Live discussion: NFL Slam with Mark and Sam

This week’s Friday edition of our NFL Google+ hangout -- “NFL Slam with Mark and Sam,” starring Times NFL columnist Sam Farmer and Mark Thompson of “Mark and Brian” radio fame -- will start at 11:30 a.m. and cover a host of topics.

One sure topic is the horrible showing of quarterback Drew Brees during Thursday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints quarterback tossed five interceptions and saw his touchdown streak come to an end.

Another topic could be the amazing return from serious injuries by several players this season. As Farmer wrote earlier this week,

“There’s Peyton Manning, of course, the Denver Broncos quarterback who sat out his final season with the Indianapolis Colts and underwent four neck procedures. Five of the last six players to receive the award were quarterbacks — Chad Pennington (twice), Tom Brady, Michael Vick and Matthew Stafford.

“But just as impressive is the unbelievably quick return of Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson, who, in a game last Christmas Eve, suffered torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his knee. Eleven months later, he leads the NFL with 1,236 yards rushing — 172 more than second-place Arian Foster of Houston.

“Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, last season’s defensive player of the year, went down because of a partially torn Achilles’ tendon while playing a basketball game in late April. Another player might have needed a full year to recover. Suggs was back by mid-October, and seven plays into his return he sacked Houston’s Matt Schaub.

“We right now have a collection of some of the NFL’s best ever who are coming back from potentially career-ending injuries,” said sports surgeon Neal ElAttrache, who four years ago rebuilt the shredded knee of New England’s Brady. “People know their names. If we go down the roster of guys who have gotten injured, we’re going to find a lot of guys that were injured at the same time as these guys, were operated on at the same time as these guys, that are not at the level that these guys are and are not coming back as quickly.”

“NFL Slam with Mark and Sam” is held every Monday and Friday at 11:30 a.m. You can watch it on this blog post. If you have questions for Mark and Sam, email them to sportshangout@latimes.com and we will try to get them answered live during the chat.