Coming Back Stronger

by Drew Brees

  But most significantly, we were starting to see what kind of a team we could be. You don’t get that in preseason; it comes when you unite and face a common opponent. It comes when you collectively take on the challenges that are thrown your way. In the first game we saw all the weapons we possessed. We felt like we could step onto the field and score anytime we wanted.

  The second game of the season was big because Philadelphia had just smoked Carolina, the winner of our division in 2008. Philadelphia had manhandled the Panthers on the road, and now we were headed to their territory. After the way they beat the daylights out of our rival, the Eagles were arguably the favorites in the NFC at that point. Lincoln Financial Field is traditionally a tough venue, and we knew the crowd would be a big factor in the game. It was going to be loud. We had to be ready for a sixteen-round championship bout.

  We had built up a little history with Philly recently, this being the fourth time we had faced them in as many years. There had been some tough battles between the two teams, and every game had been decided in the fourth quarter. We knew we’d have to be at the top of our game offensively, and our key mind-set was to simply take care of the football. That’s always the case, but it was especially important in that game since their defense thrives on turnovers. We needed to take it one drive at a time, one series at a time. We had to handle their pass rush. And most of all, we had to play with confidence and be explosive and take advantage of big plays whenever we could.

  We methodically worked the ball on the first drive, and I hit Marques Colston for a fifteen-yard score. Their quarterback Kevin Kolb answered with a seventy-one-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson to tie it up. (Kolb was starting that game because Donovan McNabb was out with a rib injury.) The first half we kept going back and forth like that. Both teams scored points in the last two minutes of the second quarter, and we went into halftime up 17–13. We’d played pretty well, but not great. We knew we could do better.

  In the third quarter we opened up on them and scored quickly. We had to kick off to begin the second half, but our special teams forced a fumble and gave us a short field for a quick touchdown. Two plays later, we intercepted a pass and our offense came in and scored again. Later, Reggie Bush had a nineteen-yard touchdown run. Darren Sharper ran an interception ninety-seven yards for a touchdown. We were putting points on the scoreboard at will.

  Toward the end of the game we were deep in our territory on our half yard line. It was fourth down, and we were up 41–20. There was really no way Philadelphia could come back unless we did something stupid. But statistically a team that punts out of their own end zone usually gets scored on quickly.

  I went over to the sideline and said to Sean, “Coach, let’s take a safety. We don’t want to kick out of our own end zone.”

  Joe Vitt, our assistant head coach, has been around the league for thirty-one years, and he’s Sean’s trusted adviser. Joe headed over, and the three of us talked. We agreed that taking a safety was the smart thing to do, so I took the snap, ran along the back of the end zone, and tossed the ball out-of-bounds. We gave up two points but gained thirty yards of field position, and now there was no way they could block our kick and score quickly. I appreciated Sean’s willingness to accept my input on plays and situations like this one. I just know that if I do recommend something, I had better make it work. Sean and I communicate very well together, and I would love it if I never had to play for any other coach.

  We felt really good about the way we’d played on both sides of the ball. Only two games into the season, we had already scored ninety-three points. If we kept that up, chances were we were going to win a few games. But that wasn’t our focus now. We weren’t thinking about the Super Bowl. We just kept marching ahead to the next Sunday.

  The third game we beat Buffalo by twenty points. In the fourth week we won 24–10 against the Jets, who had come onto the field unbeaten. Even so, I didn’t feel like we’d even scratched the surface of our potential. I also knew we hadn’t really faced adversity yet. We’d won every game up to that point by a double-digit spread, and we hadn’t been forced to come up with a big defensive stop at the end of a game or run a two-minute drive and kick a last-minute field goal. We had finished the games we’d been in, but we hadn’t come close to losing. What would happen when we did?

  Battle of the Unbeatens

  We were four games into the season, and so far we were undefeated. Every time we stepped onto the field, we had a vision that we could win. We would win.

  In our fifth game, the week after our bye, we faced the New York Giants. Five games in, they were also undefeated. They’d won the Super Bowl in 2007 and had been the number one seed in 2008, and this year they were at or near the top of the NFC in every category. They had the number one–ranked defense going into that game as well.

  In each of the previous three seasons we had lost after the bye week. We decided that in order to get a result we’d never had before, we had to do something we’d never done before. Sean shook up the schedule and actually allowed the players more time off to refresh our bodies and minds. He was treating us like professionals, and it was our job to act accordingly.

  The extra days off fueled the focus and intensity we put into preparation when we returned from the bye week. Plus, we had the added motivation of the Giants’ vaunted defense, their impressive history, and their undefeated record. Additionally, Eli Manning was coming back to play in his hometown for the first time since he had entered the league. And there was also the drama of one of our players meeting up with his old team. Jeremy Shockey had been drafted by the Giants and had been on the team that won the Super Bowl in 2007. However, an injury to his left leg and ankle prevented him from playing in the postseason, and things turned sour with the team after that. He was traded to the Saints in 2008, and this was his first matchup against his old team.

  Until Jeremy came to the Saints, we didn’t have any players who really wore their emotions on their sleeves quite like he did. His personality was just what our team needed—someone with confidence and a little swagger. Jeremy was vocal. He was bold. He could get pretty fired up at times. And he had the attitude that if a ball was thrown anywhere close to him, it was his. He didn’t care about getting hit; he was going to get that ball. There’s a zone that Jeremy gets into—a certain frame of mind—and when he’s in his element, he can’t be stopped. There’s no linebacker or safety in the league who can cover him consistently. Someone might stop him here or there, but Jeremy is going to come back the next series and make a play. Guaranteed. I know that it can be tough changing teams, especially the day before training camp, which is when we acquired him, but he quickly bought into our philosophy of spreading the ball around and sacrificing for the good of the offense. His overall statistics have suffered because of it, but our success has risen to an all-time high.

  Getting off to a quick start in this game was important to set the tone. Our philosophy was that the Giants may have had the number one defense in the league on paper, but they hadn’t played anyone like us yet. We wanted to get the crowd involved from the start and then take over the game. That’s exactly what we did. We scored thirty-four points in the first half on our way to a 48–27 win. We had stunned them. And with a touchdown catch and victory in the bag, Shockey had his revenge.

  We were 5–0, and already people were looking ahead and talking about the Vikings and Saints. I knew it was too early to be counting any of our chickens, but in the back of my mind I was thinking, Get ready to play those guys in the NFC championship.

  On the other side, in the AFC, we were watching the Colts go undefeated. They had some close games, but they were finishing them and winning. Get ready to face the Colts in the Super Bowl, I thought. Every time something came on TV about the Colts, I looked at it like a boxer at a weigh-in, where you stand nose to nose. That’s how I envisioned the season playing out. We were going to win home field advantage, and the Vikings were coming to New Orleans. Then we would beat Ind
ianapolis in Miami.

  Rarely do things play out as projected because there are so many variables in this game. A wild card team might make a run, or the favored team goes into a late-season swoon. But I could envision that scenario playing out, and if it did, I was going to be prepared.

  Remember This Place

  Next up was a road trip to Miami, and it was there we faced adversity for the first time all season. I knew we’d eventually have to be tested, and I was looking forward to it. You know it is going to come, so you might as well embrace it. I was anxious to see how we would respond. To that point, we had overwhelmed our opponents with scoring and defense. Miami proved to be a big challenge.

  There’s only one way to find out what’s deep inside, only one way to forge your team’s identity. That’s through the tough times. When things don’t go your way, how will you react? Will you give up? roll over? Or will you fight? All week long the buzz from outside the organization was that the Saints were good when we scored, but we couldn’t win the close game. What would happen in a nail-biter? or when a dome team played in the heat of Miami?

  One of Sean Payton’s greatest strengths as a head coach is finding a way to give his players a simple yet concise motivational message when they’re preparing for a game. That week he told our team that we would need every bullet in our gun—every weapon in our arsenal—to win this game at this moment in the season. “Expect to play the toughest game of the year on Sunday,” he said.

  We played as terribly as we possibly could at the beginning of the game. Early in the first quarter I made a bad decision and threw an interception when we were backed up in our own territory. Another one came a little later as a ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Those two interceptions turned into fourteen points for them. Penalties stopped drives, and missed assignments resulted in a barrage of negative plays. With every stop they made, the Dolphins defense got tougher to handle. At one point midway through the second quarter, I looked up at the scoreboard to see us trailing 24–3. We had violated all the rules about protecting the ball. Plus, we were playing on the road against a wildcat offense, meaning they can run and pound you all day and chew up the clock.

  Late in the second quarter the Dolphins were driving, and our defense came up with a big turnover. We got the ball at our own forty-nine. We ran a couple of plays and made it to the twenty-one yard line with seventeen seconds left before the half. We had no time-outs. I couldn’t take a sack, and any throw I made needed to be in the end zone or out-of-bounds to stop the clock. We could not get caught in-bounds, or else the clock would run out and we would miss our chance at a field goal.

  We needed something good to happen. We needed some momentum. And soon. I took the snap from the shotgun and surveyed the defense. I saw Marques Colston up the seam just inside the five yard line. I had a quick decision to make. He wasn’t technically in the end zone, but I felt like there was a place I could throw the ball where he could adjust his position to catch it and then reach across the goal line for a touchdown. It was worth a chance. Plus, I trusted the big man to make a play. I turned the ball loose, and he caught it at the two yard line, spun around, and thrust the ball toward the goal line. The referee signaled a touchdown, with five seconds left on the clock.

  It wasn’t time to celebrate yet, though. The review booth took over, and as we watched the replay on the JumboTron, it was clear that Marques came up inches short of the touchdown. Without any time-outs left, we used the review time to strategize. We were in a predicament because as soon as they determined it wasn’t a touchdown, they’d set the ball, the clock would start, and we’d have to be ready to snap the ball. A conservative coach would have attempted a field goal. Take the three points and head into the locker room. But the way I saw it, there was a huge difference between going into the second half down 24–6 as opposed to 24–10. On the other hand, if the Dolphins stopped us, that would be a huge momentum factor in their favor.

  I was standing next to Sean as he went through the scenario, and he decided to send the field goal unit on.

  “Coach, I’ll get it,” I said. “We need a touchdown here. I’ll get it.”

  That’s all I said, and that was all I needed to say. He knew exactly what I meant: I would sneak the ball over the line for the touchdown.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’ll get it.”

  Joe Vitt came over and joined the discussion. Sean trusts him like nobody else. Joe nodded at Sean, then looked me in the eye. “Do it.”

  “All right,” Sean said. “Explain to the guys what you’re doing.”

  He got the field goal team off the field and sent the offense back on. We huddled quickly, and I said, “Okay, we only have a few seconds left. We have to score. No false starts. I’m going over the top with the ball.”

  Miami had called a time-out previously to make sure they knew the situation, and now they were bowed up, ready for a goal line stand. We snapped the ball, and immediately I went airborne. Normally I could dive into a gap between one of the guys, but they’d filled all those gaps. There was no place for me to go but up and over. I broke the plane of the goal line, reaching out with the ball before the Miami defense engulfed me.

  As crazy as it sounds, I knew as soon as we scored on that play we were going to win the game. I don’t score many touchdowns, and when I do, I’m typically not emotional. I like what Bear Bryant said about “acting like you’ve been there before.” But that day the emotion swept over me. I ran into the end zone and spiked the ball, and the crowd booed. They knew what I was saying to them: This is the first of many. We are not done here. We’ll be back soon.

  That touchdown was just what we needed. As we headed off the field, it almost felt as if we had the lead. The momentum shift was that big. Even though we’d played poorly much of the first half, we were into the game now. We knew we could use the adversity to propel us.

  On the first series in the third quarter, Darren Sharper intercepted a pass and ran it all the way back for a touchdown. We traded a couple of scores and then rattled off a series of touchdowns. We scored twenty-two points in the fourth quarter and won 46–34.

  I’ll never forget the feeling of walking off the field after that game. We probably had about ten thousand Saints fans there, all of them decked out in black and gold and Mardi Gras beads. Once again they proved to be the difference in shifting the momentum to our favor. We greeted them after the game along the inner bowl of the stadium with high fives and appreciation. It was an awesome sensation.

  All season we’d been hearing about our lack of a test and how we couldn’t withstand a pressure-packed game. We had proved the critics wrong. And just as important, we’d come back from a twenty-one-point deficit. Winning like that on the road reaffirmed we had something special. As we headed into the locker room afterward, Coach Payton turned to us and said, “You’d better remember this place and the way you feel right now. We’re coming back here in February, and we are going to have this same feeling then.”

  You can never rest on your previous performance and let down your guard for the next game, but there’s nothing that can compare to that feeling on game day after a win. Those are the moments every retired player says he misses the most. After all the preparations, the training, the butterflies and jitters, there’s nothing quite like sitting in the locker room with the guys you’ve been in the trenches with. We made it our goal to get back to the Miami locker room in February and have that same feeling after the Super Bowl.

  Fighting Back

  The game against Atlanta was Monday Night Football at its finest. We were 6–0 and on the heels of an emotional, come-from-behind victory. I always worry about how we’ll bounce back from games like that. As much as adversity tests you, success will as well.

  Atlanta was 4–2. They were a divisional opponent who had been to the playoffs in 2008. It was a big game because if we won, we’d take control of the division. If we lost, Atlanta would be just one game behind us. We knew what wa
s at stake.

  Atlanta struck first and kept the pressure on. I was sacked and fumbled the ball deep in our territory. They returned it a few yards for a touchdown. Another bad start.

  However, in the second quarter we came back with three touchdowns. We were ahead 28–14 at the half. It turned into a wild finish with an onside kick recovery by the Falcons at the end of the fourth quarter. We didn’t finish the game as strong as we wanted to, but it was a solid performance and we did what we needed to win.

  Coming up against Carolina, the coaches wanted to keep us focused on the future and not our past accomplishments. Carolina had won our division the previous year and had been the number two seed in the NFC. Since I had signed on with the Saints, we had not beaten them in the Superdome. Two of those losses were on last-second field goals. The Panthers had no respect for our home field. We needed to instill a little fear and get back some respect.

  But once again we didn’t get things off to a very good start. Right off the bat they scored two unanswered touchdowns. I threw an interception and had a fumble that they recovered. All we could muster before halftime was two field goals. We were down 17–6 at the half, and the mentality very easily could have been Here we go again, losing to Carolina at home.

  The Saints had never been 8–0 in their entire history, so winning that game would mean a franchise record. Things weren’t looking promising at halftime. At the start of the third quarter, though, we scored a quick touchdown on a four-play drive that included a sixty-three-yard pass to Devery Henderson. That’s when the tide turned. Our defense stopped Carolina deep in our territory on a crucial third down, allowing only a field goal. We got the ball back and scored another touchdown in the last seconds of the third quarter, tying the game 20–20.

  We were down to the wire with another game that could go either way. But on our wrists were these rubber bracelets that said, “Finish Strong.”