Payton and Brees, стр. 42
“We’re in the business of odds,” Brees said. “When it comes to just one-on-one matchups in the passing game, you’re really playing the odds. I’m constantly doing those computations in my head. That’s the preparation during the week because you really don’t have time to think on Sundays. It has to be a reaction. The reaction comes from what you’ve inputted into the computer throughout the week. It’s if this guy or if these guys are one-on-one with this guy, I’m throwing it.”
This ability to process under pressure is one of the most difficult traits for NFL scouts to evaluate in quarterbacks. Former Saints general manager Randy Mueller toyed with the idea of developing flight simulator software to facilitate the process for NFL personnel executives. Mueller selected Notre Dame quarterback Rick Mirer with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft and recalled how impressive Mirer was during the evaluation process while throwing on the field and breaking down Xs and Os on the whiteboard. But once the Seahawks played Mirer in a game, he struggled to execute. Mirer was highly intelligent, but he struggled to process the chaos at high speed. Mirer washed out as a starter in Seattle and ended his eight-year career as a journeyman.
Of all the many strengths Brees possesses, processing under pressure might be his greatest one. Saints coaches have learned over the years not to prematurely question his decisions during games. Each can cite a play where they have gasped incredulously into their headset as Brees makes an off-script delivery, only to see the pass connect for a big gain or touchdown.
“One of his great assets is he can think so quickly,” Lombardi said. “He’s smart. But there are plenty of guys that are as smart as he is. It’s when that clock is running down and there’s a linebacker up in the A gap, and he doesn’t get nervous. He figures it all out. He’s just a calm mind when the pressure is on. That’s one of the most unique things about him. When it’s go time, he thinks even more clearly than when he’s sitting there in the meeting room. He’s better in that environment.”
Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, the director of Nike’s Elite 11 passing camps, remembers watching game film of Brees when Dilfer played for the Seattle Seahawks and being awestruck by his ability to stay one step ahead of the defense. Whatever the opponent threw at him, Brees always had an answer.
“It was like watching a surgeon,” said Dilfer, who quarterbacked the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl XXXV title in 2001. “He literally looks at every little detail, every minuscule aspect of quarterbacking and perfects it. As a quarterback watching it, you’re like, man, I hope I can make that decision when I’m playing on Sunday. Man, I hope I see that. How did he know that? What did he study to figure that one out? How he did he make that throw? How did he know to throw it that early? You just sat there in admiration of he had all the answers to the test before the game started.”
And it’s not just matchups Brees is computing. He’s also processing the opposing pass rush and working with the offensive line to set the protection scheme.
Stinchcomb recalled a 2009 game against the New York Jets where Brees consistently stayed one step ahead of head coach Rex Ryan and his unconventional pass rush schemes.
“Nine times out of 10 we would pick it up on the offensive line, but when we didn’t Drew was always there to make it right,” Stinchcomb said. “You’ve got a supercomputer behind you processing in a split-second. There are elite quarterbacks that would not be able to do what Drew does. There is so much that he does that he doesn’t get credit for. Part of the reason our offensive line has looked so good over the years is because of him. He makes us look good. He makes everyone look good.”
The Saints give Brees autonomy to change plays at the line of scrimmage. Many of the Saints play calls have run-pass options, which allow the quarterback to determine the play after he gets to the line of scrimmage and diagnoses the defense.
“Sean is a great play-caller, one of the best offensive minds ever, but he has always had the luxury of having a quarterback that’s going to make him right,” Mark Brunell said. “And it says a lot about Sean that he gives Drew the authority to do it. It’s just one small example of why they work so well together. It’s that trust.”
Brees’ ability to effortlessly make these high-pressure adjustments and get the Saints out of the wrong play and into the right one has become such a staple of the Saints offense, coaches jokingly say it can lead to complacency in their jobs. If they don’t watch themselves, they’ll find themselves resting on their laurels, knowing Brees will always do the right thing and make them look good.
“Part of our job as coaches is to put the players in situations that they’re comfortable in and to not ask them to do what they can’t do,” Lombardi said. “That’s never the case with Drew. He can do more than we can give him when it comes to that. I remember in our playoff run in 2009 against Arizona, we were in a play that was a run with a check to a pass and we got a [defensive] look that we hadn’t seen. At first, we were like, ‘Ah, they got us.’ Then we were like, ‘What’s he going to do here?’ He figured it out. He recognized that both options were bad and had a