Gone with the Brees

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady (Left) talking to New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees & his family after their divisional round matchup Sunday (Credit: James Palmer, NFL Network)

Written by Johnny Maffei

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading to their first NFC Championship since the 2002 season after eliminating the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans Sunday with a 30-20 victory.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and Saints QB Drew Brees certainly didn't turn in their prettiest performances, but Brady, like he so often does this time of year, put the pedal to the metal and came out on top.

Brees, on the other hand, didn't have the same gust he once did.  The Saints have been a victim of unfair calls the last few postseasons, but like those previous losses, there will be no new rules after this contest.

His 3rd and final INT of the evening defined the loss: a prime example of struggling to throw the ball downfield.

S Mike Edwards can't be given all the credit for that toe-tapping-grab.  LB Lavonte David tipped Brees' underthrown pass intended for TE Jared Cook.  This was one of few balls Brees forced downfield, and occurred in a time of desperation, I might add.

The Purdue grad's apparent deteriorating arm strength and contract with NBC for his future career off the field have sparked much talk of whether the future Hall of Famer has taken his final snap.

Despite the rumors, after the game Brees told reporters "I'm going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think about a lot of things, just like I did last year, and make a decision."

He sure seemed to be savoring the moment a little extra when he took the field with his family after the game.  His son even caught a pass from Brady, which is one more catch than Saints WR Michael Thomas had tonight.

So now, as the Bucs prepare for their business trip to Wisconsin, Saints fans await Brees' decision.

If that's it for Drew Brees, boy was it a treat.  I'm not old enough to remember his days in San Diego, but I do know after Hurricane Katrina, the people of New Orleans used him as their escape from all of the struggles they had to go through, and during the 2009 season when he brought them to the Super Bowl against then Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning, well that's when he gained a whole new set of fans in New England, as well.

Since winning his ring against Manning in Super Bowl XLIV, he has had trouble getting past the divisional round, but he certainly cemented himself amongst the best, and on paper, above almost everyone to ever play the position.

Quite the career (through 2020 regular season):

  • 571 TD (2nd)
  • 80,358 Passing Yd (1st)
  • 67.7 Comp %
  • 7,142 Completions (1st)
  • Top 3 comp % over a single season (6 of Top 10)
That's just the short list.

Brees holding up his son after Super Bowl XLIV
(Credit: NY Daily News)
The Brees family also donated $5 million to help COVID relief efforts in the city of New Orleans back in the spring.

He's a class act in every sense of the word.  Whether we see him next in the booth with Al Michaels or Mike Tirico on NBC, or on the field for one more go, it was a pleasure to watch one of the greats. 

There's something about "the greats" careers coming to a close.

I obviously never got to watch Montana or Marino or Aikman or Elway, so Brady and Brees and Manning and the back half of Favre is what I know.  I will never know about the "it factor" that the guys from the 90s and earlier displayed each and every Sunday, but I certainly know Brees had "it," and Saints fans have a lot ot be thankful for.

So if that's it, up to the ring of honor goes his jersey, and in a few years he'll be posing for his bust in Canton. 

Emerson College '22 | Co-host/Producer of Ridin' Pine | Fmr #1 Show on WSFR | Fmr Full Press Coverage Patriots Writer | Socials: @johnnymaffei45