Saints' Brees outworks, outplays

By Ken Sugiura

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"What if?" is a question that Saints quarterback Drew Brees doesn't mind answering. For certain, it's a question he asks with frequency.

Among the myriad reasons that the 6-0 Saints are playing at a record-setting pace is his willingness to completely ingest coach Sean Payton's game plan. The Falcons will get a firsthand look Monday night in New Orleans, their first of two tests against their NFC South rival.

Said Brees, "I think that through my preparation, I'm going to prepare myself in every possible way to go out there and be confident about everything."

The Saints have averaged 39.7 points per game through six games, putting them on track to break New England's 2007 record for points in a season (589) by 45 points. The team also leads in total offense at 427.3 yards per game. Last season, Brees' eighth in the NFL, the Saints also led the league in yards and points and Brees was named the Associated Press offensive player of the year.

Brees' operation of the unit factors heavily, which is why the Falcons will be dead set on disrupting him.

"The guy can see the field from all different angles," defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux said. "He's the leader of the team. If we can get him off rhythm, I think everything else will follow."

In explaining his preparation, Brees gave an example of his team rehearsing a play against the defensive look that coaches expect to see.

"But you just know in your mind that, Hey, what if I don't get that look?" Brees said. "There's that one potential look that would give us problems where the play's not good. And all of the sudden, you get out there, and you're getting that look. Well, you've got to have an answer for that, whether it's another place to go with the ball or that kind of thing."

Brees has practiced that thoroughness for a while. Neal LaHue, his offensive coordinator at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, said Brees "religiously" rehabbed his knee after tearing his ACL as a junior. Even the way Brees did warm-up drills was noticeable.

"He always did that with a lot of intensity and never slacked off," said LaHue. "He took it for what it was. I think that kind of goes with every great player. They have something in them that other guys don't have, and he had that."

Brees needed it, even in high school. Brees played on the freshman B team in his first year at Westlake. After playing junior varsity as a sophomore, he had to win the varsity job from other quarterbacks as a junior. He led Westlake to the 5A state title as a senior. Brees credits LaHue with teaching him the mechanics that have helped him become one of the most accurate passers in NFL history.

Said LaHue, "The thing I tell people all the time about Drew is, unbelievable work ethic."

Payton has figured that out for himself. In the 2006 offseason, when Payton was hired, the team looked first to the draft for its franchise quarterback, a pool that included Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler. When Brees became available as a free agent from San Diego coming off shoulder surgery, the Saints signed him.

Since then, he is first in the NFL in passing yards, 300-plus passing-yard games, second in touchdown passes and fourth in passer rating.

"Obviously, it ended up being a real good decision," Payton said, "but that's to Drew's credit and the way he's worked."

-- Staff writer D. Orlando Ledbetter contributed to this report.