The day he retired, Drew Brees had to know he would be on this stage, on this day in Canton. He finished his 20-year career with 80,358 passing yards and 571 passing touchdowns, both second all time.
He went to 13 Pro Bowls and won two NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards.
He won Super Bowl XLIV and earned Super Bowl MVP honors.
Brees, 47, was a no-brainer, first-ballot Hall of Famer, so as expected, he was the last of five inductees to make his speech Saturday. Brees made his 10 minutes last, turning his speech time limit into 25 minutes.
“I don’t take for granted that I got to play the most coveted position in all of sports,” Brees said. “From as far back as I can remember, I wanted to play quarterback. I never saw the position as one of pressure, but rather one of great responsibility. . . . The quarterback is the distributor of hope and confidence. A master of probability. The ultimate problem solver. I’ve always seen the game of football and the quarterback position as a true art form like a song or a dance.”
He spent the bulk of his speech on thanking the city of New Orleans and coach Sean Payton. Brees began his career as a second-round pick of the Chargers in 2001, but he became Drew Brees in his 15 seasons with the Saints.
Brees’ severe shoulder injury in 2005 cast doubt on his career and sent him into free agency as damaged goods, with the Dolphins failing him on his physical. Payton wanted Brees, embraced Brees, welcomed Brees and turned Brees into a Hall of Fame quarterback.
“Coach, you were brilliant,” Brees said. “I saw myself as an extension of you on that field. I always had something to prove to you, and I always wanted to make you right. And I know you trusted me, and that allowed us both to be great.”
Brees helped New Orleans heal from Hurricane Katrina, and the city of New Orleans and the Saints helped Brees heal his career.
“It doesn’t take you long to realize what makes New Orleans so special,” Brees said. “New Orleans has been through a lot to the point where in some cases the feeling was we may have lost everything. It may never come back the same.
Storms teach us that our greatest treasures aren’t the things we own. They’re the people we love, and the way we show up for one another. It reminds us to hold our loved ones a little closer, to love a little harder, to laugh a little louder, and to never take a single day for granted. Sometimes it takes losing what can be replaced to truly appreciate the things that can’t.
“New Orleans, you accepted me; you embraced me; you believed in me but more importantly, you trusted me with the soul of the city and I would have died to protect that calling,” Brees said. “The greatest teams in the history of sports are the ones who accept the responsibility of being a true representation of their city/country/community. I speak for all my Saints teammates when I say that’s what we were inspired to be every day for you. If you love New Orleans, it will love you back. There is no truer statement.
“The Who Dat Nation, there are a few events in your life where you remember exactly where you were when it occurred. For Saints fans, it is the Steve Gleason blocked punt on Monday Night Football, reopening of the Dome September 25, 2006, and when the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV. It was your spirit that allowed us to be special, smell greatness and finish strong.”
