Payton and Brees, стр. 64
“Guys love coming to work, and we know how to have fun,” Brees said. “We had lights and smoke and everything else in the locker room after the game, having a great time, and turning it into Studio 54 or something. We know how to have fun, but the level of work matches the level of fun. The culture we have created here is special.”
Added Strief: “Do I think it’s the reason the Saints beat teams on Sunday, absolutely not. But it’s just his way of planting a seed in your head and keeping you focused.”
Brees also believes in the power of motivation. His methods differ from Payton’s, but they are equally effective. Whether it’s buying motivational books or distributing T-shirts with motivational messages like Smell Greatness or Be Special, Brees tries to have something new for his teammates every year when training camp begins.
“It’s a visual way to convey the message and importance of finishing everything that you do,” tackle Zach Strief said. “It’s easy to tell somebody to do one more rep [in the weight room] or watch five more minutes of video. It’s a lot harder to visualize what the effect of that will be.”
Strief said it’s also just another example of Brees’ extraordinary leadership skills. Other players preach the same gospel to their teammates, but Brees takes motivation to another level.
In addition to the Finish Strong books and bracelets, he also provided copies of the motivational book 212: The Extra Degree and T-shirts with the mission statements of the speeches guest speakers Avery Johnson, Ronnie Lott, and Jon Gruden delivered to the team during training camp.
“It’s part of him being a good leader,” Strief said. “He understands the psyche of a player. You hear a lot of coaching-isms as a player. It’s a way to transcend all the talk and create something that might hit home with someone.”
Brees also famously leads the pregame rally chant for the team during pregame warm-ups on the field. Brees has led the chant for every game since his second season in New Orleans. Horn and Bush handled the duties in 2006 and 2007. While Brees was rehabbing his thumb injury in 2019, linebacker DeMario Davis assumed the responsibility.
The first chant Brees performed in 2008 centered on the scene from the movie 300. Instead of Sparta, Brees riffed, “This is New Orleans!” He changed the chant in the Super Bowl season to one inspired by a cadence he picked up during an offseason U.S. Tour visit to the U.S. Marine base in Guatanamo Bay.
When I say 1, you say 2. When I say win, you say for you…. 1! 2! Win! For you!
When I say 3, you say 4. When I say win, you say some more…. 3! 4! Win! Some more!
When I say 5, you say 6. When I say win, you say for kicks.... 5! 6! Win! For kicks!
When I say 7, you say 8. When I say win, you say it’s great.... 7! 8! Win! It’s great!
When I say 9, you say 10. When I say win, you say again.... 9! 10! Win! Again!
Win! Again! Win! Again! Win! Again! Win! Again!
In recent years, Brees has changed the message from game to game. It could be something derived from a movie or a song or a poem. During the 2017 playoffs, he based his chant on the sayings from his grandfather, who died earlier that year. Regardless, he always keeps them short, no more than 30 seconds. And he always delivers them with enthusiasm and emotion, at precisely 45 minutes before kickoff.
“It’s not usually something I would do, not really even my personality,” Brees said. “Typically I’m pretty calm, composed, and chilled. I have an edge on game day, but I’m not the rah-rah type. But I had mentor [Tom House] tell me once, ‘You have to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable.’ So, it was one of these like, all right, if nobody else will do it, I need to be the guy who does it. So I had to step out of my comfort zone a little bit because I thought it was something that was needed. I’m for whatever gets our team ready to play, play at a high level, gets us fired up.”
The videos of Brees’ pregame chants regularly rank among the most viewed posts on the Saints website and often go viral on social media. And they’re just as popular with his teammates.
“I get as far into the huddle as I can because it’s motivating,” wide receiver Keith Kirkwood said. “Just to finally be in that huddle with somebody who is going to go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time is special. He’s the leader of the pack. It’s amazing to hear his energy and his passion. Everybody feels it.”
22. The Near Divorce
The wall outside the squad room in the New Orleans Saints training complex features several mounted placards displaying motivational quotes from famous people about teamwork, motivation, and bonding. One of them is a quote from automobile magnate Henry Ford: Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.
The Payton-Brees marriage is a textbook example of Ford’s motto. Their partnership has been one of the most enduring in NFL history, representing one of the longest-tenured and most successful coach-quarterback tandems in the sport. Entering the 2020 season, their 200 regular season starts together were the second most ever, trailing only Bill Belichick and Tom Brady (281). In a league where the average coaching tenure lasts four years and the average playing career spans three years, what Payton and Brees have done in New Orleans is extraordinarily rare.
And by and large, there’s been nary a hiccup between them. Unlike the sometimes-distant relationship Belichick and Brady shared in New England,