Drew Brees

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Drew Brees

Brees standing on the sidelines during the 2007 Pro Bowl
New Orleans Saints — No. 9
Quarterback
Date of birth: January 15, 1979 (1979-01-15) (age 29)
Place of birth: Austin, Texas
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Weight: 209 lb (95 kg)
National Football League debut
2001 for the San Diego Chargers
Career history
College: Purdue
NFL Draft: 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 32
Teams: San Diego Chargers (2001-2005) New Orleans Saints (2006-present)
Current status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Big Ten Football MVP (2000) Maxwell Award (2000) NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award (2004) 2x Pro Bowl selection (2004, 2006) All-Pro selection (2006) Co-Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (2006)
Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season)
TD-INT	134-82
Passing yards	21,189
QB Rating	87.9
Stats at NFL.com

Drew Christopher Brees (born January 15, 1979 in Austin, Texas) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.

Brees has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice in his career - with the Chargers in 2004 and the Saints in 2006. He was the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 2004.

[edit] Early years

Brees attended Westlake High School in his hometown Austin, Texas. 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 Stadium in Dallas, Texas. 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.^[1]

[edit] College career

Brees graduated from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana with a degree in Industrial Management. He is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He 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 also 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.

In Brees' sophomore season, Brees led the team on an 80 yard drive with 1:25 left in the 1998 Builders Square Alamo Bowl versus #4 ranked Kansas State, capping it off with a 25 yard touchdown pass to senior WR Ike Jones with :45 seconds left in regulation. The win was significant in that it is only one of two times an unranked team has upset a Top 5 ranked team in a bowl game, the other being the 1984 Rose Bowl, in which UCLA, led by future college head coach Rick Neuheisel at quarterback, engineered a 45-10 upset of #3 ranked Illinois. He also appeared on the cover of the Sega Sports NCAA College Football 2K2 for the Sega Dreamcast.

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. Additionally, Brees guided the Boilermakers to their first Rose Bowl appearance in over a quarter-century. Brees locked up the bowl berth by leading Purdue to a hard-earned October victory over Ohio State, capping the Big Ten battle with a 64 yard touchdown pass to wideout Seth Morales, a walk-on transfer from Butler University. Replays of the scoring pass show that Brees had the rare discipline to go through his receivers to the fourth option on the play. He also holds the record for the longest pass in NCAA history.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] San Diego Chargers

[edit] 2001 NFL Draft

Brees was drafted by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round in 2001. Many believed he would have been a first round but due to his size, most skeptics thought his size would limit him in the NFL.

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. With the 2001 draft, they did end up on the same team. Tomlinson and Brees made a vow to turn the Chargers team around.^[2] 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.

Drew has claimed that his relationship with his mother, Mina Brees, an attorney in Austin, Texas, suffered when he did not choose her as his agent. Later, during the election season of 2006, Brees threatened to sue his mother if she continued to use his image in her campaign effort to become a judge, citing that their relationship had become "nonexistent" since the draft.^[3]

[edit] Early career

In his rookie season, Brees played only one game under head coach Mike Riley and earned a passer rating of 94.8. In his second year, he passed for 3,284 yards and 17 touchdowns under new head coach Marty Schottenheimer. The Chargers looked to turn Brees' second season into a successful one as they started 4-0. However, a series of losses forced the Chargers into a .500 at 8-8, while Brees earned a 76.9 passer rating for the season. Brees was named the starter for the 2003 season, passing for a career low 2,108 yards and earning a 67.5 rating. The Chargers went 4-12 under the leadership of both Brees and Flutie. San Diego earned the first overall pick with said record, and through a deal with the New York Giants got Philip Rivers for Eli Manning. However, due to the long contract negotiations between Rivers and the Chargers, Brees started the following season and had a break out year.

[edit] Comeback

Brees' career with the Chargers was briefly put in jeopardy after San Diego acquired N.C. 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 persevered to remain the starter throughout the 2004 season and jump to near the top of the league's statistical rankings. Brees held the third best rating in the NFL, at 104.8 (behind Peyton Manning and Daunte Culpepper). Brees was selected to the 2005 NFL Pro Bowl following his impressive 2004 season. He was also named 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Brees became a free agent after the 2004 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 as a franchise player, giving him a one-year contract that quadrupled his pay to $8 million for the 2005 season

Under the terms of the "franchise player" contract, Brees was eligible to be traded, 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. In the Halloween 2004 matchup against the Oakland Raiders, he completed 22 out of 25 passes for 281 yards and 5 TDs in a 41-14 victory. He followed that productive performance the next week versus the New Orleans Saints, where he went 22 of 36 for 257 yards and 4 TD in a 43-17 triumph. He would finish the season with 3,159 passing yards, 27 TD, and only 7 INT giving him a QB rating of 104.8. In the postseason, he threw for 319 yards and 2 TD with 1 INT on 31 of 42 passing in a losing effort against the New York Jets in Qualcomm Stadium in overtime (17-20).

Drew 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. Additionally, during the 2005 season he led the Chargers to a win over the New England Patriots at New England, thus breaking a home-winning streak held by the Patriots at Gillette Stadium while posting a 137.5 rating resulting from 19 of 24 passing, 248 yards, 2 TD, and 0 INT. Later that season, Brees led the Chargers to a 48-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills. He completed 28 of 33 passing for 399 yards and four touchdowns. Brees battled through 3 turnovers (2 INT, 1 fumble) to throw a 54 yard pass that would set up a field goal which regained the lead in a crucial game against the previously undefeated Indianapolis Colts 26-17.^[4]

[edit] Shoulder injury

In the last game of the 2005 season against the Denver Broncos, Brees injured his shoulder while trying to pick up a fumble of his after being hit by Denver Broncos safety John Lynch. Denver tackle Gerard Warren hit Brees while he was on the ground, a legal but questionable hit that caused the injury. Brees underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder on January 5, 2006. Subsequent reports mention rotator cuff damage as well, making the injury much more serious than it was originally described. Then in an interview given in July 2006, he acknowledged that the labrum injury was much worse than originally known and he had also suffered a partially torn rotator cuff.

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 Carson Palmer; however, his own injury dictated that the AFC Pro Bowl roster would have to be filled by second alternate Jake Plummer.

[edit] New Orleans Saints

After the injury, San Diego Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith told Brees that the team wanted him back to full strength and that they wanted him to lead them to a championship. Brees, eligible for free agency, saw the request as a sign that he would be back in a Chargers uniform. He stated in a local San Diego radio interview that he was willing to take less than "franchise-type" money to be with a Super Bowl contender. However, as negotiations began between Brees' agent Tom Condon and the Chargers, it became apparent that the Chargers were more concerned about Brees' injury than they had previously let on. The team 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, notably that he line up under center 75% of the season. 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.

After the Chargers refused to increase their offer, Brees met with other teams. New Orleans and the Miami Dolphins were interested in him. New Orleans made him a large offer that included $10 million in guaranteed money the first year and a $12 million option the second year. Miami asked Brees if he would be willing to take less guaranteed money so they could fit him under their salary cap, but Brees refused and also did not accept the suspicious results of a grueling 6-hour physical in Miami. The Dolphins ended negotiations with him and traded for Minnesota Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper instead.

Brees then quickly signed a 6-year, $60 million deal with the New Orleans Saints on March 14, 2006. The Saints hoped the former Comeback Player of the Year could improve the team and lead them to the playoffs. Brees also claimed he was impressed by the team's newfound commitment to winning and their confidence in him as a player.

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.^[5] On November 19, 2006 he also achieved a career best 510 passing yards in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. On December 19, 2006, Brees was named the starting quarterback for the NFC team in the 2007 Pro Bowl. On January 5, 2007, Brees was named the first runner-up behind former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson for league MVP by the Associated Press. He was also co-recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (which he shared with LaDainian Tomlinson) at the conclusion of the season.

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, 2007, Brees led the Saints to the franchise's first NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears. Though he completed 27 of 49 passes for 354 yards, and two touchdowns, Brees committed three costly turnovers. He was also penalized for an intentional grounding in the endzone, resulting in a safety. The Saints eventually lost to the Bears, 39-14.^[6] After the season, Brees dislocated his left elbow during the first quarter of the 2007 Pro Bowl.^[7]

On December 16, 2007, Brees had one of his best games of the season, completing 87% (26 of 30) of his passes for 315 yds. and 2 touchdowns.^[8]

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Endorsements

In February 2008, Brees signed a promotional deal with Chili's Grill & Bar to promote the chain's new line of hamburgers. Brian Westbrook and Adrian Peterson were also involved in the promotion, which helped to raise money for charity.^[9] On 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 is playing for is [Operation Kids][1]. The money will be spent to help rebuild New Orleans.

[edit] Personal

Brees endeared himself to New Orleans far beyond the playing field. He and his wife Brittany chose to purchase and renovate a home in Uptown New Orleans, and he also involved himself heavily in charities engaged in Hurricane Katrina recovery.^[10] Drew and Brittany’s Brees Dream Foundation announced a partnership^[11][12] 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. On February 18th, 2007, Brees was honored by the Krewe of Bacchus (a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade club) as the 2007 Bacchus Grand Marshal. This was only the second time in the Krewe's 39 year history that they named a Grand Marshal. Brees wears contact lenses when he plays football; this fact was cited during the first game of the regular season against the Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints where Brees had one of them knocked out during a play. Brees had to return to the sideline to get it replaced.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Brees Dream Foundation
• New Orleans Saints bio