My next guest was selected to thirteen Pro Bowls, led the league in passing yards seven times, and of course, was named MVP of Super Bowl forty four twenty ten. I'm talking about the former quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, one of the greatest quarterbacks we have ever seen in a lifetime, threw them over eighty thousand yards in his career, the one and only Drew Brees.
What's going on big time? Are you been man? It's been a.
While, Steven a man. Great to see it. It's good to see you being with you.
What you've been up to? Man? I mean, how is life? That's the first order of business.
Life's great.
A lot of time with my wife Brittany, and four kids, coaching my boys. They're all playing tackle football, basketball, across martial arts, you name it. Daughter's doing gymnastics. So honestly, just being dad is the greatest sing in the world. And a lot of business stuff, a lot of stuff back here in New Orleans and staying business.
Your last season was twenty twenty.
When you walked away from the game at that particular moment in time, were you completely comfortable and ready with that decision or was it a very very difficult thing to walk way.
You know, it was difficult in the sense that you have done this for twenty eight out of my forty two years, because I'm counting the high school in college. From the perspective that you know, football was so important and every decision that I was making was with me being the best football player, best quarterback, best leader that
I could be for my team in mind. And so all of a sudden, what you focused on and try to be the best at for two thirds of your life, all of a sudden, you're just saying goodbye to that and it's moving on the next chapter. So look, I recognize that's a scary thing for a lot of guys, even when you play that long and you know, hey, it's time. I'll be honest with you, man, my body feels great, like I feel great, with the exception of
my right shoulder. You know, when I had that injury when I left the San Diego Chargers, which was significant, doctors told me, hey, you were on the fast track too early onset arthritis and all this other stuff. At the end of the day, you just try to prolong that, prolong that, but at some point that's going to come back and get you. So I always had this term prolong my prime, prolong my prime, Like everything I was doing was trying to continue to stay at that high level.
But while you know, kind of my knowledge, experience, wisdom was on the rise. You know, eventually those physical traits begin to you know, finish, And so you know, I retired age forty two. I still feel great. If I could still throw, i'd probably still be playing. But now I just throw a left handed with the kids in the yard. But no, I still love the game. I still love being around the game. I'll be involved with the NFL game as long as I live.
I'm looking at your numbers here, and I'm thinking about a career sixty seven point seven completion percentage in twenty seasons.
The last five years, you completed over seventy percent of your passes.
When you hear numbers like that, knowing the way the game has evolved even to this day, how do you feel reflecting on your career in the kind of career you had.
Look, I wanted to get better every year.
Like maybe some guys see it as man, I'm just hanging on and I'm just trying to sustain.
I wasn't trying to sustain. I was trying to get better.
So every offseason I was taking a hard look at myself, what had happened the year before, where I needed to get better, where I needed to improve, and then what was going to put me on that path to do that. I had mentors that would help identify those things hold me accountable. So, Man, every year it was I was getting better. And look, I think what I recognized as I got later in my career was, Man, maybe I was losing a little bit as.
Far as velocity power on the.
Deep ball, right, couldn't couldn't get it much past forty five yards. But I'm telling you, inside of thirty I'm gonna be deadly right. Like I'm gonna know where to go with the football. I'm gonna be accurate with and I'm gonna throw guys open. Man, I'm gonna put them
in positions to succeed. I'm gonna avoid negative plays like all those things that result in winning football in championship caliber football, And honestly, that's the most important part of playing the position, being a great decision maker, being a great leader, putting guys in positions to succeed. So like that that became more of my game the later in my career that I got it was about efficiency, it was about completions.
It was about getting us in the third manageable situation.
So that was that was something I took great pride in because it's not easy, right, It's not easy.
You know, I look at something.
I look at Josh Allen won the league on League MVP last night over Lamar Jackson. Even though Josh Allen as great as a thrower, we know he can run with the football. Big boy can run over you can make plays. We know what Lamar Jackson could do running the football. You rush for over nine hundred yards this year. We see guys like that. Jalen hurts what he's expected to do, and he can run with the football. Patrick
mahones he can run with the football. Yet, somehow, some way, while the NFL tells us this is what we need from the quarterback position, now, three of the greatest quarterbacks arguably in the history of the National Football League with dudes who didn't think about running. That would be you, that would be Tom Brady, that would be Peyton Manning.
What are we to deduce from all of that?
Well, I think the game.
The game has changed, and I think the way that young quarterbacks are coming up now has changed. Offenses have evolved to be run game is all urpo, like very rarely do you just run a run play, and that's the only option you have is to hand it off.
Right.
You watch these teams now, man, Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, like all these guys. Man, they're putting that ball in the running back belly, but their eyes are on defenders and if all of a sudden those defenders collapse. Man, they're kicking balls out on screen passes and bubbles and quick throws.
And that kind of thing.
So that's become the game where it's triple threat on every on every play, I'm gonna hand it off.
I'm a pullet and run. I'm a pull it and throw.
So with our generation, it was when you're handing the ball off, your hand, the ball off, when you're throwing it, you're.
Throwing it right.
So look, I just think it's the evolution of the game, and now these quarterbacks have evolved with it.
But shouldn't that elevate the level of appreciation we should have for guys like yourself? A Brady a paytment. In other words, you don't hand the ball off. You dropping back to the path. That's what you're doing. You don't have a defense, you know, pause it for a split second because they don't know whether you're gonna run or throw anything. No, you're dropping back the past. We know what we gotta do. We gotta get to them. Well, we got to set up there and cover whoever it is in the secondary.
And somehow, some.
Way, you were still able to do what you're able to do.
Should it Is it possible that guys like yourself and others think that that should elevate the level of appreciation we as football fans have for what y'all did compared to.
What we seeing.
Yes, but let me elaborate on that.
At some point, at least a few times in a game, it's gonna be third and thirteen, third and fourteen in a critical situation, and you're gonna have to just drop back, stand in the pocket, have all this stuff going on in front of your face, and deliver that ball strike down the field, over the backer, in front of the safety all the money, right, And if you can't do that, then that's just a dimension that you don't have right and therefore a weakness.
Right. So look, I.
Was brought up with this West Coast system where the pass game was an extension of the run game.
So instead of handling the.
Ball off for four or five yard games, we're going to throw a pass for four or five yard game. It's the same ass and guess what it needs to be the same level of consistency and reliability to be able to complete that. And you know what, occasionally when man, you get a holding penalty, something happens and you're a third and long situation. I got no problem standing in the pocket. I know where to go with the ball, even though I can't see it. I know where my
guys are. I know when they're supposed to be there. They know when they're supposed to be there, they know the to be there, and when we get the job done that way. But it is it's a different that was a different style, and you have.
That you're going to be modest about this, I know, but them And I'm gonna ask, anyway, how many people in the National Football League right now do you believe can throw the ball the way that you just described and throw it close to or as good as you and the dudes that I mentioned.
The first guy that comes to mind is Joe Burrow. Special Burrow.
Now, I watched Joe Burrow play his two years here at LSU, right right down the road in Matt and Rouge right Ironically, Joe Brady, who was an offensive assistant for US SO came up through Sean Payton's offense had just gone to LSU. It was supposed to be their passing a coordinator end up kind of being a little bit of the mastermind behind. So I'm watching that magical season they had in twenty nineteen, best college football team
of all time, unbelievable. Right, of course he had those weapons too, But every week I'm watching our offense being executed by Joe Burrow in the college format, but then to watch him transition in the NFL. I don't think people give him enough credit for his athleticism because he created so many plays this year. Look as Oline struggled and he was forced to move sly by time a lot.
Now it's not you know, it's maybe not as pretty as some of the other guys, but he will sit there and pick you apart in the pocket all game long, and the minute that he has to move man. He has the awareness to step up and escape and buy time, maybe just get a few yards to make it a more third manage. Well, go get that first down when he needs to write, take the hit.
So he's the guy first.
To mine because I know the offense he came up in, and I know from what I've watched this year he's got those traits anybody else c J. Stroud, I am a big fan of first off, I just love his poise. I love his poise, I love his demeanor, I love his leadership style. From the times I've been around him and just observing right and a lot of times I just observe the way teammates react to a guy right. But I think he's got some really special qualities going
back to Ohio State. But just as I watched him in his first two years, and as they build the piece around Hi, they're building something down there in Houston with Themiko Ryans, So he would be my other guy.
I'm looking at him, and I just say to myself, when I think about this super Bowl coming up, Jalen Hurts is somebody that I've talked about a lot. I don't consider it negative because I think the man can play. Tremendous athlete, got the Philadelphia Eagles to their second Super Bowl in the last three years.
But that's Patrick Mahons he's about to call up against.
And I know he doesn't Patrick Mahonmes doesn't play defense, but damn it, it feels like it does, because that brother's gonna.
Put you in a hole and you've got to answer the call.
I'm looking at Philadelphia Eagles matching up against Kansas City and I'm thinking about sa Kwon Barkley. You got to have the ability to run the football if you're the Philadelphia Eagles against these dudes. But at some point, Tom with Steve Spagnola is the defensive coordinative. He's going to make you throw that football because he knows sa Kwon Barkley how important he is. He's gonna do everything he can. The key off on that guy. Jalen hurts to me, is gonna have to get it done, Kenny.
I believe he can. Look.
I love I love the journey he's traveled. Guy through college. Started early at Obama. Obviously they were a national championship contender, almost one one with him early on. Then he loses his job to Tua stays there, right, like unheard of in this day and age. Right, most guys would be like, I'm out, but man stayed kind of like went through that disappointment failure, gets an opportunity to go in the
SEC championship game. All of a sudden, they win a national championship again, goes to Oklahoma, but then still doubted, falls to the second round. So here's a dude who just has a giant chip on his shoulder, right, has gone through a lot. And I just I watched the guy. I just observe, and man, he's kind of this quiet leader, very very intense, very focused, very intentional, and I just know, deep down, man, there's this fire burning inside him and
that dude wants respect. That dude wants respect, and you know how you get it. You go out and you win a game like this for the reasons that you just say.
When you talk about the fire burning, if it's possible, comparative fires hurts compared to a guy like Mahomes who's on the verge of achieving something that's never been achieved in a super Bowl or in NFL history three repeat, looking at the fire at his belly, how do you compute it?
Too.
Man.
You know, Mahomes always looks just so loose and relaxed, like he's having fun. Look, I know there's a brilliance to him that I don't even think we fully tapped into. Like I mean, obviously we're all seeing the same thing. There's been starting seven years, you know, all these accomplishments, fifth super Bowl that he's been in. But I feel like Philly has more to lose this game. Yes I do, wow,
because okay, okay, try this one on. If Casey loses this game, then man, they lost out on an incredible opportunity to do something I'm pressing in and win three in a row. But guess what, they'll probably be here next year and probably the year after that. Like just at the pace this is going, like, you don't see them slowing down anytime soon. But Philly, Philly, Man, they built this roster unbelievable. They were in this game two years agoing toe to toe with these guys just came
up short. Like, deep down in their hearts, I think they feel like we're a better team. We're kind of flying under the radar right now because everybody's talking about the Chiefs and how great they are and how great Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and they can beat anybody, but deep down they're like, man, we're better than these guys.
So you go into this game and you lose this game. Now what's the storyline?
Yeah, man, you had your chance two out of three years and you lost to these guys. So all it is is, man, you can't get past these guys. You can't win the big one. Man, what's wrong with Jalen? What's wrong with this guy? What's wrong with that guy? And then that's the kind of stuff that just starts. You know, It's easy to kind of tear a team.
Apart that way.
So that's why I say Philly has more to lose in this game, because I feel like Philly is the better team top to bottom, and the way that they're built offensively is exactly I think the Achilles heel for Kansas City, which if you can run the ball consistently, man, not only do you just dent that defense time after time and you go down and get points, you have a triple threat because you have a Jalen Hurts who can pull it and run it or the RPO game,
you also have big playmakers outside. But if you can do that, you control the clock, You shorten the game. You limit maybe two or three possessions away from Patrick Mahomes instead of eleven possessions in a normal game, he's only going to get eight. Well guess what, mat that just puts one more sure on them, forces them to press a little more.
That's how you win this game.
But you got to stay out of the third long stuff because to your points, bags and Bags is a mastermind when it comes to dialing up these pressures. That's gonna get somebody free. You just can't get in those situations. So man, you just got to be methodical.
They win the super Bowl. I'm talking Kansas City.
How should we look at Andy Reid particularly compared to Bill Belichick?
Uh, you look at what he's done with two different teams.
I've won an affiliate but got him to the Super Bowl and numerous.
NFC US of games, numerous numerous.
I think I think there's a brilliance to that that should it should be honored and appreciated. I mean, you know, let's see how long he keeps going, you know.
I mean he wins US when and then he can win it. You know, let's just add him up.
You know.
I saw Belichick last night of Honors with all those rings. Man, It's it's hard to argue eight rings, right, you know what I'm saying, especially at this level. But Andy Reid is certain in that category.
So do you have winning?
Do I have to?
You don't have to, But I'm asking, I'm asking no.
I'll go back to my statement, it's Philly's time.
I Philly's going to do it.
It's now, because if they don't, I think it's it's they got more to lose.
You go back to you with super Bowl forty four.
What was it like in this city when you delivered the Super Bowl championship to this place?
What was that like for you?
And I wish I could transplant you into.
And visualize what we saw.
Man, it was like I can visualize it right now, Like getting on that Super Bowl float at the Superdome as we were about to go on this kind of four hour tour through downtown and literally Walden like you couldn't see brick streets, not you just saw bodies. You saw people smiles like tears of joy, so happy, like it meant so much to them and it was the
culmination of this four year journey. From when we all got here in two thousand and six, six months post Katrina, like having no idea what we were signing up for, but realizing also that there was something specially here and this was truly a calling for all of us, and all of us were somewhat castaways, you know, Man, we weren't desired by a lot of others, and yet we were embraced by this city, and so we felt a great sense of responsibility to give this fan base in the city what they deserved.
What did that do for you as a man? I remember Hurricane Katrina. I remember the catastrophe that it was and how it ravaged this city.
We saw bodies.
Floating in the streets for crying out loud. That's and that organization, that team led by you took the bull bottle horn per se and really regalvanized a city, Saints fans everywhere, certainly this area of the country. What did that do for you as just a man being the face of the city, because that's how it got to that point when it came to resuscitating and resurrecting the city at that time.
I know this will resonate with you, but there's been so much suffering in I think this region for so long, you know, whether it's the hurricanes to come through, or it's the BP oil spill, or it's the tragedy on Bourbon Street, like it's it's just kind of one hit after another, right, and the more that you suffer, I feel like when you get to those those moments of joy and togetherness and when you accomplish something that you know you just thought might never happen, it's just such
a sense of gratitude. So for me, it was gratitude because quite honestly, coming here to New Orleans was a second chance for me.
I thought that I may ever play football game.
I felt like my dream was just after the just being ripped away from me coming off of my shoulder entry from San Diego. And I think a lot of guys felt that when they came, they felt like this was, you know, maybe the last stop for the last opportunity, And so there was just that feeling of appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity to be here, to be a part of something so special that most people don't get a chance to be a part of in their lifetime.
How does it still affect you to this day?
When you think about you being in this city, being here right now, yeah, I mean it's still Drew Brees City because the Saints haven't done anything since you've been gone, So it's still your city.
You understand that, right.
You know.
Honestly, I feel a great sense of responsibility, like still to the people, to the city. I want to continue to see this city put its best foot forward. I want I want people to talk great about New Orleans. I want people to walk away from here saying, man, there's something special about that place, the culture of the tradition, and they just know how to treat people.
And you know, wherever you go in the world, it's amazing. Man, I could be.
I remember, it's in the Netherlands with my wife, just like having a nice, you know, vacation together, and all of a sudden I hear from across the street who that.
It's like man, they're everywhere right.
And I think the story of New Orleans resonates with people because there's a part of everybody that man, they felt that struggle, they felt that hardship, and then to see others overcome and come together and accomplish something amazing, it just resonates with everyone.
Now, you and mister Rob Gronkowski himself.
Gronk himself, you've teamed up with Bounty paper Tower for the Everyone's Wingman campaign.
Talking about that for a second.
Well, so, so Gronk has been the Bounty Man for three years now, and last year he went to the Super Bowling His wing man was Julian Edelman, right, his former teammates. So he's coming to New Orleans this year super BONI. He's like, who should I ask to be my wing man? So I got a call from Gronk saying, man, we beat my wing man in New Orleans. I've never been in New Orleans. I've never hung out in Orleans, which is hard to believe that Rob Gronkowski has never hung out and had a good.
Time in New Orleans.
Right. So I was like, man, this is kind of a dangerous proposition. I don't know if I should say yes to this. But you know what, gron He's like, Man, I'm a little I'm a calmer, I'm a little more.
Did you get approval from the White Yeah?
I did.
I just got to get to hang out with Gronk.
She's like, all right, man, show Gronk a good time. You know he needs to experience the full New Orleans treatment. So I'm like, all right, I got him. So we didnt run around Radio Row having.
A good time running around with Gronk, Yeah.
I know, but.
Exhausted.
We were serving up wings. I was where's the buffalo?
We had some buffalo and barbecue wings to go with your New York pizza and some of the other man will bring you some mettu fe will take good care of you here in New Orleans.
But when you make that mess, we got Bounty to take care of it.
By the way, you had a problem with me eat some pizza? Was there a problem with that? Is already all right for me to get the crawfish on it.
No crawl fish on pete.
So look, you know, hey, don't knock until you try it.
I might try it just for you, just because you asked me to, Just because you asked me to.
What is that?
Oh lord, see there you go. There we go.
Man, y'all trying to y'all trying to elevate my cholesterol. Love, I'm trying to get healthy.
Man, all right, man, all right, church to see it.
No doubt. The one and only Drew Brees in the house right here on the stephen A Smith show,