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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.

"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.

The move seemed to motivate Brees, who threw for a combined 6,735 yards and 51 touchdowns during the past two seasons in leading San Diego to 20 victories and a playoff appearance in 2004.

He injured himself during the last game of the 2005 season. Yet Saints coach Sean Payton, a former college quarterback with a very brief pro career in Canada and as a replacement player in the NFL, made up his mind that Brees was a proven winner who could be trusted to rehabilitate intelligently and be effective by fall.

He noted Brees' 16-0 record in high school, his success making Purdue a Big Ten contender and recent success in San Diego.

"Those aren't by accident. That track record at this position is, I think, critical in the evaluation process," Payton said. "He's a player that makes great decisions. He's a high-character person. He's everything you look for at the quarterback position."

General manager Mickey Loomis declined to rule out using the Saints' No. 2 overall pick in the draft on a quarterback but added, "Obviously, we've got our quarterback right here."

"I don't want to take anything out of play," Loomis said. "It definitely gives us a flexibility that we don't have to take a quarterback."

Loomis said the Saints hope to fill most of their needs through free agency and then take the best player available in the draft, which was what they did with the selection Deuce McAllister, even though Ricky Williams was already on the roster and coming off a strong second season in the league.

Brees said he ultimately leaned toward New Orleans because he sensed the Saints wanted him more than the Miami Dolphins, who also courted him before trading for Daunte Culpepper.

Brees also wanted to play close to his home state of Texas, in a region that he knows appreciates football like no other sport, and in a city where he might have a chance to leave a legacy even more meaningful than winning football games.

He spoke of his recent tour with team officials through New Orleans, much of which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but much of which is also rebuilding and functioning again.

"You still see the city is very alive and you've got a lot of great citizens of New Orleans committed to rebuilding this city that are just so excited about Saints football," Brees said. "In times of tragedy, in times like this, people look to whatever they can to try to lift their spirits and I think for a lot of people that is Saints football. ... What a great opportunity it was for me to be here as quarterback, but not only that, but as a person in this community."

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index