Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Breesis an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. After a prolific college football career at Purdue University, he was chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He left college as one of the most-decorated players in Purdue and Big Ten Conference history, establishing two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records and 19 Purdue University records. He remains the...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFootball Player
Date of Birth15 January 1979
CityAustin, TX
CountryUnited States of America
I'm ecstatic to be here another year and to build on the momentum of last year, ... I think I just scratched the surface as a player and the team is just scratching the surface.
They were a really young defense last year. They're still young but very talented, and (they) just continue to get more and more experience every time they're (on the field) together.
And then obviously our team, we had better people, high-character guys, good leadership. It's just one of those things. In '03, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. And then last year, everything that could have gone right went right. We were not a 4-12 team in '03, even though our record showed that. We were better than that. Just due to circumstances, that's the way we finished. We all got stronger through that experience. I don't think we could have accomplished what we did last year if we hadn't gone through that in '03.
It was tough to know that was the end of our chances to make it into the playoffs. To come home and get to spend time with family, I think that got everyone's mind off it a short period of time and allowed everyone to take a deep breath and see what can we accomplish this last game.
It was disappointing to have that happen, because I think that was maybe the writing on the wall that says this is my last year in San Diego, ... This is the last year on my contract, and they're going to pay this guy $15 million or whatever it is that the fourth pick in the draft gets, so I know what that means.
I think it's still at the point of learning how to finish games. I feel like last year we did a good job of it. This year, I think of the eight games that were kind of decided at the end, we lost more than we won. Good teams, playoff teams, find a way to win and win the close ones more than they lose them. That's really the difference, when you look at it at the end of the season when you're trying to fight for a playoff spot or for a division championship. Unfortunately, we were on the losing end of those. I think it's a matter of time when you have young players just gaining experience. You learn how to win.
I don't think we're in a situation at all where anybody's overreacting here. I mean, obviously 2-3 is not where we thought we'd be at this point in the season, especially since I feel like we have a really good team and I feel like we're better than we were last year, ... But I think our attitude is and the way we look at it is, if we win this game we're sitting at 3-3, which is exactly where we were sitting at this time last year.
He is very powerful, ... You can't really tackle him with one guy. You see him break tackles all the time, like he did on the last touchdown. Obviously his ability to catch the football is special.
I do. I think that at times we haven't been as consistent as we need to be. Hence, the fact we're not going to the playoffs. But I do feel when we're out there playing our best, our best this year is better than it was last year.
I did a lot of things last offseason to prepare myself to be the starting quarterback of this team,
The last two weeks we had been getting touchdowns. It's very disappointing.
I'm sure there's a sigh of relief from the Dolphins, because if there was a team that could (go unbeaten), I'm sure it was these Colts. They're a heck of a football team, and they have a lot to be proud of. Hopefully we'll see them again down the road, sooner than later.
I knew they were gonna bring somebody in, whether it be a draft pick or a free agent. But in my mind I was the only guy here, ... Every day I competed against myself. I didn't compete against the guy next to me.
I'm relieved that it's over. But I guess it's a bittersweet kind of deal. Doug and I both wanted it. ... I'm excited, but I know how much work we have ahead of us. I know how much improvement I have to make for us to be where we want to be.