Farewell Drew Brees, Sterling’s Top 5 Moments
Oct 27, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) celebrates after a touchdown to wide receiver Michael Thomas (not pictured) during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Let me take you back to a time before the Saints had a world championship on their resume. A time before the Who Dat nation wore their jerseys loud and proud. A time before the Saints were a playoff caliber team year after year. Imagine a time where the members of the Saints fandom wore paper bags over their heads and walked in shame knowing that their team was quite possibly the worst in the league. All of this changed on March 14h, 2006. On this day, Superman arrived to the Metropolis that is New Orleans.
Since that monumental day, Drew Brees has went on to create a laundry list of accomplishments in a city he helped rebuild. To multiple playoff appearances, a Super Bowl championship, and owning almost every record in the record book, there seemed no mountain too high for Brees to climb. As we bid farewell to one of the NFL’s all time greats, I’ll be highlighting 5 of my favorite moments from the amazing and sometimes breathtaking career of Drew Brees. Keep in mind, these are just 5 that I picked, there are so many magical moments created by Brees that it’s almost hard to even attempt to make a list.
5.) Brees Spins Against the Falcons
Drew Brees dives for the touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons
This moment comes in as a personal favorite. In a game that went into OT against the Atlanta Falcons, Brees led his team to victory with back to back rushing touchdowns. With little over a minute in the game left, Brees would shake off two defenders by a surprising spin-around move that allowed him to make a diving touchdown, sending the game into overtime after the New Orleans defense would refuse to fold against a surging Matt Ryan.
In overtime, the unstoppable trio of Brees/Kamara/Thomas would make their way down the field with ease in the Mercedes Benz Stadium. After reaching the end zone and dealing with a reversed touchdown from Alvin Kamara, Brees would once again don his Superman cape by leaping into the end zone for the game winning touchdown. Brees would finish the game throwing for 39/49 of his passes, 3 touchdowns, and a ferocious 396 yards.
4.) The Super Dome Duel
With Eli Manning and his New York Giants coming to town, the Saints knew they were in for a fight inside the Super Dome. What they didn’t know however, was that it would turn into a showdown that would be remembered for years to come. Thanks to a defense that didn’t do him any favors, Brees would be forced to elevate his game to a heavenly level for 60 minutes of football, and he did so effortlessly.
In what turned out to be a shootout against Manning, Drew Brees put on a clinic. He threw a record 7 touchdowns while completing 39/50 of his passes and ended the game passing well over 500 yards. If that isn’t Superman wearing his cape loud & proud, I’m not sure what is. In a time where the Saints were ending their seasons with 7-9 records, games like these reminded fans why they still believed in the New Orleans Saints.
3.) Brees Passing Yards Record
To add to the magical year that was 2018 for the Saints, it was also a year that Brees found himself adding another record to his already lengthy resume. On October 8th, 2018, Drew Brees walked into the Super Dome laser focused. Few are better than Brees on a night where he can possibly break a record and this night was no different. Brees would finish this game with a mere 363 yards passing, completing 26/29 of his passes, and reaching the end zone with a touchdown pass 3 times. While all of this is great, it was the touchdown pass to WR Tre’Quan Smith that sent Brees into the history books with a new record: most passing yards by a quarterback. What a night this was for Brees and the Saints.
2.) Laying Waste to the Patriots
During a season that would eventually see the Saints hoisting the Lombardi trophy, Brees would meet a man that would eventually go on to be labeled as the greatest ever in Tom Brady. While Brady’s greatness can never be questioned, this was not a night you would reference when explaining why he’s the ‘goat.’
Coming into this game, the Saints were already 10-0 and heading towards a first round bye in the playoffs. This didn’t cause Brees to take any days off as he came into this game throwing a convincing 5 touchdowns while adding 371 passing yards to his name in the process. This game was just a stepping stone as the Saints were well on their way to their first Super Bowl.
1.) Super Bowl Champions
Was there ever any doubt about what could possibly be Drew’s greatest achievement? Leading the Saints to their first and only world championship is a feat that means so much more than just the glory of hoisting the Lombardi trophy with confetti raining from the sky. Prior to Brees coming to New Orleans, there wasn’t a winning culture in the region. All of that changed on February 7th, 2010.
Brees and the Saints marched into the Super Bowl ready to do battle with Peyton Manning and the Colts. Brees would end the game with 288 yards passing & two touchdowns, leaving Miami as a Super Bowl champion and the game’s MVP. Check out his victory speech below,
I’ve been a fan of Drew Brees for what seems like my entire life. With that being said, saying goodbye to a man that has symbolized everything I love about the game of football will indeed be a tough one. My message to the fans is simple: don’t cry because it’s over, be glad that it happened. Few can look back on their career and be as fulfilled and accomplished as Drew Brees. Every night, for the fans, he left his body on the football field. That is all that we can ever ask for. I think the thing I’ll miss the most about having Drew Brees as our QB is the sense of comfort he brings. You always felt like you had a fighting chance with Brees at the helm. As I close, I bid farewell to a childhood hero, a city’s savior, and an NFL great. Goodbye Drew Brees, you will be missed.
I’d like to close this article by sharing the goodbye message Drew Brees posted online a few days ago.
