Larry Brown Sports

Any complications the Saints have in agreeing to a contract extension with Drew Brees should be minor. When you step back and analyze the situation, you have to wonder what the holdup is. Brees is not exactly young (33), but he’s at the peak of his game. He’s coming off a 46-touchdown season, which was his fourth straight year over 30 touchdown passes. He also brought a Super Bowl to the city of New Orleans when they desperately needed it. Despite all that, Brees is reportedly facing the possibility of being franchise tagged. The Saints general manager is also rumored to be downplayng what he has done for the team.

According to Yahoo! Sports, three sources claim Saints GM Mickey Loomis tried to define Brees as a “very good” rather than a “great” quarterback when asked about his contract extension talks at the scouting combine last week. All three sources reportedly asked Loomis why it was taking so long to reach a deal, and that was part of his explanation.

The report also says that as of Thursday, Brees and the Saints were $5 million per year apart on a new deal. Aside from Loomis, there are very few people who would argue that Brees shouldn’t be asking for the same deal Tom Brady got from the Patriots last year, which was a four-year extension worth $72 million. They are the same age with very similar resumes. Brady has two more Super Bowls, but those came very early in his career. He and Brees have been among the league’s best for years.

When the Patriots were negotiating with Brady, there was momentary panic and people wondered what would happen if New England expected him to take another hometown discount. However, there was never any talk of the front office downplaying his ability as a negotiation tactic. In the end, Robert Kraft did the right thing. If Loomis feels as though Brees is simply a “very good” quarterback, Saints owner Tom Benson has to step in and make sure one of the best players in franchise history gets the treatment he deserves.

H/T Pro Football Talk

For quite some time, Drew Brees was an underrated NFL quarterback.  A few years ago all we ever heard about was Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.  Brady and Manning were in a class of their own with everyone else looking up at them.  Then, Brees won a Super Bowl.  He went on to be named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year and inserted himself into the elite quarterback discussion.  Last weekend, he set the all-time record for most passing yards in a season.  Despite all that, Robert Meachem still believes Brees deserves more recognition than he gets.

“I think so. I think he has a lot to offer, for any team,” Meachem said during an interview with ESPN Radio when asked if Brees is still underrated. “I think if he was on any team, he’d be doing the same things that he’s doing now. One thing … is what he does in the community as far as helping people rebuild homes and trying to give out toys during Christmastime. He’s just an all-around great guy.”

In all fairness, Meachem didn’t offer up that Brees is underrated — he was asked.  That being said, Brees is now officially included in the discussion with guys like Brady and Aaron Rodgers, as he should be.

With the way the NFL has become so pass-heavy over the last few years, there are a lot of guys blowing up the stat sheets and setting NFL records.  The fact that Brees has been near or at the top of all of those categories says enough.  At this point I’d be more willing to call him a Hall of Fame lock than an underrated player.

It is no surprise to hear Darren Sharper say he would take former teammate Drew Brees over former teammate Brett Favre. Sharper played with Brees more recently and Brees is a much more well-liked NFL player than Favre.  However, the reason he gave is pretty entertaining.

“With the game on the line I would have to go with Mr. Drew Brees, because we’ve seen Brett — who I love to death — throw the ball up in the air when anyone can make a play on it, intercept it, at the end of games,” Sharper said on Sportscenter Tuesday according to Pro Football Talk. “If you want to come down to a two-minute drill where you need a play for your team to win, you go with one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL, and that’s Drew Brees.”

That’s an even easier question for Sharper to answer fresh off of Brees’ record-breaking performance against the Falcons.  Still, it’s fun to continue to use Favre as a punching bag.  That makes two players this season who have said they prefer their current signal-caller to the Ole Gunslinger.  All Favre is a jackass jokes aside, I’d take Brees or Aaron Rodgers over him any day.

While Tim Tebow has been quickly become the greatest thing the media has experienced in recent history, he does not receive the same respect from many players across the NFL.  Players and analysts tend to think the way Tebow is performing is a fluke.  As Joe Theismann put it, we should all enjoy the circus while it’s in town because it can’t possibly last.  Brian Urlacher said Tebow is a “good running back” even after the Broncos beat the Bears.  However, fellow quarterback Drew Brees came to the defense of Tebow during a recent interview with Jim Rome.

“I think Tim Tebow stands for a lot of great things,” Brees said according to Kingofhowto.com. “I think he stands for leadership and inspiration and, you know, tireless work ethic and faith and belief. And those are all things that, as a young athlete, you would like to instill.

“You look at the way he’s helped his team win; I mean it’s definitely been a team effort, but certainly he’s come through in the clutch many times this year. That’s exciting to watch.”

As far as commending Tebow for his faith and belief, Brees seems to be a part of the minority.  There are some players who believe Tebow’s success has been the work of god and think Timmy is blessed, but for the most part we see people like Jake Plummer who want Tebow to keep it to himself and tone down the religious talk.  Everyone in 2011 has an opinion on Tim Tebow.  File Drew Brees’ under the “positive” category.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees taped a segment for Sesame Street before the season, and it will air on PBS Thursday. LBS being the special bros with all the inside hookups (read: we saw the video on YouTube), got a sneak peek at the video. There isn’t much to say, except at least it’s better than Amare Stoudemire’s appearance on the children’s show.

Here it is:

You know you’re a special person when you’re making TV show appearances as a third-string quarterback. Such is the case for Tim Tebow, who along with Drew Brees and Eric Dickerson reportedly will appear on The Biggest Loser October 4th, according to Entertainment Weekly.

“Some of the athletes will be seen competing against the contestants in a throwing contest, while others help the pound shedders with their “Last Chance Workout” before that week’s weigh-in. “It’s not just some great athlete coming out and saying ‘Hey, look at me!’” says BL exec producer Todd Lubin. “We actually get to their stories — and these NFL guys have unbelievable stories.”

Yup, Tebow will share his story of how hard work got him buried on the depth chart in Denver. Brees will talk about returning from shoulder surgery to eventually win Super Bowl MVP. You may be wondering why The Biggest Loser would be interested in having these players on the show and the answer is simple: they’re hoping the macho NFLers will help bring in a male audience. You know when Tebow’s involved, an entire fan base will be interested. Smart idea.

A football team is only as good as its leader. Sometimes that leader comes in the form of a head coach, while other times it’s a player. In New Orleans, the Saints turn to their quarterback.  Sean Payton is a tremendous coach, but there is no questioning the fact that Drew Brees is the most important leader for the Saints.  Otherwise, they would have more trouble putting together organized team workouts with a  30-plus player turnout during the lockout.

Not only has Brees done everything necessary to make sure his team is practicing together during the labor dispute, he’s even covered most of the cost.  According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, via Pro Football Talk, the man who allegedly played through two serious injuries a season ago has reached into his own pockets to make sure his team can continue workouts.

The Saints signal caller has paid for Tulane staff to help out during practices and flown in his personal trainer to oversee the team’s conditioning program.  He also arranged for the Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine to provide insurance for those who need it, and he provided lodging for some of the younger players on the team.

Brees is going to make a lot more money than his teammates, but that doesn’t mean he has to do this stuff.  I can’t think of a better way to show your commitment to the team than by tapping into your own bank account to keep workouts on schedule.  Think about it, we’ve seen some players resort to working out in parking lots during the lockout, so there is little doubt New Orleans is going above and beyond. If the Saints win the Super Bowl in 2011, this will be what everyone turns to as a main reason why.  Every NFL team should have a Drew Brees.