For the past few National Football League (NFL) seasons, the names Manning, Brady and Favre have dominated the quarterback headlines. However, this past season and surely in seasons to come, New Orleans Saints star Drew Brees will be added to the list of quarterbacks excelling at their craft. The Texas native is coming off a stellar season that has catapulted his career to new heights, stealing the spotlight from some of his rival quarterbacks.
Brees has earned his way to the top of the quarterback ranks. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston would be one of the first to testify to Brees’ skill with the football. “Even if I am covered, he has the ability to throw me,” says Colston. “There’s never a play where I don’t think I’m going to get the ball.” Colston would know better than most, as Brees has connected with his wide receiver for more than 30 touchdowns from 285 receptions in his four-year career.
An analysis of Brees’ career shows for certain the 31-year-old has a lot of fight in him. From battling against the odds for positions to recovery from injury, Brees has shown on numerous occasions he does not give up easily. The courageous career of Brees combined with the enriched attitude of the New Orleans Saints has NFL fans turning in favor of the Louisiana team.
Before signing with the New Orleans Saints, Brees endured numerous hurdles during the first five years of his NFL career. This differed from a standout college career at Purdue University, where the star student held records in passing, completions and total offensive yards. Brees won numerous awards, including the Big Ten Football MVP (2000) and the Maxwell Award (2000), voted by members of the press for the best college football player for the year.
Brees also ranked twice in the top five votes for the Heisman Trophy, and in 2001 he led the Purdue Boilermakers in the Rose Bowl against the Washington Huskies. Although Purdue lost the game 34-24, it was an outstanding achievement for Brees and the Boilermakers as their participation in the game came after an absence of more than 30 years. Also on the team with Brees was future two-time Super Bowl offensive tackle Brandon Gorin.
Upon graduation from Purdue University with a degree in industrial management, Brees turned to the 2001 NFL draft looking to further his football career. The star-studded choices that year included quarterback Michael Vick, first-round pick No. 1 by Atlanta Falcons, and running back LaDainian Tomlinson, picked fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers.
Brees defied several critics who questioned his strength and size as a viable quarterback choice. He joined Tomlinson at the Chargers after the team selected him in the second round, first pick. His first season in the NFL was mostly spent on the sideline as backup to starting quarterback Doug Flutie. The Chargers signed Flutie from the Buffalo Bills. The San Diego team was looking to rebuild its offensive leadership after very poor seasons with college flop Ryan Leaf as the starting quarterback. Although their 2001 season finished with a 5-11 win-loss record, the Chargers had bettered their record from 1-15 from the previous season and were hopeful of continued improvement in their future.
The 2002 season would be Brees’ first in the NFL spotlight. Impressive performances during the pre-season would win him the starting quarterback position over Flutie. With Brees at the helm, the Chargers were steered to their first season without a losing record since 1999, with an 8-8 record. Their victories included a 27-21 win over the AFC champions for the season, the Oakland Raiders. Brees finished the season with average results, a 76.9 passing rating, throwing for a total of 3,284 yards and just 17 touchdowns.
Brees’ season did not impress and the seesawing quarterback position at the Chargers fell back to Flutie for 2003. An injury to Flutie put Brees back into control, however, more obstacles faced Brees’ desire to secure the starting position when the Chargers signed impressive North Carolina State University slinger Phillip Rivers in the 2004 NFL draft. Brees equaled the challenge and posted a stellar 2004 season with a rating of 104.8, including 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions for the season. The Chargers finished the season with 12 wins and four losses and the AFC West title. Brees won the NFL comeback player of the year award and his success would sideline Rivers as backup quarterback for the 2005 season and cement Brees’ position as starting quarterback.
An injury to Brees’ shoulder in the final game of the 2005 season put doubt in the minds of the Chargers management which led to contract disputes. Brees, with belief in his ability and recovery, sought to move teams and was welcomed with open arms at the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints had faced their own massive stumbling blocks during preparations for the 2005 season when disaster hit in August of that year. Hurricane Katrina had crept its way from the Bahamas to New Orleans, sending the city scrambling as it prepared for its arrival. The devastating effects all but destroyed the city and questions on the possible rebuilding of New Orleans started to rise. Damage was estimated in the billions of dollars, and more than 1,000 residents lost their lives. The city known for its jazz music, Mardi Gras and, of course, the Saints faced multiple hurdles on the road to restructure.
The Saints had prepared for a promising 2005 season coming from consecutive winning seasons the previous two years. After Katrina hit, their season was immediately rescheduled to the Louisiana Superdome, the Saints’ home field.
The Superdome was used as a shelter for those evacuating their homes as Hurricane Katrina approached the Louisiana coastline. Approximately 20,000 refugees crammed into the facility, which became a temporary home for those seeking shelter. The Superdome also received extensive damage from the hurricane, requiring renovations costing more than $300 million.
The New Orleans Saints restructured their 2005 season with their first scheduled home game, a loss to the New York Giants (27-10), being played at Giants Stadium. The remaining season’s home games were played in San Antonia, Texas, or Baton Rouge, La. The season was not successful for the Saints. When the season ended with a 3-13 win-loss record, head coach Jim Haslett was removed from his position and struggling quarterback Aaron Brooks was not re-signed for the following season.
Joining Brees at the Saints for the 2006 season was new head coach Sean Payton. The team had also acquired star running back and Heisman trophy recipient Reggie Bush as well as future Pro Bowler offensive guard Jahri Evans, bringing even more strength to the Saints.
The effort to turn around their previous season’s poor results saw immediate success. As well as returning to the renovated Superdome, the Saints recorded a 10-6 season, winning the NFC South title and making the NFL playoffs. “A lot of us you might call castoffs or castaways a little bit because we were either traded here or got here because we didn’t have too many other options,” Brees commented in an interview on the restructure of the Saints. “We were able to do that [turn things around post-Katrina] as an organization, as a team, all of us individually, as a city and all kind of rebuilding together and all kind of learning together.”
Brees made an impressive season debut with New Orleans and continued improving over the next two seasons. His 2008 season would be his best in the NFL, passing for 5,062 yards, only the second player in NFL history to pass for more than 5,000 yards in a season, and finishing just 15 yards shy of Dan Marion’s record of total passing yards in one season. Brees was also named NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.
Coach Payton commented recently on the team’s growth and success during his four years at the helm. “I think you’re always hoping to bat a decent percentage,” said Payton. “You’re never going to be perfect, but slowly, outside of even the first-round picks, the high-profile free agents, it’s just trying to find football players like a Mike Bell or a Pierre Thomas or a Darren Sharper. We can go on and on about your later round selections, Jahri Evans, Carl Nicks, the acquisitions of our linebackers that first year, bringing in Scott Fujita and [Scott] Shanle, [Jonathan] Vilma. It’s a slow process. I think our scouting department of Ryan Pace and his group have done a great job of gathering the information and having strong opinions about the players they like. … That vision is clear in what we’re looking for. There’s a number of people that go into those decisions and it’s been positive.”
Payton also has plenty of compliments for his quarterback. Brees “makes good decisions. I think the one thing that you get with this player is he’s so thorough in his work week and how he approaches a game. His ability to decide and deliver is fast. When you have that, you end up taking less sacks. He’s very accurate with the football and he does a good job in the pocket avoiding to prolong a play and most often avoiding the (bad) throw. I think sometimes people confuse his height with athleticism. He’s an extremely gifted athlete and all that rubs off on his peers. [It] certainly rubs off on us as coaches. His work week is amazing.”
During the 2009 season, Brees continued on his successful route, as did the New Orleans Saints. The Saints finished the regular season with a 13-3 win-loss record, winning the NFC South title. Brees showed his maturity and leadership matches any top quarterback in the NFL, claiming notable admiration from not only his team but some of the game’s top coaches.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith commented on Brees and the Saints prior to the two teams meeting during the season. “[The New Orleans Saints have] got a lot of weapons and it starts with Drew,” commented Smith. “Drew’s throwing the ball so effectively, he’s in such a good rhythm with all of his wide receivers. To see some of the throws that they’ve been able to make this season is unbelievable. He’s the guy that directs that offense, but they have so many weapons, not only at the receiving position, meaning the tight end and the wide receivers, but their running game has been very good.”
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick also commented on Brees and his recent success during the past seasons. “He’s a great football player,” Belichick said. “He’s done a tremendous job down there for New Orleans. The last three years, he has more attempts, completions, touchdowns, more yardage than anybody else in football, so I don’t think there’s too many people you can put ahead of him. He’s done an awful lot and he’s won a lot of games. He’s a top quality quarterback.”
The battling spirit of the New Orleans Saints and Brees has earned them the respect of the NFL community. And fans of the team have acknowledged the team’s success and that of Brees. “Brees-us” signs and T-shirts have started to appear at home games and while Brees’ modesty does not allow him to be the savior at New Orleans, he is ready to do all he can to bring the fans the holy grail. “It’s a little sacrilegious,” Brees commented on the sign in a recent interview. “I guess that might be a little far – going a little far. Just the fact that it’s a sign of affection and that people respect you and maybe what you stand for – so in that case, it’s an honor for people to think that way about you.”
These and numerous other similar actions by fans during home games are recognized by Brees and his teammates as signs of support for the success the team brought to the embattled city. “The connection that we have with our fans is unlike any other in the league, just because of what’s happened here the last five years and what we’ve all been through together,” commented Brees on the support of Saints’ fans. “I don’t know how many guys, but there’s quite a few guys that were here during the Katrina year that got displaced to San Antonio and were playing home games all over the place. I signed here six months later post-Katrina as a free agent, as did a majority of the guys in the locker room, and we all kind of were part of that rebuilding, not only of this organization, but for a lot of us, our careers.”
As Brees wraps up another NFL year, this season many heads have turned in his direction. The turnaround for the Saints and Brees has been remarkable and football may yet have more to enjoy for the surging Saints. “I’m a firm believer everything happens for a reason,” says Brees. “Sometimes you have to go through that adversity and have it happen to you, some of that heartbreak, in order for you to gain that edge and that mental toughness in order to allow you that opportunity of what [the New Orleans Saints] are doing this year.”
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
