“I think being able to play in the Super Bowl game is a great honor,” said McNabb, who made his first and only appearance in 2005. “But it doesn’t compare to the Pro Bowl. This will be the sixth time for me and it never gets old.”

Brees will be making his first trip to the Super Bowl game and hopes to represent McNabb better than last year’s replacement, Kurt Warner.

“I’m honored to be able to take McNabb’s spot and hope to play as well as I know he would if he were able to make it,” Brees said on Wednesday. “Maybe next year I’ll actually make it to the Pro Bowl and McNabb will be my replacement. That would really be something.”