New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees delivered encouraging news during an appearance on WWL Radio on Wednesday night: Doctors have advised him that his recovery timetable is normally six to eight weeks, but Brees is confident he can beat that.

After injuring his throwing hand nearly two weeks ago against the Los Angeles Rams, Brees underwent a procedure to repair and reinforce a torn ligament in his thumb. He explained why he opted for a cutting-edge internal implant, rather than a bulky cast:

“It’s something that immediately gives it strength and stability,” Brees said during a segment with host Bobby Hebert. “And allows you to start rehab right away. You don’t have to be immobilized. You don’t have to be in a cast for a couple of weeks. You can start that rehab process right away, and it just fast-tracks the whole thing. It gives you that strength and stability while the ligament actually heals.”

This is a new treatment for football, but it’s more common among professional basketball and baseball players, who usually return to practice after a months-long recovery period. So Brees is becoming something of a trailblazer, and he relishes the opportunity to challenge the experts’ opinions.

“As far as the timetable for getting back though, they say six to eight weeks,” Brees continued. “I think I can beat that, but I’m just going to take it one week at a time and see how things go.”

Assuming Brees does sit out a full six weeks, he would return after the Saints’ bye week for a Nov. 10 home game against the Atlanta Falcons. But it’s clear that he’d like to come back sooner.