Analysis: Appreciate Brees’ greatness while it’s still here

No one will ever mistake me for a fan of the New Orleans Saints.

They are not my NFL flavor at all – anyone who knows me can say that I bleed Dallas Cowboys blue.

So for that reason alone, this column should hold a special place in the hearts of Saints fans, because if I can admit this next statement, then surely it must be true.

Drew Brees is really, really good.

It is a treat to watch him play every, single Sunday of the NFL season.

OK, it’s time for a foot in mouth moment.

When New Orleans signed Brees on March 14, 2006, I scoffed.

At the time, Brees was an above average quarterback who hadn’t done very much to establish himself as an elite player in San Diego.

Sure, he had some good seasons. But he also had some bad ones, too.

Brees landed in New Orleans after suffering a serious injury to his throwing shoulder.

I watched and scoffed at a New Orleans Zephyrs game in the summer of 2006 as Brees still didn’t have the arm strength to throw a high-velocity strike from the pitcher’s mound to home plate.

The season was just months away at that time, and this looked like a disaster waiting to happen.

Boy was I wrong!

Brees returned to the field that season and quickly became one of the best players in the NFL.

Combined with the pinpoint accuracy of Brees and the offensive genius of Sean Payton, the Saints’ offense has enjoyed a multi-year run at the top of the NFL.

But the thing that is probably the most special about Brees is that it’s pretty easy to see that his success is the product of a lot of hard work.

I say that because the New Orleans quarterback isn’t truly elite at anything within his skill set.

He’s not big compared to other players, nor is he fast. His arm is pretty good, but he lacks the strength of some of the other cannons throughout the league.

Brees has terrific accuracy, but so do other quarterbacks around the league – players who don’t match Brees’ success.

It all appears to be a perfect storm of hard work, quality coaching and a scheme that makes it all tick.

I root against that entire combination darn near every Sunday throughout the NFL season. But looking back at it from afar, even a hater like me can admit that it’s a testament to excellence and a joy to watch on a year-to-year basis.

But perhaps more impressive than all of the on-field success is all of the things that Brees represents away from the gridiron.

The Saints’ quarterback appears to be a genuinely good person – a true family man and humanitarian at a time in sports where good people have become awfully hard to find.

Our staff photographer Jose Delgado was fortunate enough to capture some of Brees’ spirit recently when he shot candid photos of Brees playing with his children following a training camp practice.

A look at the photos clearly shows that the photos were not staged to be some PR ploy – the quarterback and his wife were genuinely enjoying the company of one another and their children.

It was pretty awesome to see.

But in addition to that family lifestyle, the Brees family donates a fair amount of their fortune to worthwhile causes in and around the city. Throughout any tough time that our state faces, Brees is there and is willing to help.

I had the pleasure of covering a book signing in 2010 following the Saints’ Super Bowl season.

Brees came to Houma to place his John Hancock onto copies of his then-newly penned book.

The line for autographs wrapped around the building – he must have signed his name 1,000 times on that day.

But he was courteous to every person who handed Brees a book.

The quarterback is an absolute class-act and is a real hero for our state to wrap its arms around.

Brees is 34 and has a lot of game left on the field.

But I think everyone around the Saints knows that Father Time is getting eerily close to the star quarterback – no one knows how much longer he can play at such an elite level.

So enjoy it while you can – the team may never have another one as good as him in its history.

Brees is a once in a lifetime player and quality sports role model.

Even I can admit that as a Cowboys fan.

That’s a big step for me.