Security blanket

• By SHELDON MICKLES
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Aug 7, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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JACKSON, Miss. — Mark Brunell has started 150 games and has thrown for 182 touchdowns and almost 32,000 yards in a stellar 15-year NFL career.

But if the soon-to-be 38-year-old Brunell, who still possesses a rocket arm, doesn’t start one game, or throw one touchdown pass for the New Orleans Saints this season, he’ll be one of the happiest guys around.

Actually, Brunell does want to play. After sitting on the bench last season with the Washington Redskins and not throwing a pass for only the second time in his career (the other time was as a rookie backing up Brett Favre), he’s still got passion for the game.

But at the same time, there’s only one situation he sees himself in.

“I want to come in and play in a game where we’re a few touchdowns ahead,” said Brunell, who was signed this offseason to back up Drew Brees. “I hope those opportunities come. But this is Drew’s team, he is the starter and he is a very good football player.

“We want him to stay healthy and want him to win a lot of games for us,” he added. “That’s what our hopes are this season because he’s certainly our best bet at winning a championship. That’s our approach to it.”

Brunell will have an opportunity to get some extended action tonight when the Saints open the preseason at 7 p.m. at the Arizona Cardinals (ESPN and WJBO-AM, 1150). Brees will play only briefly, leaving Brunell to play the rest of the first quarter, the second and maybe part of the third before Tyler Palko finishes up.

Since Brees joined the Saints in 2006, a backup has been needed only to take snaps in practice and serve as a holder for the kicker. Jamie Martin threw a pass in one game the last two seasons, in the 2006 season finale when the Saints had the NFC South title and a first-round playoff bye sewed up.

Martin, a 38-year-old journeyman, did what he was asked to do. But when coach Sean Payton and club officials sat down to chart their course for the 2008 season, they looked around and set their sights on Brunell.

For Brunell, who became an unrestricted free agent on Feb. 29 after four seasons with the Redskins, the decision to accept a two-year contract offer from the Saints was an especially easy one.

“It was a combination of things,” Brunell said when asked why he quickly chose the Saints. “I took a visit down to New Orleans and everything just fit. It starts with people. I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Coach Payton and (General Manager) Mickey (Loomis), and I met some of the players.

“I think you get a feel for where a team is headed and the kind of chemistry that exists there, and so I felt really good about everything. I’m really glad it worked out.”

Simply put, Brunell said, the opportunity to work for a quarterback-friendly coach and get to know and work with Brees, who’s thrown for more than 4,400 yards in each of the last two seasons, was too good to pass up.