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Drew Brees: Difference between revisions

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American football player

Drew Brees

Brees in Kuwait, 2007
New Orleans Saints
Career information
College:	Purdue
NFL draft:	2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 32
Career history
San Diego Chargers (2001–2005) New Orleans Saints (2006–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
3rd in Heisman voting (2000) Big Ten Football MVP (2000) Maxwell Award (2000) NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award (2004) 4× Pro Bowl selection (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009) 2× All-Pro selection (2006, 2008) Co-Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (2006) NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2008) Franchise Records
Career NFL statistics as of Week 13, 2009
TD-INT: 200-109 Passing yards: 30,090 QB Rating: 91.8

Andrew Christopher "Drew" Brees (born January 15, 1979, Dallas, Texas^[1]) is the American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college footballatPurdue.

Brees has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times in his career - with the Chargers in 2004 and the Saints in 2006, 2008, and 2009. He was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 2004 and the Offensive Player of the Year in 2008.

Early years

Brees attended Westlake High School in Austin. As a senior, he led Westlake to the 1996 5A Division II State Championship, and won with a 55-15 rout over a powerhouse Abilene Cooper team led by star running back Dominic Rhodes, at Texas StadiuminIrving. Westlake finished that season 16-0, their only undefeated season to date. Brees was named Class 5A's most valuable offensive player that year as he threw for 3,528 yards and 31 touchdowns.^{[citation needed]}

College career

Brees graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Industrial Management. He joined the Sigma Chi fraternity while attending and left Purdue with Big Ten Conference records in passing yards (11,792), touchdown passes (90), total offensive yards (12,693), completions (1,026), and attempts (1,678). He led the Boilermakers to the 2001 Rose Bowl, Purdue's first appearance in Pasadena since 1967. Brees was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's best quarterback in 1999. Brees won the Maxwell Award as the nation's outstanding player of 2000 and won the NCAA's Today's Top VIII Award as a member of the Class of 2001. Brees was also fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1999 and 3rd in 2000.

As a senior Brees was named the Academic All-America Player of Year, the first Purdue Boilermaker since Bruce Brineman (1989) to earn national academic honors. Brees also was awarded for his humble and productive attitude when he was the recipient of Purdue’s Leonard Wilson Award for unselfishness and dedication. Brees guided the Boilermakers to their first Rose Bowl appearance in over 25 years.

Professional career

San Diego Chargers

2001 NFL Draft

Many analysts stated that Brees could've been a first round pick had it not been for some factors. Teams were wary of drafting him that high due to his relatively short stature (6' 0"), which was not the "prototypical" QB size (6' 4"), and what was viewed as a considerable lack of arm strength. Finally, Brees was selected by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick of the second round in 2001. While Brees was a senior at Purdue, he and LaDainian Tomlinson, then a running back for Texas Christian University, joked at a Heisman awards ceremony about how it would be great if they could be on the same team, because they attended nearby high schools in Texas and even played with each other in a league all star game.^{[citation needed]} With the 2001 draft, they did end up on the same team.^[2]

Early career

Brees played in his first career game on November 4, 2001 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He won the starting job over Doug Flutie during training camp before the start of the 2002 season, but was later replaced during the 2003 season by Flutie.

Comeback

Brees' career with the Chargers was put in jeopardy after San Diego acquired NC State's Philip Rivers. After the trade, it was almost certain Brees' days as the Chargers' starting QB were over. However, Rivers held out nearly all of training camp. This forced the Chargers coaching staff to give Brees one last look and he remained the starter throughout the 2004 season. Brees was selected to the 2005 NFL Pro Bowl following an impressive 2004 season. He was named 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Brees became a free agent after the season and was not expected to return to San Diego, which had already committed a large sum of money to Rivers. The team eventually designated Brees a franchise player, giving him a one-year contract that quadrupled his pay to $8 million for 2005.

Under the terms of the franchise player contract, Brees was eligible to be traded or sign with another team, but the Chargers would have had to receive two future first round draft choices in return. He was not traded and continued to start the remainder of the 2005 season.

Brees continued his productive play in 2005, as he posted a career high in passing yards with 3,576. Brees also posted an 89.2 rating, which was the 10th best in the NFL.

Shoulder injury

In the last game of the 2005 season against the Denver Broncos, Brees injured his shoulder while trying to pick up his fumble after being hit by Denver Broncos safety John Lynch. Denver tackle Gerard Warren hit Brees while he was on the ground, causing the injury. Brees underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder on January 5, 2006. Subsequent reports mention additional rotator cuff damage.

Brees was selected as first alternate to the AFC Pro Bowl team in 2006. He would have played in his second consecutive Pro Bowl due to the injury to starter Carson Palmer, but his own injury dictated that the AFC Pro Bowl roster would have to be filled by second alternate Jake Plummer.

After the season, the Chargers offered Brees a 5-year, $50 million contract that paid $2 million in base salary the first year and the rest heavily based on performance incentives. Brees took the incentive-based offer as a sign of no confidence by the Chargers and promptly demanded the type of money a top 5 "franchise" quarterback would receive.

New Orleans Saints

After the Chargers refused to increase their offer, Brees met with other teams. The New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins were interested. New Orleans made an offer that included $10 million in guaranteed money the first year and a $12 million option the second year. Miami was unsure if Brees' shoulder was completely healed and did not offer the money Brees was seeking. The Dolphins ended negotiations and traded for Minnesota VikingsQBDaunte Culpepper instead. Brees signed a 6-year, $60 million deal with the Saints on March 14, 2006.

2006-2007 Season

Brees had a productive year in 2006. He threw a league-leading 4,418 passing yards, finished third in the league with 26 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions and a 96.2 passer rating. Brees was named starting quarterback for the NFC in the 2007 Pro Bowl. On January 5, 2007, Brees was named first runner-up behind former teammate Tomlinson for league MVP by the Associated Press. Brees and Tomlinson were co-recipients of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

On January 13, 2007, in his first playoff game for New Orleans, Brees was 20-32 in passing attempts with 1 touchdown and no interceptions vs. the Philadelphia Eagles in the Louisiana Superdome. On January 21, Brees led the Saints to the franchise's first NFC Championship Game. Though he completed 27 of 49 passes for 354 yards against the Chicago Bears, and two touchdowns, Brees committed three costly turnovers. He was penalized for an intentional grounding in the endzone, resulting in a safety. The Saints lost 39-14.^[3] Brees dislocated his left elbow during the first quarter of the Pro Bowl.

2007-2008 season

Brees would finish the season with 16 starts, 443 completions, 655 attempts for a 67.6 completion percentage and 4428 yards, 276.8 yards/game, 6.8 yards/attempt, 28 touchdowns & 18 interceptions.

2008-2009 season

In 2008, Brees finished 15 yards short of the NFL record for passing yards thrown in a single season set by Dan Marinoin1984. He finished the season with 5,069 yards and became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season.^[4] He passed for 300 yards ten times during the season, tying Rich Gannon's 2002 record. He was named FedEx Air Player of the Week for his performances during weeks 8 and 12 and was named the AP 2008 Offensive Player of the Year.^[5]

2009-2010 season

In the first game of the 2009 season against the Detroit Lions, Drew Brees set a career-high and franchise-tying record with six touchdowns, going 26 for 34 with 358 yards with a Quarterback Rating of 137.00. He also set a record for most passing touchdowns on opening weekend. Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints to their first victory of the season. They also handed the Lions their 18th straight loss.[7]

In Week 2 Brees led the Saints to a 48-22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, throwing 25 of 34 three touchdowns along with a passer rating of 118.6. Brees also tied the record for most touchdowns by the end of Week 2 with 9.

In Week 3 Brees led the Saints to a 27-7 win over the Buffalo Bills. Brees did not have any touchdowns for the game, but his team rushed for more than 150 yards as he posted a passer rating of 73.0.

In Week 4 Brees led the Saints to a 24-10 win over the New York Jets. Brees was held without a touchdown for the second consecutive game but completed 20-of-32 passes for 190 yards with a Quarterback Rating of 78.00. It was only the second time he went without throwing a touchdown in consecutive weeks in his career with the New Orleans Saints.

In Week 6, following the bye week, Brees led the Saints to a 48-27 win over the New York Giants in a highly anticipated showdown of two unbeaten teams. The Giants at this point held the No. 1 ranked defense in the league. Brees completed 23-of-30 passes for 369 yards and 4 touchdowns with a passer rating of 156.8 to help the Saints compile nearly 500 yards of offense.

In Week 7 Brees led the Saints to a dramatic comeback victory on the road against the Miami Dolphins. The Saints quickly faced a 24-3 deficit in the second quarter, trailing for the first time all season at that point, and failing to score on their first possession as they had in all of their previous contests. Brees had a poor outing, throwing one touchdown to three interceptions on 22 of 33 passing, passing for 298 yards with a Quarterback Rating of 58.9, but provided two crucial rushing touchdowns, one just before the second half to narrow the deficit to 24-10, and one in the third quarter to give the Saints their first lead of the game, 37-34. The Saints went on to win the game 46-34.

In Week 8 Brees threw for 308 yards on 25 of 33 passing along with two touchdowns and one interception against the rival Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football in New Orleans. Drew would take a sack and fumble from Atlanta Falcons' Thomas Decoud near the Saints' own end zone to be recovered by fellow Falcon Kroy Bierman for a touchdown, as the Saints once again faced an early deficit, 14-7, in the 1st quarter. Brees, though, would lead the Saints to a 35-27 victory and franchise tying best start at 7-0, posting a paser rating of 111.7.

In Week 9 Brees helped guide the Saints to a 30-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers in the Louisiana Superdome. He went 24 of 35 in passing for 330 yards with a passer rating of 96.1 against a Carolina defense that led the league in passing defense at that point. Brees would throw an early interception in the 1st quarter and a 3rd quarter touchdown to Saints' wide receiver Robert Meachem as time expired to the 4th quarter to tie the game at 20 all to erase an early 14-0 deficit and give the Saints their first tie of the game. This would be Drew's first victory over the Carolina Panthers in the Superdome and allowed the Saints to take their best ever start in franchise history at 8-0.

In Week 10 Brees led the Saints to play against the struggling 1-7 St. Louis Rams in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. Drew would pass for 223 yards with 18 of 26 passing along with two touchdowns against two interceptions for an 89.1 Quarterback Rating. The Saints surprisingly struggled with the Rams, being tied at halftime 14-14, but with a 97 yard kickoff return by the Saints' Courtney Roby to start the second half and a 27 yard pass from Drew Brees to Robert Meachem in the 4th quarter, Drew helped the Saints escape from St. Louis with a 28-23 victory.

In Week 11 Brees and the Saints would face another struggling team, the 1-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road in Tampa. Brees passed for only 187 yards, but had 3 touchdown passes and no turnovers for a 118.0 passer rating, his 5th game of the season with a rating over 100. After falling behind 7-0 early in the first quarter, the Saints and Brees would score 38 consecutive points to win 38-7. An 11 yard Drew Brees pass to tight-end David Thomas in the third quarter would give the Saints' their 18th different player to have scored a touchdown on the season.

In Week 12 Brees led the Saints to an 11-0 record, beating the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, in a much hyped match up. Drew Brees totaled 371 yards passing, beating the Patriots 38-17 in an impressive victory. As he's done all year, Brees distributed the ball equally, and threw many long passing touchdowns including a 69 yard pass to Devery Henderson, and a 35 yard touchdown catch to Robert Meachem. Drew Brees posted a perfect Quarterback Rating of 158.3. Another great season for Drew led to his being selected to his fourth Pro Bowl; he was named the starting quarterback for the NFC team on December 29, 2009.

As a result of the Saints' success under him, Brees has acquired the facetious nickname "Breesus" among Saints fans.^[6][7][8]

Career statistics

San Diego Chargers franchise records

• Highest Comp. %, Season (Min. 14 attempts/game) - 65.5% (2004) ^[9]
• Highest Comp. %, Game (Min. 20 attempts) - 88.0% vs. Oakland 10/31/2004 ^[9]
• Highest Comp. %, Playoff Game (Min. 10 attempts) - 73.8% vs. NY Jets 1/8/2005 ^[9]
• Most Consecutive Attempts, None Intercepted - 194 (Oct. 17 through Dec. 5 2004) ^[10]

New Orleans Saints franchise records

• Highest Comp. %, Career (Min. 500 attempts) - 65.7% ^[11]
• Highest Comp. %, Season (Min. 14 attempts/game) - 67.5% ^[11]
• Highest YPA, Career (Min. 500 attempts) - 7.56 ^[11]
• Highest YPA, Season (Min. 14 attempts/game) - 7.98 (2008) ^[11]
• Highest Passer Rating, Career (Min. 500 attempts) - 93.8 ^[11]
• Highest Passer Rating, Season (Min. 14 attempts/game) - 96.2 (2008) ^[11]
• Most Completions, Season - 440 (2007) ^[11]
• Most Completions, Game - 39 vs. Denver, 9/21/2008 ^[12]
• Most Consecutive Completions - 17 (12/16/07 to 12/23/07) ^[13]
• Most Pass Attempts, Season - 652 (2007) ^[11]
• Most Pass Attempts, Game - 60 (tied with Aaron Brooks) ^[13]
• Most Passing Yards, Season - 5069 (2008) ^[11]
• Most Passing Yards, Game - 510 vs. Cincinnati, 11/19/2006 ^[13]
• Most 4000 Yard Passing Seasons - 3 ^[11]
• Most Consecutive 4000 Yard Passing Seasons - 3 (2006-08) ^[11]
• Most Games w/300+ Yards Passing, Season - 10 (2008) ^[14]
• Most Consecutive Games w/300+ Yards Passing - 5 (2006) ^[14]
• Most Touchdown Passes, Season - 34 (2008) ^[11]
• Most Touchdown Passes, Game - 6 (9/13/2009) (tied with Billy Kilmer)
• Most Touchdown Passes On Opening Day, 6 (2009)
• Most Touchdown Passes, Career - 121

Personal life

Brees and his wife Brittany purchased and renovated a home in Uptown New Orleans.

Brees regularly wears contact lenses;^{[citation needed]} during the first game of the Saints' 2007 regular season against the Indianapolis Colts, Brees had one of them knocked out during a play. He had to return to the sidelines to replace it.

Brees is allergictodairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. ^[15]

Brees was born with a mole on his right cheek. When Brees was 3, his parents considered having the birthmark removed, but doctors said that there was no medical reason to remove it.^[16]

Brees's mother, Mina Brees, died in 2009 at age 59. The death was ruled a suicide.^[17] Brees was briefly excused from training camp for a "family matter".^[18] In 2006, Brees described their relationship as "nonexistent" ever since he refused to hire her as his agent when he entered the NFL.^[19][20] After her death, Brees stated that this quote was three years old and that his relationship with his mother had been improving.^[21]

Brees and his wife have one son, born in 2009.^[22]

Charity and Volunteer

He has been involved in Hurricane Katrina recovery.^[23] Drew and Brittany’s Brees Dream Foundation announced a partnership^[24][25] in 2007 with international children’s charity Operation Kids, to rebuild and restore academic and athletic facilities, parks and playgrounds, after-school programs, mentoring programs for the intellectually disabled, neighborhood revitalization projects and child care facilities in New Orleans.

Brees visited the Guantanamo Bay detention camp on a USO tour in late June 2009. Following his return, Brees claimed Guantanamo captives were being treated ten times better than convicts in U.S. prisons. ^{[26][27][28][29]}

In February 2008, Brees signed a promotional deal with Chili's Grill & Bar to promote the chain's new line of hamburgers. The promotion helped raise money for charity.^[30] In June 2008, Brees is participating in the Pro Sports Team Challenge, a competition for pro athletes to help raise money for charities. The charity Brees played for was Operation Kids^[31].

On February 18, 2007, Brees was honored by the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade club,as the 2007 Bacchus Grand Marshal. Drew Brees will be presiding over as King of Bacchus during the Bacchus parade set to roll Feb. 14, 2010 two days before Mardi Gras and a week after the Super Bowl.

See also

• NFL career passer rating leaders
• List of NFL Quarterbacks who have passed for 400 or more yards
• List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating
• List of 300-Yard Passing Games by NFL Quarterbacks
• NFL QB Playoff records as starters

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Drew Brees.

• The Brees Dream Foundation
• New Orleans Saints bio

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