougher by a series of conditioning runs he put the team through earlier Friday morning.