Drew Brees Fires up Purdue With Epic Speech Prior to Saturday’s Victory

With the New Orleans Saints on a bye this week, the NFC South leaders may not be preparing for a game. Quarterback Drew Brees may not have gotten the message considering that he gave a pregame speech to his alma mater that rivaled any of those from his 19-year NFL career. In fact, the team later delivered the victory with a last-minute touchdown.

In a video released by the team, Brees gathered the players from the team and described the ways in which they needed to perform against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He did so by addressing each position group and explaining the ways in which they can make a difference.

“Man, it’s supposed to be my bye week, but you guys got my heart thumping thinking it’s game day for me too,” Brees said on Saturday. “I appreciate being in this locker room. I appreciate you guys.”

As it turns out, Brees believes that the tight ends are the best athletes on the entire football team. As he explained, they are asked to do everything on the field, and they epitomize toughness.

Considering that he has played quarterback throughout his career, it would be expected that he would focus only on the offensive side of the ball, but that was not the case. Brees specifically addressed the defensive backs and linebackers, telling them to set the tone for the game.

“Linebackers, hit somebody, man!” Brees said. “You want to get this team fired up? You want to create a defining moment? HIT SOMEBODY!”

Whether it was Brees’ speech that led to the victory is unknown, but Purdue reigned victorious with a final score of 31-27, moving their record to 3-6 on the season. As he proved on Saturday, Brees hasn’t lost his ability to fire up the Purdue football team despite being in the league for 19 years.

Of course, the pregame speech is nothing new for Brees. Throughout his career, he has been known for firing up members of the New Orleans Saints. In fact, his speeches became the focus leading into 2009’s victory in Super Bowl XLIV. The speeches were also paired with chants that changed on a weekly basis.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Bachman/Getty