Drew Brees joins Sports Illustrated from Radio Row ahead of Super Bowl 58. The former QB says that although Patrick Mahomes is on the path to being one of the greatest ever, his body of work needs the longevity that spans 10-15 years.
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00:00 Ladies and gentlemen, I have drew breeze Super Bowl champion legend
00:04 How you doing, baby? I'm great doing good. Yeah. Okay, so we got the Niners
00:08 We got the Chiefs if the Niners end up pulling out this win
00:12 Does it make Brock Purdy become one of the most unique stories in NFL?
00:16 Yes, without question. Yeah, I mean mr. Irrelevant last pick in the draft. I think especially
00:22 Like when you look at what the Niners tried to do
00:27 The year you're trading up for Trey Lance and right and like feeling like they were unsettled a little bit at the quarterback position
00:33 And you know going after some high draft picks and right and then basically it's like oh, yeah, by the way
00:38 There with this last pick in the draft
00:40 We'll take this kid out of Iowa State that nobody's ever heard of right and all of a sudden this becomes the guy who?
00:44 Potentially leads you to a Super Bowl championship. It's it's it's an unbelievable story. What do you think? He's been doing?
00:49 Well, um since he's been taken over at QB one. Yeah
00:54 Well, I think he's got a lot of unique traits
00:56 Okay, and I think you have to go back to the fact that this guy started 47 games in college. Yeah
01:01 Yeah, so think about the the amount of experience that he has in very competitive situations
01:06 Yeah, and let's be honest in most cases similar Purdue when I was state steps on the field in most cases
01:12 They're the underdogs. Yeah, they're not winning any beauty contests, right? And so think about
01:16 It just kind of puts extra, you know, like chip on your shoulder motivation
01:21 You know, you have to play at a very high level to compete to win and I'm sure for him
01:26 It was you know accomplishing something that hadn't been accomplished there and they put to he put together an outstanding career
01:31 so he came into the league with just a lot of confidence and
01:36 You step in on offense like Shanahan's offense, which is multiple. Yes. I think it's one of the best offensively
01:43 Yeah
01:44 The way that he's architected that the shifts the motions the timing the rhythm look it takes a very intelligent quarterback to do that
01:50 yeah, and a
01:52 Guy who has great command and and I think Brock is shown to be that guy, right?
01:56 I think the way the teammates talk about them. Yes teammates. Love them, right? Yeah, that's the number one thing
02:00 I'd say it's like I just look no further than just asking teammates how they feel about it. I
02:05 love I love the
02:08 The way that he plays the game from perspective of just his timing and rhythm and the base that he plays with
02:13 It reminds me a lot of the way that I play. Yeah
02:15 Yeah, but that's you have to create the timing and rhythm for yourself and and the West Coast offense is its hallmarks
02:22 Or that the past game is an extension of the run game. So it's very progression driven
02:26 It's you know, first hitches here second hitches here ball out
02:29 Don't take negative plays then get the ball to your playmakers in space matriculate the ball down the field like yeah
02:35 We're gonna get a big play every now and then but it's outside zone run game and then it's the short intermediate passing game
02:39 So he can execute that
02:41 What impressed me the most was last week when he took off and ran for three huge
02:45 Big plays which to me when people say oh, he's a system quarterback. Well, guess what?
02:50 He just went outside the system. Yeah and made incredible plays that totally transformed the complex in that game
02:56 It won the game. They got the fan fans back in it. Yeah down 17
03:01 It just allowed them to scratch and claw their way back to win that game
03:03 So to me that says this guy was ready to do whatever it took to win that game
03:08 Outside the realm of what you would have thought yes, he would have done. So that's my argument. Okay, that's cool
03:13 So let's let's hop over to the other quarterback from the other side Patrick Mahomes a guy that's been doing those things since he's been
03:18 In the league if Patrick gets this win this weekend
03:22 Where does he like where is he adding the history books? Where do you have him at the issue?
03:27 I
03:29 Mean just just look at what his short career thus far six years six conference championship games
03:37 For Super Bowl appearances three Super Bowl wins like that would be remarkable. Yeah, I mean not since
03:44 Not since Tom Brady, you know and the first six years of his career. I mean, there's a lot of similarities
03:50 Yep
03:54 Man the difference here is you you feel like
03:58 you feel like this guy is doing things that are just so uncanny right and
04:05 He's become the poster child for what everyone is attempting to find
04:10 Yeah, right in regards to the skill set of a player like yes
04:15 He can stand in the pocket and beat you
04:16 But he does all these other things like to buy time to create to be off schedule off script
04:22 You know throw this ball sidearm throw this ball crossbody. No look like and it looks like he's just having fun
04:28 Yeah, right. Yeah, like it just it looks like it's just very unscripted
04:32 Yeah, like you look at this guy's history man is great baseball player. I have a professional baseball player
04:37 he's a multi-sport athlete, right so you look at all these things, but
04:39 Man, it's he's a generational player. Yeah, right. Yeah, I still don't think it's fair
04:45 To compare him yet to a Brady. Yeah for these guys who have played 20 years. Yes, of course
04:52 This guy's been a six-year starter. Yes, let's let's see the body of work over the course of a 15 to 20 year career
04:58 Yeah, and because look eventually he's gonna be without Andy Reid. Yeah, yeah without Travis Kelsey
05:04 Yeah, he's gonna have to go and do this with other guys. Yeah, and that's not to take anything away from him
05:09 But it's just to say it's a body of work. Yes, right
05:11 Until before you can get in the argument, right greatest of all time. Yes, but is he on track? Yes. Yes
05:18 Okay, so you talked about greatest of all time
05:20 Obviously, there's a lot of talks about the go-talk is the time is it pain like I?
05:26 Don't ever hear that name that Drew Brees name get popped up on there, man
05:29 I feel like Drew Brees is there should be in there. You had a long body of work
05:33 How do you feel about that when you hear those conversations being had?
05:35 So let's be real when I played against you we always knew it was gonna be some problems
05:42 Don't let you breeze get the ball with you know
05:44 With a minute left two minutes left if we scored a game because we knew that you could you know
05:49 Go down there and beat us and you did plenty plenty of times
05:51 Look, you can't play the quarterback position this game without confidence
05:55 Yeah, and you can't do the things that that we did without believing that
06:01 I'm the best in the freaking world. Yeah, like and just give me give me a chance and
06:06 We always have a chance. Yeah, there's nobody that can do this like we step on the field
06:11 you'd be at anybody anytime anywhere right and
06:13 There's things that I look back on throughout my career and there's moments where I was like, man
06:17 I can do certain things better than anybody. Yeah. Yeah, anybody has ever done it. Yeah at the same time
06:25 I also
06:27 Really value the
06:29 Accomplishments of other guys throughout history. Yeah, I drew a ton of inspiration from those guys
06:35 Yeah, I drew a ton of inspiration while I was playing from guys like Peyton Manning and guys like Tom Brady
06:41 I would pull up their tape and I would watch it and I would study it and I would try to steal
06:46 Yeah, yeah, you know just little elements of their game
06:49 How can I incorporate this into what I'm doing because I know at some point I'm gonna have to beat those guys, right?
06:55 But I want to know exactly what I'm going up against and I want to know where I can develop an edge
06:59 Yeah, right and and so look I I'm not I
07:03 Think I'm I think I'm definitely in the conversation when you talk about the body of work and the level of consistency
07:10 And what you what you brought to the game?
07:15 Throughout the career. Yeah as far as you know rankings, I'm not worried about I
07:20 Just always felt like I wanted to leave this game better than what I found it. Yeah, and I felt like you did for sure
07:25 Okay, so you played in the Super Bowl you beat Peyton Manning. I remember I was in college watching that game
07:31 Preparation for that game
07:36 Was it any different, you know from a regular season game from the NFC Championship game?
07:41 Did you do anything different going into that Super Bowl game? Was there a routine that may have changed?
07:46 I know you're a creature of habit. I know you're a quarterback. I'm a I'm athlete as well playing in the NFL
07:50 I understand how it goes but for that one game. Yeah, was there anything different?
07:53 The only thing that was different was how do you manage the distractions?
07:58 Okay
07:59 Like you got media day you got this you got that like you have all these extra things that you wouldn't have during a normal
08:04 Week of preparation the best advice I ever got was find a quiet place
08:08 In the hotel or wherever it might be where you can go and just get away from all that stuff, right?
08:13 Because otherwise people be grabbing at your left and right. So how do you create?
08:16 The that that that consistent routine that you've always had
08:20 Because to me honestly like it wasn't that I was put in a little extra work the week of the Super Bowl every game for me
08:27 was like a
08:29 It wasn't a super but it was but it was I still went in with the same level of preparation with the same mindset that
08:36 I'm gonna try to go out here and prove something like there was always something to prove
08:40 Yeah, like there was always something to accomplish. Yeah, we're going out here to break a record. We were going out to
08:46 score
08:48 Break break the scoring record. I like every time we stepped on the field. It was like what are we gonna do today?
08:52 That's never been done before. Yeah. Yeah. So how does that change?
08:55 Now were we nervous yeah, yeah first couple plays you're like, dude, this is crazy, but then you settle in right I mean
09:03 You definitely recognize that this is it's a big-ass game. Yeah
09:06 Biggest game of your career, right and yet you you have to find a place to just get to that
09:12 And I'm just playing on my instincts and I'm playing on my preparation
09:16 I've earned the right to be here and I've won this game in my mind already. Yeah
09:20 So I love that. I got goosebumps over here. I want to play again. Okay, talk to us about your partnership with our FedEx, man
09:28 Yeah, so I've represented FedEx for a long time
09:31 They've done the FedEx ground and an air player of the year for 20 plus years now
09:36 I had the great pleasure winning at four years in a row
09:38 So this year I get to announce the winners and so first time ever that it's two teammates
09:44 So FedEx air player of the year Brock birdie FedEx ground player of the year Christian McCaffrey. I'll show you the hardware
09:49 Okay, let me see the hardware baby. Let me see the hardware
09:51 heavy
09:54 Yeah
09:57 FedEx air NFL player
09:59 Actually, they FedEx also is giving $20,000 to each player to be able to contribute to the HBCU of their choice
10:05 Oh dope for scholarship programs for deserving students
10:08 So tremendous FedEx always been a great part of the league and great supporter of so many charities. Okay, so last question
10:15 I know you got kids. I know they playing ball. I have a sign six playing flag football
10:20 Talk to me about like how you feel of the evolution of use you football with flag because for me
10:27 When I was seven I was playing in the helmet. So now it's flag talk about that a little bit. Yeah
10:32 Football is is is the only sport where like you think about basketball like basketball is like as a kid
10:39 It's five on five. Maybe a slightly smaller court
10:42 Maybe maybe the rims a little bit lower when you're young, but I mean, it's the same baseball
10:45 It's the same maybe pitcher bound changes a little bit the base pass changed a little bit the fence changes
10:50 But it's still you know, 11 on 11 out there, right?
10:54 Nine on nine, excuse me, but but but this is football is the one sport though
10:58 where at the youth level you can play it in a bunch of different ways as you kind of
11:04 Graduate your way up into like the tackle football realm, right?
11:08 So there's versions of flag football that are five five on five six on six seven on seven. There's this flex football now
11:14 That's kind of a nine on nine and it's kind of like a half shell, you know, it's not full pads
11:19 So there's like this evolution that's taking place of how do we get kids playing this game exposed to this game?
11:25 Like all the great elements of the team
11:27 Like the team game that is football and all the life lessons that you learn as a result of it
11:32 But do it in a way that number one
11:34 We feel safe number two just gets kids really enjoying it and understanding the skill sets and eventually if they end up want to play
11:41 Tackle great. If not, guess what? They probably developed the love and a passion for the game that will carry with them forever
11:46 Yeah, the the announcement of flag football in the Olympics is huge. Yeah, 2028 LA. It's gonna be five on five
11:53 So that really opens it up now as a global sport, right and not the 11v11 version
11:58 But like the five on five version so now kids have the chance to start playing this at a younger age
12:03 Potentially have the chance to represent your country, right but you become a fan for life
12:07 Ladies and gentlemen drew breeze Super Bowl champion, baby
12:11 [WHOOSH]