Drew Brees, the former New Orleans Saints quarterback, will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Brees’ career arc is like many of those that end in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. An undersized prospect coming out of Purdue, he slid to the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft, coming off the board at pick No. 32 to the San Diego Chargers.

Early Career

Brees was not a highly recruited quarterback coming out of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. Despite leading his team to a state title, and winning 5A Offensive Player of the Year, none of the major programs in state offered him a football scholarship, and Brees thought his professional path would be on the diamond, but not the gridiron.

But then a call came from Joe Tiller, who was taking over the Purdue program and looking to install a pass-heavy offense. And looking for a quarterback. Brees said years later, “Had I gone to Texas, I would’ve handed the ball off to Ricky Williams; if I’d gone to A&M, I would’ve handed off to Dante Hall,” Brees said years later. “I go to Purdue and I’m throwing the ball 50 times a game.”

Breakdown of a Defense

Brees’ ability to break down a defense in the blink of an eye, and punish the opposition for the slightest mistake, allowed him to stay in the league for so many years, and rewrite both league and franchise history.

One notable example of this ability was during a Monday Night Football game against Washington in the 2018 season. The Saints faced a 1st-and-10 situation near midfield, and head coach Sean Payton called a variation of Four Verticals: “All Go Special X Shallow Cross.” Brees flashed his eyes to the right, then sets his feet to throw to the running back on the swing route. But in that blink of his eye, he sees defenders start to squat underneath, leaving the wide receiver breaking wide open on his vertical route. Brees resets, throws to his wide receiver along the sideline, and makes history.

Original reporting: All Sports Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.