The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds

08-07-2017, 12:25 PM

The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds

The prolific Saints QB shows no signs of slowing down entering his 17th NFL season

by Pete Prisco
@PriscoCBS
3h ago • 11 min read

METAIRIE, La. -- Drew Brees isn't supposed to be doing what he's doing. He just isn't.

At barely 6-feet tall -- some of his New Orleans Saints teammates actually insist he's that tall when he's wearing shoes -- with a surgically repaired throwing shoulder in an arm that isn't going to knock receivers over, Brees hardly looks like the prototypical NFL quarterback. He can barely see over the line sometimes, and many times he is forced to crane his neck for any little window to see the defense.

"He looks out underneath his facemask," Saints running back Mark Ingram said. "That's so he can see."

The primary reason it all works, though, has nothing to do with the physical tools that you or I can see. It has to do with what you can't.

It's all inside his head.

Peyton Manning used to be the standard-bearer for quarterback smarts. He used to own the most-dangerous weapon in all of football: His mind.

Brees has now taken that over. His mind is the greatest weapon in football.
Doesn't it have to be, considering his physical stature?

In an era with big, strong-armed passers, guys who stand tall in the pocket, Brees has bucked the trend, becoming one of the greatest passers in NFL history in large part because of his ability to win with his head.

"Everybody has limitations, and everybody knows what their strengths are," Brees said last week during a break in training camp. "I feel like my preparation and knowing as much as I can about playing the concepts, the personnel and defense is what is going to allow me to be successful. Having a plan and knowing how to execute that plan is what equates to success. I have to rely on that. That has to be my greatest strength. What I may lack in some areas, that has to make up for it."

Brees has a sixth sense for finding the open receiver.

"Take away a sense, and the other senses have to be heighted," he said. "It's like that. I know where guys are going to be. I know where my outlet is. I develop trust and confidence in my guys that even if certain things are taken away, I have that ability to know where they are gong to be and make it work."

If the 38-year-old Brees plays three more seasons, he will almost certainly be the NFL all-time leader in yards, touchdown passes and attempts. He needs 5,830 yards to pass Peyton Manning atop the yards list. Considering Brees has five of the nine 5,000-yard passing seasons in league history, that should happen next year.

Manning also is tops in touchdown passes with 539, while Brees has 465. If he plays three more seasons, he will need to average 25 a season to get there. Brett Favre has 1,411 more pass attempts than Brees, so that will take three full seasons to break. Brees is also first all-time in completion percentage at 66.6-percent, and seventh in passer rating at 96.3.

He also has the one Super Bowl victory to go with the numbers to help validate all those numbers -- keeping him away from the vultures that would prey on him just being a stats guy.

When the numbers were mentioned to Brees, he almost had an aw-shucks reaction to being on the verge of becoming the best passer of all time -- at least in terms of raw data.

Much, much more here ...

AsylumGuido · 08-07-2017, 12:32 PM

Fantastic article on Drew Brees! As a warning, it may be a bit long for any of you with little patience.

At one point in the article Brees talks about getting beat by Strief in ping-pong four straight games visualized what he needed to do to defeat Strief and practiced that. This is what he added ...

"I visualized what I had to do," he said. "I read something where this guy was a Vietnam POW. And the way he got through being imprisoned that whole time was to visualize playing on his home golf course. He had never broken 92 on that golf course. He just sat there and visually played it. That's how he made it through the day. Sure enough, after being released, he goes back home and shoots 82. He visualized it. He saw it. I think that's what separates some of the great athletes from others. They put themselves in situations and they visualize what they are going to do to have success. They visualize the shot, the throw, the catch, how the defense is going to react. Then when you go out and do it, it's as if it already happened. I do that on the football field, but I also did it thinking about beating him (Strief)."

AsylumGuido · 08-07-2017, 12:49 PM

I also liked this bit ...

A window closing?

As Brees readies for the 2017 season, there is the potential for this to be his last with the Saints. He is entering the final year of his deal, and there has been no sign of him slowing down. He had another 5000-yard passing season last year.

Even so, at his age there are questions as to whether he will be back, but not in his mind.

"I am not worried about it," Brees said. "Things will work out how they're supposed to. I believe I am going to be here for a long time and continue to play football for a long time. I am at peace without whatever happens. My expectation level is that I will finish my career here."

The above is for some that feel Brees would leave the Saints or that he is at the end of his career. He has stated the above several times in difference words.

dam1953 · 08-07-2017, 01:49 PM

Great article. The one thing it failed to mention is that Brees has put up HOF numbers without an a single HOF receiver. He makes good receivers look great, but most have struggled without him.

But for a defense people would be talking about a Saints dynasty.

CharityMike · 08-07-2017, 04:16 PM

Good article. IMO, the difference between NE and NO is the coaching. Belichick is a defensive coach. He makes sure he has a strong OC. Payton is offense but has not found a consistent DC. The Qb's are one and one. But, when NE won 4 games with a backup QB, that kinda tells you all you need to know.

NonieT · 08-07-2017, 06:12 PM

It's a great article, even if it was written by Prisco. He must be trying to endear himself to Saints fans.

AsylumGuido · 08-07-2017, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by NonieT

It's a great article, even if it was written by Prisco. He must be trying to endear himself to Saints fans.

I thought the same thing when I first saw his byline.

QBREES9 · 08-07-2017, 10:29 PM

I read this on Yahoo. I came over here to post it, it was done.

jeanpierre · 08-07-2017, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by NonieT

It's a great article, even if it was written by Prisco. He must be trying to endear himself to Saints fans.

Prisco hates on the Saints because he's gotten burnt when he's picked them in the past...

The Saints have been, always will be an underdog in every sense of the concept...

But you have to wonder what's up when a guy like Brees, has the most 5000 PaYd seasons and no League Hardware to show for it?!?

08-07-2017, 12:25 PM	#1
Threaded by AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,241 Rating: (0 votes - average) The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds The prolific Saints QB shows no signs of slowing down entering his 17th NFL season by Pete Prisco @PriscoCBS 3h ago • 11 min read METAIRIE, La. -- Drew Brees isn't supposed to be doing what he's doing. He just isn't. At barely 6-feet tall -- some of his New Orleans Saints teammates actually insist he's that tall when he's wearing shoes -- with a surgically repaired throwing shoulder in an arm that isn't going to knock receivers over, Brees hardly looks like the prototypical NFL quarterback. He can barely see over the line sometimes, and many times he is forced to crane his neck for any little window to see the defense. "He looks out underneath his facemask," Saints running back Mark Ingram said. "That's so he can see." The primary reason it all works, though, has nothing to do with the physical tools that you or I can see. It has to do with what you can't. It's all inside his head. Peyton Manning used to be the standard-bearer for quarterback smarts. He used to own the most-dangerous weapon in all of football: His mind. Brees has now taken that over. His mind is the greatest weapon in football. Doesn't it have to be, considering his physical stature? In an era with big, strong-armed passers, guys who stand tall in the pocket, Brees has bucked the trend, becoming one of the greatest passers in NFL history in large part because of his ability to win with his head. "Everybody has limitations, and everybody knows what their strengths are," Brees said last week during a break in training camp. "I feel like my preparation and knowing as much as I can about playing the concepts, the personnel and defense is what is going to allow me to be successful. Having a plan and knowing how to execute that plan is what equates to success. I have to rely on that. That has to be my greatest strength. What I may lack in some areas, that has to make up for it." Brees has a sixth sense for finding the open receiver. "Take away a sense, and the other senses have to be heighted," he said. "It's like that. I know where guys are going to be. I know where my outlet is. I develop trust and confidence in my guys that even if certain things are taken away, I have that ability to know where they are gong to be and make it work." If the 38-year-old Brees plays three more seasons, he will almost certainly be the NFL all-time leader in yards, touchdown passes and attempts. He needs 5,830 yards to pass Peyton Manning atop the yards list. Considering Brees has five of the nine 5,000-yard passing seasons in league history, that should happen next year. Manning also is tops in touchdown passes with 539, while Brees has 465. If he plays three more seasons, he will need to average 25 a season to get there. Brett Favre has 1,411 more pass attempts than Brees, so that will take three full seasons to break. Brees is also first all-time in completion percentage at 66.6-percent, and seventh in passer rating at 96.3. He also has the one Super Bowl victory to go with the numbers to help validate all those numbers -- keeping him away from the vultures that would prey on him just being a stats guy. When the numbers were mentioned to Brees, he almost had an aw-shucks reaction to being on the verge of becoming the best passer of all time -- at least in terms of raw data. Much, much more here ... SmashMouth likes this.
Views: 1269

08-07-2017, 12:32 PM	#2
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,241	Re: The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds Fantastic article on Drew Brees! As a warning, it may be a bit long for any of you with little patience. At one point in the article Brees talks about getting beat by Strief in ping-pong four straight games visualized what he needed to do to defeat Strief and practiced that. This is what he added ... "I visualized what I had to do," he said. "I read something where this guy was a Vietnam POW. And the way he got through being imprisoned that whole time was to visualize playing on his home golf course. He had never broken 92 on that golf course. He just sat there and visually played it. That's how he made it through the day. Sure enough, after being released, he goes back home and shoots 82. He visualized it. He saw it. I think that's what separates some of the great athletes from others. They put themselves in situations and they visualize what they are going to do to have success. They visualize the shot, the throw, the catch, how the defense is going to react. Then when you go out and do it, it's as if it already happened. I do that on the football field, but I also did it thinking about beating him (Strief)."

08-07-2017, 12:49 PM	#3
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,241	Re: The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds I also liked this bit ... A window closing? As Brees readies for the 2017 season, there is the potential for this to be his last with the Saints. He is entering the final year of his deal, and there has been no sign of him slowing down. He had another 5000-yard passing season last year. Even so, at his age there are questions as to whether he will be back, but not in his mind. "I am not worried about it," Brees said. "Things will work out how they're supposed to. I believe I am going to be here for a long time and continue to play football for a long time. I am at peace without whatever happens. My expectation level is that I will finish my career here." The above is for some that feel Brees would leave the Saints or that he is at the end of his career. He has stated the above several times in difference words.

08-07-2017, 01:49 PM	#4
dam1953 1000 Posts + Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 4,645	Re: The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds Great article. The one thing it failed to mention is that Brees has put up HOF numbers without an a single HOF receiver. He makes good receivers look great, but most have struggled without him. But for a defense people would be talking about a Saints dynasty. QBREES9 and SmashMouth like this.

08-07-2017, 04:16 PM	#5
CharityMike Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mid City, New Orleans Posts: 3,556	Re: The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds Good article. IMO, the difference between NE and NO is the coaching. Belichick is a defensive coach. He makes sure he has a strong OC. Payton is offense but has not found a consistent DC. The Qb's are one and one. But, when NE won 4 games with a backup QB, that kinda tells you all you need to know.

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08-07-2017, 06:12 PM	#6
NonieT 500th Post Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 921	Re: The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds It's a great article, even if it was written by Prisco. He must be trying to endear himself to Saints fans. AsylumGuido likes this.
NonieT 500th Post Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 921

08-07-2017, 06:14 PM	#7
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,241	Re: The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds Originally Posted by NonieT It's a great article, even if it was written by Prisco. He must be trying to endear himself to Saints fans. I thought the same thing when I first saw his byline.

08-07-2017, 10:29 PM	#8
QBREES9 Moderator Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New Haven Ct Posts: 23,985	Re: The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds I read this on Yahoo. I came over here to post it, it was done.

08-07-2017, 11:34 PM	#9
jeanpierre Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Thibodaux Posts: 43,543 Blog Entries: 39	Re: The most dangerous mind in the NFL: How Drew Brees continues to defy the odds Originally Posted by NonieT It's a great article, even if it was written by Prisco. He must be trying to endear himself to Saints fans. Prisco hates on the Saints because he's gotten burnt when he's picked them in the past... The Saints have been, always will be an underdog in every sense of the concept... But you have to wonder what's up when a guy like Brees, has the most 5000 PaYd seasons and no League Hardware to show for it?!?

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