[ad_1]
Drew Brees broke the all-time NFL record with a sensational victory Monday night, connecting to receiver Tre Quan Smith for a spectacular 62-yard touchdown.
But when he found his family on the sidelines after crossing this course, the New Orleans Saints quarterback put the mirage and celebrations on hold to deliver an inspiring message to his children.
"I love you so much," Brees said, kissing his three sons. "You can accomplish anything in life if you are ready to work for it."
Brees has embodied this feeling since the beginning of his career. At only 6 feet high – and even that's probably generous – the Pro Bowler, six times better, is much shorter than the average NFL quarterback from 3 to 4 inches. Brees has been underestimated since high school because he may have trouble seeing his offensive line without these extra inches.
The native of Austin, Texas, started playing football in high school and immediately showed an aptitude for the sport, but he did not take the starting role for the Westlake High School's university team until his first year. When Brees tore an ACL at the end of this season, university scouts fled. Even though he led the Chaparrals to a perfect record and to a Texas championship title during his senior season, Brees graduated from high school with only two Division I scholarship offers. to his credit.
He has excelled as a Purdue holder for three years, setting 19 Boilermaker records, plus two NCAA records and 13 Big Ten Conference records. Despite his success at the university, Brees slid into the second round of the 2001 NFL draft, partly to worry about his small size.
He joined the San Diego Chargers and competed for the lead with fellow quarterback Doug Flutie in his first two seasons with the franchise. He won the battle with Flutie, but soon had to fight for the position of choosing the first round, Philip Rivers. After the 2005 season, the Chargers offered Brees a strong incentive to return to the team, a move he took as a sign that they had little confidence in his abilities. He signed a contract with the Saints in 2006 and did not regret.
"It's definitely a guy who, throughout his career," was underestimated, Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden said in 2010 after Brees drove the Saints to their first Super Bowl title.
After being named most valuable player in the Super Bowl win, Brees now holds the quarterback throne with the highest career passing percentage of any NFL player. The veteran of the 18-year-old League has a good chance to break even more records – including Peyton Manning's record for all-time touchdowns – as his career comes to a close.
"It's hard for me to think too hard right now because my career is not over," Brees told Nate Davis of USA Today on Monday. "There are still goals to be achieved, there are still challenges ahead, so I'm still very focused on that."
Source link
