Drew Brees smiles widely and his eyes wander back to a time when he was a kid out of Purdue seeking his place in pro football.He was marveling at the statistics posted by the likes of Dan Marino New Orleans Saints T-Shirt , Joe Montana and John Elway, Hall of Famers all. And he wondered "How long do you have to play in the league to have a chance at that?"No more marveling for the 39-year-old quarterback in his 19th NFL season. Very soon, almost certainly next week in a Monday nighter against Washington, Brees will have thrown for the most yards in league history. Yep, more than Marino, Montana, Elway, Brett Favre, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.He's glad it will likely come in New Orleans, where he signed in 2006 after pretty much being dumped by the Chargers, who feared his shoulder would never be healed enough for Brees to be a championship quarterback. Well, he found the perfect offense with coach Sean Payton, he won a Super Bowl for the Big Easy, and he might be leading a team good enough to win another."I feel like we're getting better each week and that's what's most important to me New Orleans Saints Hats ," Brees says. "I feel like we're beginning to play more complementary football and not just on offense with run to pass, but really as a team. Understanding how to win football games. We've won in a lot of different ways and found ourselves in a lot of different circumstances already and it's still early in the season. These are things that strengthen you, bring you together and begin to help you form your identity as a team."Brees' identity as a passer in some ways has been obscured by the success of peers Manning and Brady. He's been considered by the legions of NFL followers as a great quarterback and future Hall of Famer, but not quite on the level of Manning or Brady.That's a fair assessment when it comes to the Patriots star who has five Super Bowl rings and eight appearances in the big game. But Brees is nearly as accomplished as Manning, and certainly has done as much as Favre and Marino.Consider that Brees probably will hold every regular-season passing record when he is done — and that day doesn't appear to be closing in. Like Marino, he's rarely had a defense capable of helping him win championships.His passing accuracy is unequaled by anyone. His mastery of the Saints' offensive schemes, as well as his versatility and, even approaching 40, his maneuverability, are enviable."What makes him great?" asks tight end Benjamin Watson, who also played with Brady and is in his 15th NFL season. "Almost everything. His preparation, his confidence, his leadership."Let me tell you something. Once when I was in the weight room at the (practice) facility, I looked outside and there he was New Orleans Saints Hoodie , by himself, practicing his progressions, working through everything."This is a Hall of Fame player who has been here (12) years, nearly 40 years old. He commands your respect with the way he plays and the way he leads."As most quarterbacks and leaders do, Brees spreads the credit around. Given the resilience the Saints are showing while atop the tough NFC South, he probably is correct in doing so."Well there's so much that goes in to it," Brees explains. "I have to give a lot of credit to Sean and the entire coaching staff for the amount of time and hours they put into building a game plan each and every week. When I say the game plan and the game call and the shifts and movements and formations are completely different each week, it is completely different each week. It is a completely new offense each week, depending on who we're playing and attacking that defense."So there's a lot of time and effort that goes into it on it on their part, but also the players to absorb all that and be able to go out and execute it with confidence. So it works, but we work very hard at it."And it works because of who is at quarterback. Michael Thomaswas one of the few bright spots in the defensive debacle we witnessed on Sunday; setting the franchise record for most receptions in a single game with 16.He was consistently able to get open either by play design or by using his elite route running.He was able to find success outside and in the slot where nine of his receptions came from. Here’s a breakdown of the types of routes he ran.Michael Thomas 16 rec. vs TB 9/09DOWN & DISTANCEROUTERESULTDOWN & DISTANCEROUTERESULT*Brees flushed from pocket. Thomas runs towards LOS. Bold= Thomas in slot/inside receiverThe TapeHis longest reception of the day came at the end of the 1st quarter. The Saints have a 1st and 10 and line up in 20 personnel, with the fullback Line offset. Ginn, Carr, and Thomas are the receivers and Kamara is in the backfield. Carr goes in motion from left to right and is lined up tight to the line. This motion is what helps set up the whole play. It’s a play-action where Brees will fake the hand off to Kamara to freeze the linebackers. Carr helps sell the run fake by simulating run blocking before releasing into his route. Carr will wait to run his route until Thomas is in front of him Customized New Orleans Saints Jerseys , forcing the cornerback to go around the safety who is covering Carr. The rub works and helps give Thomas more space away from his defender. On the other side Ginn will run a post, taking the cornerback and safety with him. This opens up the left side of the field for Thomas as he comes across the middle and then works up the field for extra yards.Coach Payton called an excellent play on Thomas’ lone touchdown reception. The Saints come out in 11 personnel with Kamara and Watson and call max protect (Kamara and Watson will pass block). The receivers (Ginn, Thomas, Carr) line up in a trips bunch to the left before Carr goes in motion to the right. The safety on that side comes down to cover him, signaling man coverage. The Bucs show a corner blitz from the offensives left, and Brees now knows he has a good match up on that side.When playing against a tighter wide receiver alignment, defenders in man coverage will use a first in/first out technique to help prevent rubs. The play call will take advantage of this. Ginn will run what is known as a pivot route; where he will release towards the middle of field, before planting his foot and cutting back to the sideline. This route exploits the first in/first out technique by getting the inside defender to cheat down to defend Ginn who appears to be breaking inside. Thomas is able to run behind the defender and make an easy catch for the touchdown. Thomas may not have had many big plays, but it’s the little things he did that made him so effective and able to get open frequently. This play is a great example of some of those little things. Brees empties the backfield and sends Kamara out wide with Thomas in a reduced alignment. It’s a 3rd down with 2 yards to go. Kamara runs a go which opens up the outside of the field for Thomas on his pivot route. As soon as the defender flips his hips to run with him inside, he plants his foot and cuts towards the sideline, creating good separation to make the catch and finish strong with a stiff arm while picking up the first down. While he didn’t go up against the best corners the league has to offer and he may not see this many receptions again this season he displayed the skill will make him a match up problem next week again the Cleveland Browns. Clearance NFL Jerseys
