Payton and Brees, стр. 54
“It’s a great find,” Lombardi said. “He’s got a broad focus. He sees more. His lens is wide. He sees everything, and he processes it so quick. It’s something different.”
It wasn’t the first time the Saints coaches had seen Brees do something extraordinary. And it certainly wouldn’t be the last. But it quickly became the stuff of legend among the offensive coaches. They would routinely show it to incoming Saints quarterbacks for amusement.
“It’s pretty funny when you watch it,” Lombardi said. “Everyone [on defense] was right over the ball and the ball is in his hand, and then they just all disappear, and the ball is completed. The anticipation is uncanny.”
Brees’ passing exploits have become legendary around the Saints complex. Almost every player and coach who has played with him has a favorite pass they can cite off the top of their head.
For Taysom Hill, it was a pass Brees threw to Ted Ginn against the Green Bay Packers during Hill’s rookie season in 2017. As Hill and fellow backup quarterback Chase Daniel watched the play unfold from the sideline, they were convinced Brees’ vision was blocked by the wall of linemen in front of him and that he simply threw the ball blindly to an open spot in the coverage. They were right. The trust and confidence Brees had in Ginn to be exactly where he was supposed to be on the pass route paid off. Brees’ blind pass hit Ginn right between the numbers, and the veteran speedster streaked through the Packers secondary for a 47-yard gain to set up a go-ahead field goal in the third quarter of a 26–17 Saints win.
“I just felt it,” Brees said later. “I knew what coverage they were in and could see the flat defender to that side of the field go with Brandon Coleman so I just kind of knew where to go with the pass.”
Another throw Hill still talks about is one Brees made to Ginn against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3 of the wideout’s rookie season. The play occurred early in the third quarter with the Saints leading 17–7. The play was designed to go to Mike Thomas, who was being covered by linebacker Shaq Thompson in the left slot. Brees set up the play by looking right toward tight end Coby Fleener, who ran a stick route outside the numbers along the far sideline. This drew safety Mike Adams out of his position in the middle of the field. Brees then turned back to the left to look for Thomas on his wheel route. But the Panthers were ready for it. They had cleverly disguised their coverage and rolled free safety Kurt Coleman over the top of Thomas, trying to lure Brees to target the obvious mismatch. This left Ginn one-on-one on his post route down the left seam against cornerback James Bradberry, the Panthers’ best cover man. Ginn beat Bradberry with an inside release and Brees, after seeing his first and second reads double-covered, uncorked a perfect bomb that led Ginn away from the fast-closing Adams. Ginn adjusted to the pass in midair and caught the ball at the goal line while falling backward in the end zone as Bradberry and Adams crashed over him.
“This ball is placed so perfectly behind the defensive back,” Fox Sports color analyst Ronde Barber said during the broadcast of the game. “The placement on that ball was absolutely sublime.”
As the play unfolded, Hill said he assumed Brees would go to his checkdown option when he saw the Panthers coverage technique. But Brees surprised him.
“Chase and I just looked at each other on the sideline and thought, ‘How did he find him?’” Hill said. “That’s Drew.”
Dome-ination:
2013 Dallas Cowboys
Before Sean Payton took the job in New Orleans, the Saints had struggled mightily against the Dallas Cowboys. In 21 meetings with America’s Team, the Saints had managed just seven wins. But Payton reversed those fortunes quickly, posting wins in three of four contests against the Cowboys.
When Dallas visited New Orleans in Week 10 of the 2013 season, it was 5–4 and desperate for a marquee win. But the Cowboys’ banged-up defense had allowed four quarterbacks to pass for more than 400 yards against them in the first nine weeks and entered the game ranked 31st in total defense, surrendering 419.1 yards a game. And they were no match for the Saints, who did just about whatever they wanted in a 49–17 rout on Sunday Night Football.
The Saints scored touchdowns on seven of their first nine series and averaged 9.1 yards per play. Six of the Saints’ touchdown drives covered 75 or more yards. They gained an NFL-record 40 first downs and amassed a franchise-record 625 yards of total offense, the most ever allowed by a Cowboys defense. In fact, it was the most yards an NFL team had produced in a regulation game in more than three decades and remains the fourth most yards gained in a game since the league merger.
“There just were very few plays that we stopped,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “They were able to go to a lot of different things.”
The Saints rushing attack compiled 242 yards on the ground. It was the most rushing yards in a single game since Payton became coach, and the most by the Saints since they rushed for 249 against Cincinnati in 1990. Mark Ingram led the way with a career-high 145 yards on only 14 carries.
The powerful ground game set up the Saints’ play-action passing attack and Brees picked apart the Cowboys’ overmatched secondary. He completed 34 of 41 passes for 392 yards and four touchdowns. At one point, he strung together 19 consecutive completions, tying his personal best and franchise record. He completed passes to nine different receivers. Four Saints receivers caught touchdown passes.
“Spreading the ball around, getting everybody involved—these are the days you love to have,” Brees said. “You strive