Throw Momma from the Train

Editors Note: Contininuing our guest section of 32 for 32 on Fegonomics is new contributor Peaceful Mountain. Give him a break, he's Asian.


Disclaimer: This post is based entirely on conjecture and should be read and interpreted as such and nothing else.

Drew Brees’ mother, Mina Brees, died in an apparent suicide on August 7, 2009 a month before Brees’ ninth NFL season was about to begin.  Prior to her death she had been under investigation for extortion for sending letters to some restaurants claiming that their rights to their names had been bought by another company, Chicksports, and that if they wanted the naming rights back they would need to send her $25,000.  These letters of coursed failed to mention that Brees herself was the owner of Chicksports.


In 2006 Mina Brees came under fire from Brees himself, when she decided to use images of him as a Charger in campaign ads that she was running in a race for a spot in the Texas appeals court.  Brees had asked that his image not be used, and it was only when his lawyer threatened legal action that Mina Brees acquiesced to his demands.  At the time Brees described his relationship with his mother as “nonexistent”.  The riff supposedly began in 2001, when Brees refused to hire his mother as his agent before the NFL draft. 


One can only begin to imagine what kind of psychological damage his relationship with his mother has caused him over the years.  And judging from the string of strange, bizarre and frankly crazy shit that has happened between them over the last 9 years, it is highly unlikely that Brees ever had anything close to what one would describe as a “normal” relationship with his mother. 

With that being said perhaps Brees’ resilience came in part from his lack of motherly nurturing.  As any young child knows, there are few places more comforting than at your mother’s side.  This is something that has been hard wired into each of us as it is a key to our survival as a species.  To have this bond taken away can be immensely damaging, and in Brees’ case, it seems apparent that this relationship has been irrevocably broken for some time now.


So to have the career that Brees has had in spite of all the doubts, injuries, and slaps in the face that he has had to endure is quite remarkable.  Here’s a quick hit list of what he has faced:


1979 – Born with a huge hairy mole on his face that has been described as a “small woolly-bear caterpillar”, his parents decide to leave it on there.
1996 – Leads Westlake High to a state title in Texas but is not recruited by a single Division I college in Texas.
2001 – Finishes third in Heisman voting, named Big Ten Offensive MVP, receives Maxwell Award as the nation’s most outstanding player, and still does not get drafted in the first round.
2003 – Gets benched in favor of a 42 year old Doug Flutie.

2004 – Chargers draft Eli Manning, then trade for Philip Rivers.  Clearly signaling they no longer believe Brees has a future in San Diego. 
2005 – On the eve of becoming a free agent, and posting a career high in passing yards, Brees gets injured in his last game of the season against the Denver Broncos on a cheap hit by John Lynch. 
2006 - The Chargers, wary of his shoulder, send him a low ball offer telling him essentially to leave.  Then to add insult to injury the Miami Dolphins choose Daunte Culpepper, fresh off a ride on a sex boat, to be their starting QB over him.

By the time Brees signed with the New Orleans Saints in the spring of 2006, no one was quite sure where he or that team was headed.  New Orleans was still in shock from Hurricane Katrina, and the Saints did not play a single game of the 2005 season at the Superdome, as it had become a makeshift refugee camp. 

The team itself was in shambles, they underachieved in 2003 and 2004, and finished the 2005 season 3-13.  Their starting quarterback, Aaron Brooks, had literally devolved over the course of 5 seasons, and had with each game found seemingly unconscionable ways to turn the ball over (Fegonomics staff edit:.If anyone has video evidence of the Brooks backwards pass please post link in comments section ASAP).  Jim Haslett, their coach for the last 6 seasons was fired and the Saints were in full rebuilding mode.  Typical Saints.


But with the signing of Brees, things seemed to turn around.  Reggie Bush (then considered a sure thing) miraculously slipped to them at the #2 spot in the draft.  Then in what was a surprise to most, the Saints announced that they will play all 8 games at home in the Superdome for the upcoming season.  All of a sudden the Saints were not only relevant, but considered exciting again. 

"I wanna kiss you" 

4 seasons, 3 Pro Bowls, 18,298 yards passing, and a 122 TD to 57 INT ratio later it has become apparent that the quarterback and the city that were both left for dead have come back with a vengeance.  Brees hasestablished himself as one of the premier quarterbacks in the league and has put himself in the conversationwith Mssr. Brady and Manning as a perennial MVP candidate.

After winning their first thirteen games this season the Saints ended the season on a three game losing streak.  Since embarrassing a shell of a Patriots team in Week 12, the team has looked vulnerable and critics have questioned whether this is a team that should be considered a true contender.  Brees has been spotty at best in his last two starts, throwing only 1 TD.  The Saints vaunted offense has been anemic as they were held below 20 points in each of the last three games, their lowest three point totals of the season.  The doubt has begun to creep in.  How will Brees respond this time?