NEW ORLEANS – Perfection.
Monday night, in the biggest game of his career – indeed, in the biggest game in the history of the New Orleans Saints – that’s what Drew Brees achieved.
For the first time in his life, in his record-producing career, he hit perfect.
158.3.
That’s his passer rating. There is no better number.
And Brees did it on the biggest stage – Monday Night Football, national television and against the New England Patriots, the team of the decade.
The Saints won 38-17 and Brees was perfect.
He went 18 of 23 for 371 yards and five touchdowns to five different receivers.
Yet.
And yet, Brees remembers the five passes he threw incomplete. He remembers the calls he missed and should have made.
Sometimes we get lost in the numbers. Sometimes we get so used to seeing something so darn near perfect that we lose sight as to how special something is.
But Monday night, no, that was special. That was something to behold.
“It was beautiful. It’s like watching him in practice,” Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. “It’s like poetry in motion. It was great to see him reel off passes, reel off completions and at the end of the day, that’s the best defense right there.”
We see what Brees has done for the community, helping fund the rehabilitation of New Orleans through service and donations.
Constantly he’s put on a pedestal and it’s for things he’s done off the field.
Monday night, we saw what might be his biggest community service yet.
New Orleans is forever tied to the Saints - emotionally and physically. Never has this franchise given the city something so special.
And Drew Brees is the reason why. Against the Patriots – the team everyone looks up to and hopes to emulate – he made the city feel better than it ever has.
The Saints are 11-0 and Brees has become the “Yes we can” man of the city (he even filmed a commercial with a certain other Yes We Can man).
Residents now believe in their team, more than they ever have.
The 2006 season was special for reasons related to Katrina.
This season is special because for once, the Crescent City is the focal point of the NFL world.
Brees is the reason why.
“MVP,” Saints defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove said. “MVP. Drew is the engine of this team. He starts us off at the beginning of the game getting us ready. We follow his lead.”
You’re not alone, Anthony.
There are 300,000-plus New Orleans residents following, too, and thousands more in Saints Nation.
Yes, Brees proved perfect in one other way Monday night.
He’s the perfect fit for this city.
