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Drew Brees

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Drew Brees
refer to caption
Brees in Kuwait, 2007
New Orleans Saints
Career information
College:Purdue
NFL draft:2001 / round: 2 / pick: 32
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2009
TD-INT:202-110
Passing yards:30,646
QB Rating:91.9
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

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 football at Purdue.

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, 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 Irving. 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] Brees visits hospitals and meets with the sick. He has met John Witczak.

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 there since 1967. Brees was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's best quarterback in 1999. He 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 Purdue’s Leonard Wilson Award for unselfishness and dedication.

Professional career

San Diego Chargers

2001 NFL Draft

Many analysts[who?] stated that Brees could have 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.[citation needed] 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

Brees warming up in Wembley Stadium in a game against the San Diego Chargers

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 Vikings QB Daunte 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 Marino in 1984. 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.

In the passing weeks, Brees was removed from the metaphorical pedestal. After barely squeaking out victories against the 3-11 Washington Redskins in Week 13 and the 6-7 Atlanta Falcons in Week 14, Brees could only muster a 81.5 Passer Rating as the Saints succumbed to their first lost in Week 15, against the faltering Dallas Cowboys. Brees and the Saints continued to slide in the coming weeks, losing in Week 16 and 17 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers, respectively.

A great season for Brees led to a Pro Bowl selection and the runner-up in voting for NFL MVP, earning 7 1/2 votes, compared to Peyton Manning's 39 1/2 votes. He finished the season with a completion percentage of 70.62 which established a new NFL record.[6][7]

As a result of the Saints' success under him, Brees has acquired the facetious nickname "Breesus" among Saints fans. He finished second in the AP offensive player of the year. By doing all of this he has lifted the New Orleans Saints organization and the whole community of New Orleans.[8][9][10]

Career statistics

Year Team G-S Passing
Att.-Comp. 		Yards Pct. TD Int. Long Sacks-Lost Pass
Rating
2001 San Diego 1-0 27-15 221 .556 1 0 40 2-12  94.8
2002 San Diego 16-16 526-320 3,284 .608 17 16 52 24-180  76.9
2003 San Diego 11-11 356-205 2,108 .576 11 15 68 21-178  67.5
2004 San Diego 15-15 400-262 3,159 .655 27 7 79 18-131 104.8
2005 San Diego 16-16 500-323 3,576 .646 24 15 54 27-223  89.2
2006 New Orleans 16-16 554-356 4,418 .643 26 11 86 18-105  96.2
2007 New Orleans 16-16 652-440Template:NFLN/R 4,423 .675 28 18 58 16-109  89.4
2008 New Orleans 16-16 635-413 5,069 .650 34 17 84 13-92 96.2
2009 New Orleans 15-15 514-363 4,388 .706Template:NFLN/R 34 11 75 20-135 109.6
Totals 116-115 4,082-2,636 30,090 .646 202 110 86 154-1,129  91.8
Postseason 3-3 123-78 916 .634 5 2 88 8-46  92.7

San Diego Chargers franchise records

  • Highest Comp. %, Season (Min. 14 attempts/game) - 65.5% (2004) [11]
  • Highest Comp. %, Game (Min. 20 attempts) - 88.0% vs. Oakland 10/31/2004 [11]
  • Highest Comp. %, Playoff Game (Min. 10 attempts) - 73.8% vs. NY Jets 1/8/2005 [11]
  • Most Consecutive Attempts, None Intercepted - 194 (Oct. 17 through Dec. 5 2004) [12]

New Orleans Saints franchise records

  • Highest Comp. %, Career (Min. 500 attempts) - 65.7% [13]
  • Highest Comp. %, Season (Min. 14 attempts/game) - 70.62% (2009) [13]
  • Highest YPA, Career (Min. 500 attempts) - 7.56 [13]
  • Highest YPA, Season (Min. 14 attempts/game) - 8.5 (2009) [13]
  • Highest Passer Rating, Career (Min. 500 attempts) - 93.8 [13]
  • Highest Passer Rating, Season (Min. 14 attempts/game) - 109.6 (2009) [13]
  • Most Completions, Season - 440 (2007) [13]
  • Most Completions, Game - 39 vs. Denver, 9/21/2008 [14]
  • Most Consecutive Completions - 17 (12/16/07 to 12/23/07) [15]
  • Most Pass Attempts, Season - 652 (2007) [13]
  • Most Pass Attempts, Game - 60 (tied with Aaron Brooks) [15]
  • Most Passing Yards, Season - 5069 (2008) [13]
  • Most Passing Yards, Game - 510 vs. Cincinnati, 11/19/2006 [15]
  • Most 4000 Yard Passing Seasons - 3 [13]
  • Most Consecutive 4000 Yard Passing Seasons - 4 (2006-09) [13]
  • Most Games w/300+ Yards Passing, Season - 10 (2008) [16]
  • Most Consecutive Games w/300+ Yards Passing - 5 (2006) [16]
  • Most Touchdown Passes, Season - 34 (2008 and 2009) [13]
  • Most Touchdown Passes, Game - 6 (9/13/2009) (tied with Billy Kilmer)
  • Most Touchdown Passes On Opening Day, 6 (2009)
  • Most Touchdown Passes, Career - 122

National Football League records

  • Most completions for a season - 440 (2007 Season)
  • Highest Completion percentage for a season - 70.62 (2009 Season)

Personal life

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

Brees is allergic to dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. [17]

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.[18]

Brees's mother, Mina Brees, died in 2009 at age 59. The death was ruled a suicide.[19] Brees was briefly excused from training camp for a "family matter".[20] In 2006, Brees described their relationship as "nonexistent" ever since he refused to hire her as his agent when he entered the NFL.[21][22] After her death, Brees stated that this quote was three years old and that his relationship with his mother had been improving.[23]

Brees and his wife have one son, born in 2009.[24]

Charity and Volunteer

He has been involved in Hurricane Katrina recovery.[25] Drew and Brittany’s Brees Dream Foundation announced a partnership[26][27] 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. [28][29][30][31]


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.[32] 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[33].

Drew Brees signs autographs at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base on June 29 2009, along with fellow NFL players Billy Miller and Donnie Edwards.


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

References

  1. ^ "Drew Brees Foundation: bio".
  2. ^ Acee, Kevin. "Brees far ahead of schedule". The San Diego Union-Tribune website. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  3. ^ Wilner, Barry (2007-01-22). "Bears reach first Super Bowl in 21 years". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  4. ^ "Kasay helps Panthers solidify NFC's No. 2 seed with win over Saints". Associated Press via NFL.com. 2008-12-28. Retrieved 2008-12-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Saints QB Brees is AP Offensive Player of the Year Yahoo News, January 6, 2009
  6. ^ Martel, Brett (December 31, 2009). "Like Williams, Brees prefers to play for record". Yahoo Sports. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2010-01-13. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ "Record & Fact Book". NFL.com. NFL.com. Retrieved 2010-01-13. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ Leonard, Tod (November 30, 2009). "Brees a godsend for Saints". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2009-12-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ Langenhennig, Susan (November 30, 2009). "New Orleans Saints fans get creative: What Who Dats are wearing". Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2009-12-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Duncan, Jeff (November 2, 2009). "Breesus' is the reason for potentially perfect season". Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2009-12-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ a b c "San Diego Chargers Career Passing Register", Pro-Football-Reference.com
  12. ^ ["2008 Chargers Media Guide"]
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "New Orleans Saints Single-Season Passing Register", Pro-Football-Reference.com
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ a b c "2008 Saints Media Guide"
  16. ^ a b NFL Records: Passing", NFL.com
  17. ^ "NFL Workout: Strapped In A system designed by a Navy SEAL got the Saints' Drew Brees in shape to succeed". 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
  18. ^ Lee Jenkins, His Eyes Wide Shut, Brees Saves Career. New York Times. January 8, 2005.
  19. ^ [2]
  20. ^ Death of Brees' mother
  21. ^ "Brees wants no part of mom's campaign in Texas", AP, October 31, 2006.
  22. ^ "Drew Brees mother dies in Colorado", AP, August 10, 2009.
  23. ^ Jason Cole, "Mom’s death makes Brees blink, but focus remains", Yahoo! Sports, August 12, 2009
  24. ^ "Saints QB enjoys life as new dad", AP at Sporting News, January 29, 2009.
  25. ^ "Brees has New Orleans howling". Associated Press. 2007-01-14. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
  26. ^ "A Saint in the City: No Off-Season as Brees Helps New Orleans Rebuild". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  27. ^ Corbett, Jim. "Brees Becomes Patron Saint of New Orleans". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-12-19. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  28. ^ "Transcript of Drew Brees Interview: Scott and BR Interview with Drew Brees On Guantanamo Bay". Sports Radio. 2009-07-09. Archived from the original on 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  29. ^ Jeff Duncan (2009-07-30). "Drew Brees raises eyebrows with comments about Guantanamo Bay". NOLA. Archived from the original on 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  30. ^ Tom Weir (2009-07-10). "Drew Brees weighs in on his trip to Gitmo". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  31. ^ "Guantanamo Bay inmates are having a grand time, says Drew Brees". Yahoo News Yahoo Sports. 2009-07-30. Archived from the original on 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  32. ^ "Peterson lands deal with Chili's". Mnsportscentral.com. 2008-01-28. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
  33. ^ "Operation Kids: Until Every Child Is OK". Operationkids.com. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Drew Brees.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Billy Dicken
 Purdue Boilermakers Starting Quarterbacks
1998–2000 		Succeeded by
Brandon Hance
Preceded by San Diego Chargers Starting Quarterbacks
2001–2005 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New Orleans Saints Starting Quarterbacks
2006- 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Big Ten Football MVP
2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award
2004 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
(with LaDainian Tomlinson)
2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year
2008 		Succeeded by

Template:2006 All-Pro Team

Template:2007 Pro Bowl NFC starters Template:2010 Pro Bowl NFC starters

Template:NFLStartingQuarterbacks


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