Drew Brees' greatness, as seen through eyes of teammates, coaches

NEW ORLEANS -- Saints quarterback Tyler Shough got more than he bargained for when he called Drew Brees for advice on setting up an offseason workout in California this summer. Shough expected Brees to make an appearance at the throwing sessions he helped set up. What he got was a workout in which he carried kettle bells next to the 47-year-old Brees and struggled not to get shown up by a man almost twice his age. "I have to do a heavier weight than him," the 26-year-old Shough jokingly recalled. "So I grab the heavier ones, and me and Drew are walking and he's just [stoic] and I'm trying not to die." Some of the younger players in attendance at those workouts were in awe of Brees. Running back Travis Etienne Jr., who grew up in Louisiana watching Brees play, had to get a picture of him to mark the moment. "That's like our hero, fans growing up and watching him. And especially for Trav, it was really cool," Shough said. "He's like, 'Man, that's Drew Brees over there.'" Brees can no longer throw with his right arm 20 years after Dr. James Andrews put in more than 10 anchors to repair his shoulder. He suffered a 360-degree labrum tear and partial rotator cuff tear in his final appearance with the Chargers, the team that selected him with the 32nd pick of the 2001 NFL draft. The shoulder injury closed the door on his Chargers career and led him to New Orleans, where he would spend 15 record-setting seasons, win Super Bowl XLIV and uplift a city recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Brees will become the fifth primary Saints player to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham, franchise receiving leader Marques Colston and franchise rushing leader Alvin Kamara are among the players who attribute a portion of their success to him, and they are among a group of more than 10 players and coaches who spoke to ESPN about what made Brees a Hall of Fame quarterback. Those who know Brees say his brilliance was never about arm strength, even in his early years. Brees thrived because of his work ethic, leadership and consistency. He missed one game due to injury in his first 13 seasons with the Saints, although a thumb injury and broken ribs cost him nine games in his final two seasons. Even as his arm strength diminished in his final seasons, he carried the Saints to one more playoff appearance in the 2020 season. His last game was a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in front of a crowd of less than 5,000 people due to COVID-19 restrictions. He announced his retirement on Instagram on March 14, 2021. "The greatest tip of the hat you can give somebody is 'I gave everything to the game.' I knew he didn't have anything more left in him after that last year," Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who played with Brees from 2011 to 2020, said. Here's a snapshot of the qualities that made Brees a Hall of Famer, through the eyes of those who had a front-row seat: 9️⃣ 🙏 pic.twitter.com/nBGrJb5DOR — New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 18, 2021 Attention to detail Brees often said he never wavered in how he prepared each day. His teammates said that was true whether it was a record-breaking game or a practice. Jordan said training camp practices used to feature relentless trash-talking from defensive players who were certain they were going to get the best of Brees that day. If the defense did win the rep, Brees would repeat the play and tweak the smallest detail, sometimes scooting a receiver over an inch. Brees was also famous for taking "mental reps," often running through games in his mind while alone in the indoor facility on Saturdays. Jordan: Next thing you know, it's a touchdown. And you're like, what? There shouldn't be any difference. ... Same play, same player. All of a sudden it's a better read. It's just Drew's mind, the way he was able to process the game was next level. Erik McCoy (Saints teammate with Brees, 2019-20): In here on his own on Saturdays after everybody has left, just walking through the game on the field, like the first 15 [plays], going through a whole drive. ... The attention to detail was crazy. And I think that's why he's my GOAT. Benjamin Watson (Saints teammate with Brees, 2013-15, 2018): On Saturday you come in and you have meetings, then you have your walk-through. ... I was in the weight room and in the facility, obviously there's windows to the indoor practice field and it was kind of dark in there. And I see this figure out there at midfield doing some sort of motion repetitively. And he was pointing at different things and just walking back and forth. And somebody was like, "Yeah, that's Drew in there." I was like, "What is he doing?" ... "Well, he's going through all of the calls." So Drew, as you know, would be in there kind of in the shadows, going through all of his offensive playcalls and going through all of his progressions ... I mean, it had to be an hour ... just by himself visualizing everything he was about to do. Dennis Allen (Saints assistant coach with Brees, 2006-10, 2015-20): He wanted to win everything. Watching a guy play the game the way he played the game and you watched him after every throw that he made, he went through the rest of his progression -- not once, not a few times during practice, every time during practice. Yesterday, @ReggieBush saw Drew Brees going through mental reps after the team's walkthrough and broke down what it means — New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 16, 2019 Sound UP 🗣#Saints pic.twitter.com/WM5dWjmYht Accuracy Brees retired with a completion percentage of 67.7%, an NFL record at the time. He still holds four of the top 10 spots for single-season completion percentage, and his final season ranks 14th. Those accomplishments didn't happen by accident. Brees was relentless about studying film, and it was almost impossible to beat him to the practice facilities in the mornings. He studied both opponents and his own teammates to figure out how they preferred him to throw the ball. When he threw a pass, he wanted that pass to land in a specific spot every time. Lance Moore (Saints teammate with Brees, 2006-13): First guy in the building, last guy out type of cliché, but it matters. Josh Hill (Saints teammate with Brees, 2013-20): You could be in the building anytime during the week and say you came at 7 a.m. on Wednesday [and saw him]. Come the next Wednesday at 7 a.m., [he's at the] same spot. Just ultimate focus. Alvin Kamara (Saints teammate with Brees, 2017-20): Drew was just a perfectionist. ... He wanted the ball to look a certain way coming out of his hand. He wanted it to land a certain way. He wanted it to hit a receiver in stride. It was just his detail. It was obsessive. Jimmy Graham (Saints teammate with Brees, 2010-14): I remember sometimes we'd be in the red zone and he scrambled around. He gets it out quick and the ball would maybe be on my hip or the ball would be somewhere where he thought that I wouldn't like it. And in the end, I end up catching it. I would score a touchdown. And we get to the sideline, the first thing he said was, "Hey, listen, awesome catch. I'm so sorry for that throw." And I look at him and I'm like, "Dude, what are you talking about? We just scored." But for him, perfection was everything. Allen: If they had a play that he didn't like the outcome, he didn't like the timing or the placement of the ball or whatever the case may be, the moment we had the next break, he had whoever that receiver was and he was working that play again. And so, to me, that's what makes Hall of Famers special. They are willing to do things that not everybody else is willing to do. Graham: There is and was and probably will never be an offense more complex and more demanding on a quarterback than a [former Saints coach] Sean Payton offense. The amount of calls and the amount of changes to these calls that could happen, I still don't understand how we did it. ... I mean, the amount of studying he did, I've never met a guy who's literally at the facility at 5:30 in the morning and stays till 9:30, 10. And this even happened when I was in Seattle and Green Bay. I would get a random text from Drew. It would be late in Seattle. So I can only imagine what time it was [there] ... And he'd be like, "Hey brother ... we're trying to put in this play maybe." And it's just like me and him highlights of that same play. And he'd send me a video of it. I'm like ... "What is he still doing at the facility?" But that's just who he was. Competitiveness Jordan said the Saints used to have "Go at it Fridays" in practice, pitting offense vs. defense in the red zone. Jordan loved how the trash talk would fly from both sides, and Brees gave as good as he got. That didn't apply just to football but to every situation that could be deemed competitive. Former Saints right tackle Zach Strief told ESPN how he once beat Brees at ping-pong, and Brees secretly practiced for a week until he could turn the tables on him. Hill: It's the same intensity. He wasn't really joking around. He'll joke around a little bit, but he's not really joking. Watson: I used to laugh and call him Chuck Norris because I was like, "Dude, you are a freak. There's nothing you can't do." He can obviously throw a football, he can throw a baseball, he can hit left-handed. ... He's the most flexible dude in the world, but also the strongest dude in the world. He can run sprints, but he can also run distance. And then you throw in the capacity to be able to manipulate a defense, to call three different plays in a huddle and know which one to go to. Jordan: His competitive drive, the way he diced people up. We'd be talking in practice. I'm like, "Drew, I would've hit you right there." He's like, "Oh no, bro. In a game, I'm definitely slinking past you." ... He's more elusive than you ever gave him credit for. You see guys that are monsters. He sort of shrugs [them] off, makes an amazing play. Colston: You kind of look at Drew and he doesn't look like a hooper, but we got out on that court and it was just really interesting to see how his game on the field translated to the court. He could shoot, he was athletic. It shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. And that's just that dog in him. Whatever it is, he's going to compete at the highest level. Cool under pressure Brees had a way of "controlling the chaos" and calming his teammates down in critical moments. He is tied for third in the NFL with 53 game-winning drives and ranks sixth with 36 fourth-quarter comebacks. One of those comebacks occurred on Sept. 23, 2018, against the Atlanta Falcons. Brees executed a spin move to get around several Falcons defenders and ran for a 7-yard touchdown to force overtime. The Saints won 43-37, and Brees became the NFL leader in pass completions. Jordan: He rushes up the field and has four people coming down on him, he sort of makes that like "gets hit, spin move" into the end zone. That should have been him out for a couple of weeks. But it's Drew ... it was a must-have, and when it's a must-have, you send the greatest to do it. Graham: Every huddle at the biggest moment, he was so stoic and so relaxed and knew exactly what would happen, exactly what we should be looking for and exactly what we should do when we break that huddle based on the look. ... I don't even know how you train for that. I just think he's built like that. Kamara: You go down and you go for a crazy drive, but we got in that huddle and Drew was like, "All right, here we go. We're going to start with this, and just look at me, pay attention." And I think we always knew [we would win]. It was like we felt more comfortable in two-minute situations sometimes than running a regular offense. We'll get in the huddle and be laughing like, "All right, you ready?" ... It was like ultimate confidence and just comfort when we got in those situations. Leadership Every player on the Saints' offense during the Brees era knew he had to be prepared for the ball to come his way. Brees didn't have an All-Pro wide receiver until Michael Thomas was named first-team All-Pro in 2018 -- Brees' 18th season. Brees had a way of making his teammates the best version of themselves. In a Brees and Payton offense, even a seventh-round draft pick such as Colston could become a day one contributor. Brees' former pass catchers attributed that success to his style of leadership. He relied on direct communication and positive feedback. In turn, they said they worked hard for him because they didn't want to let him down. In Brees' first game as a Saint on Sept. 10, 2006, his only touchdown in a 19-14 win against the Cleveland Browns was a pass to the then-rookie Colston. It was an inauspicious start to what would become one of the best offenses in NFL history. Colston: To be out there Week 1 on the field catching the ball from Drew, knowing what he went through, I will forever cherish that game in particular because I didn't know I could really do it until that ball kicked off. ... The imposter syndrome doesn't matter anymore. You got to go play. ... I damn sure didn't [know what was to come] at the time. I was just trying to survive week to week. Watson: No matter who you were on the offense, he was going to give you his very best. ... If there was a play or a route that you might be able to get in the game, he was going to throw it to you after practice. If you were a guy that probably wasn't even going to play offense in the game, you were going to get some routes with him after practice. And so the fact that he was never worried about his arm, his throw count, he wasn't worried about no throw count. He's worried about making his guys comfortable with the offense, getting the timing down, obviously with the guys that are going to be on the field, but also building confidence with the other players on offense who might end up being in the game at some point in time. To the point where I remember our trainers ... being like, "Drew, there's a long season. You can't make all your throws early in the season in practice. We're going to need you for the whole year." But what that does is it makes him approachable. It makes him trustworthy. Devery Henderson (Saints teammate with Brees, 2006-12): The times when I struggled, Drew stuck by me and Drew believed in me and kept coming to me. He'd build my confidence up when it was low. That always meant a lot to me. There were times where I dropped balls and I was like, "He's never going to throw me the ball again." He'd come right back to me two plays in a row after that, like, "We don't want to lose you. We need you." Moore: Drew was like antidiscrimination. He didn't mind who got the ball on every single play. And that's not the case for all quarterbacks. He is, I think, the best at being able to diagnose what the defense is doing and then deliver the football to the proper person based on what the defense is doing, not necessarily the guy that's No. 1 in his progression. That's another reason why so many of us had success with him. Graham: When I first came in, I knew nothing about football, literally nothing. And I remember him instilling early in me how good I could be. ... He's not the type to hold back how he feels about how you need to be doing better or about what you could be and what it's going to take to be that. And I remember when I came in, he said, "I was there the first game when Antonio Gates played." And he said, "Where you're sitting right now, you have the ability to do better than him. ... But that's going to take dedication and work." And he laid out what it takes to be an Antonio Gates. And when I'm on my second week of OTAs and Drew Brees, who just won MVP and the Super Bowl comes up to you after practice to have a conversation about what you could be ... there's nothing more that can instill more confidence in you. Hill: He wasn't a yeller; he wasn't a screamer. If there was an issue, he'd come talk to you, he was going to look you straight in the eyes and tell you exactly what he wanted you to do ... And there was no gray area what he wanted. Graham: It's very hard in the game not to be emotional, especially when a player messes up, especially on game day. Drew always had this complete control over his emotions when it came to negativity towards a player or towards a coach or towards anybody who would do anything that they weren't supposed to be doing, which was very unique, especially when I first got in the league. ... That was the old NFL, the old-school. Two-a-days, we're going to make men out of boys. And Drew never had that. Sean Payton (Saints coach with Brees, 2006-20): He had that rare trait of bringing out the best in everyone, and that was a gift. Brees and his legacy McCoy: I'm a lucky dude. I don't know what to say because I can't speak highly enough about him. He was the best. Graham: He had already shown who he was by the time I got on the team, so I truly understood that I was probably the luckiest human being currently in the NFL. Henderson: I have nothing but positive things to say about Drew. He's my GOAT of GOATS! Colston: I think that first 5,000-yard season, you knew you were part of something historic. ... [And later on in 2011] just the way that he completely obliterated the record books and ... that offense just, he orchestrated it so well to where ... you didn't come out of a game feeling like you weren't a part of it. To have seven, eight, nine guys feel like they're an integral part of what you're doing and obviously putting up the numbers, and then those numbers being attached to wins, that's when I started to kind of look at him like, "All right, this guy is going to be, he's definitely going to be a gold jacket guy, it's just a matter of how many ballots is it going to take." Graham: It's just not about the ball and the pads. It's the impact that he had on the community in New Orleans [after Hurricane Katrina] at the most perfect time when that city really needed it.