He really deserved all of his incredible accolades. Drew Brees recently revealed that he can no longer even throw with his arm after just a few years in retirement due to his infamous shoulder injury back in 2006!
What a fighter this guy was to have the career he did AFTER the shoulder injury.
Despite playing for 20 years in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl, being one of the Top-20 greatest QBs ever, and perhaps the single-greatest passing quarterback in NFL history, Drew Brees has revealed that he can NO LONGER even throw with his famed right arm due to that dreadful shoulder injury he suffered during his last season with the Chargers. And, like I said in the title, this guy really is an incredible athlete.
So, I’m not sure if anyone of you guys have heard the news about Drew Brees, but he recently came out in a radio interview with ESPN’s Mike Greenberg and revealed that not only where some NFL teams interested in acquiring his services after his retirement in 2020, but he also can no longer even thrown with his right arm. And, to top off this crazy revelation, Brees said that his shoulder issues stem from his infamous shoulder injury he suffered while playing for the San Diego Chargers…all the way back in 2006.
Do you know how crazy that is?
First off, thinking about how one of the twenty greatest quarterbacks in the 100+ year history of the NFL can’t even throw a ball anymore despite only being retired for three years is really quite sad. With the age of the mobile quarterbacks fully upon us these days, it’s really easy to forget how LETHAL Drew Brees was as the Chargers and then obviously the Saints quarterback being a completely immobile pocket passer.
If Brees (2001-2020) didn’t play in two ages that saw Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, late-stage Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner, Eli Manning, Rich Gannon, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair, Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan, etc. all compete for All-Pro, Pro Bowl, All-Decades Team, passing stats, conference title games, and the Super Bowl year in and year out for 20 years, I guarantee you he would have won twice the Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and Super Bowl accolades he already managed to accomplish.
And he already accomplished a TREMENDOUS amount in his career with his 13 Pro Bowl selections, 4 All-Pro nods, 2004 Comeback Player of the Year win, 2006 Walter Peyton Man of the Year win, 2 Offensive Player of the Year awards, 4 runner up finishes in the MVP race, his record-breaking 80,358 passing yards, 571 touchdown passes, and 7,142 completions when he retired (Brady broke the record again soon after), his 2009 Super Bowl win with New Orleans, and his Super Bowl MVP win that year as well.
Seriously, if a guy like this comes in as most people’s 3rd, 4th, 5th, and even 6th-best QBs of the two eras, you know that the 2000’s and 2010’s was the most stacked era in football. I mean, does anyone really believe Brees would not be the best or 2nd best QB of this era when guys like Matt Stafford, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott, and Tua Tagovailoa (just to name a few) are consider Top-10 QBs?
He would TEAR up each and every NFL defense these days, and especially so given the massive rule changes to benefit QBs and offenses.
Nevertheless, what I find the most remarkable from this revelation is the fact that Drew Brees was able to amass nearly all of these sensational statistics AFTER he severely dislocated his shoulder, tore his labrum in a full 360-degree angle, and partially tore his rotator cuff when he went down from trying to recover a fumble in the Chargers matchup vs. the Commanders in 2005.
Prior to joining the Saints, Brees was a very good QB with San Diego as he amassed 12,348 passing yards, 80 TDs, averaged a 62% completion percentage, and won the 2004 Comeback Player of the Year award. But it was only after devastating his shoulder and rehabbing it with the highly risky, groundbreaking shoulder repair surgery after the 2005 season was he able to become the legend we know him today.
So, obviously, it’s very sad to see Brees no longer be able to lift his arm over his head without pain and suffer from severe shoulder arthritis and a degenerative shoulder, but I find it truly admirable he was able to play football at an all-time great level and win numerous passing awards, individual accolades, and the Super Bowl for 15 years with a clearly terrible shoulder injury.
I hope Drew Brees gets the credit and recognition as one of the twenty (and maybe even Top-10) best QBs in NFL history as he has more than earned it from his personal sacrifices to the sport.
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