While Brees was popular in San Diego during his first five NFL seasons, he became synonymous with New Orleans after signing with the Saints. I feel like that has kind of moulded me.” “The way that he came into work every day.
#DREW BREEZE RETIRING PRO#
“Since I’ve been here Drew has been nothing but a good teammate, a good guy, great leader, and I respect him so much in all facets of his life,” said centre Erik McCoy, a two-year pro who grew up watching Brees and wound up snapping him the ball the past two seasons. Payton often spoke of his collaborative relationship with Brees in formulating the offensive game plan and routinely letting Brees call his own plays, particularly during hurry-up drives.
Teammates have often remarked that Brees was usually the first player to arrive at the team’s training headquarters and last to leave. Brees’ five 5,000-yard seasons all rank in the top 11 all time.īrees also has been the unquestioned face of the franchise and leader in the locker room throughout his time in New Orleans. That mark ranks second all time, one yard behind Peyton Manning’s 5,477 yards with Denver in 2013. Payton’s offences were more passing oriented in some seasons than others for a variety of reasons related to personnel, the types of defences the Saints faced and the way games played out.īut when Brees had to throw, he piled up yardage whether the Saints were a playoff team or not.īrees eclipsed the 5,000-yard mark in five seasons, with his career-best 5,476 yards coming in 2011. “Drew came to represent the resolve, passion and drive that resonates not only with Saints fans and football fans, but our entire community.”
“Drew is so much more valuable than all the records, awards and accolades that he amassed,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said. That would be the first of nine seasons in which Brees led the Saints to the playoffs. With Payton calling plays and Brees executing them, the Saints won 10 regular-season games in 2006, and then won a divisional-round playoff game in a rebuilt Superdome - a storybook run that didn’t end until a loss in Chicago in New Orleans’ first ever NFC championship game. We also found a player with a burning desire to win.” “It was vital to know what we were looking for in a player, talent, work ethic, makeup, intelligence and leadership are all qualities we found in Drew Brees. “When I was hired by the Saints as head coach in 2006, the very first goal was to establish a functional and winning culture,” Payton said. The storm had forced the Saints to play all of their 2005 games outside New Orleans, and the Saints finished that season 3-13. When Brees moved to New Orleans, he bought and renovated a historic home in the city’s Uptown neighbourhood, just a block away from Audubon Park. He joined the Saints shortly after, at a time when New Orleans was still coping with widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Still, Brees declined to confirm his plans until now, even throwing many for a loop when a video of one of his recent workouts appeared on social media. When Brady saw them on his way to the Tampa Bay bus, he stopped, chatted, threw passes to Brees children and hugged Brees before departing. Brees’ 571 career touchdown passes rank second behind Brady’s 581.īrees had dropped hints about his intentions, saying he considered himself to be on “borrowed time.” After his final game, he returned to the Superdome field in street clothes, embraced his wife, Brittany, and played catch with his children for nearly two hours. “He’s as courageous and as tough a player as I’ve ever been around.”īrees is the NFL’s all-time leader in yards passing with 80,358, although that mark will be under threat next season by 44-year-old Tom Brady, who has 79,204 career yards passing. I can recall so many of these different injuries,” Payton said. “Over the years his durability and availability is quite amazing.
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