COMING BACK STRONGER, by Drew Brees with Chris Fabry. (TyndaleHouse, $26.99.) The N.F.L. quarterback recovered from an injury to play for the New Orleans Saints.
At least a thousand adoring fans begin cheering as Drew Brees rises up the elevator at Borders on St. Charles Avenue to autograph copies of his new book "Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity" which debuted at #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list this week.
This is Brees' third book signing of the day but he says with a smile not to worry, his right arm, the one he uses to unleash those lethal touchdown passes, is holding up just fine
This place used to be a funeral home but the only people who looked distressed are the frazzled staff as this event has temporarily disrupted the norm of the place: a quiet atmosphere to peruse a book or two while sipping a cup of Seattle's Best.
The crowds at the book signings come as no surprise as Brees and Saints fans have always mixed like a cool glass of Tanqueray and Tonic served up at Pat O'Briens on Bourbon Street on those steamy New Orleans Summer nights.
In a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and a nasty oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, just call "Coming Back Stronger", Chicken Soup for the BP fatigued soul.
It is loaded with an inspiration at a time when people have never needed it more.
From the moment the doctor snipped the umbilical cord, Drew Brees has had to battle adversity and search for the hidden power contained within it.
His first challege in life was overcoming the pain of his parent's divorce as a young boy growing up in Austin, Texas.
"Reid (Drew's brother) and I spent many nights awake long after-lights out, hoping and praying that our parents would get back together. We cried ourselves to sleep a lot during that time."
Brees had the lineage of a future star.
His mother Mina was a Texas all-state athlete in three sports and his uncle, Marty Akins, was an All-American quarterback at the University of Texas. Akins led Texas to a 1973 Cotton Bowl victory over an Alabama team coached by Bear Bryant.
Brees felt lost in the shuffle in his early days at Westlake High School in Austin and his passion was for baseball not football. He told his mother, "Mom, I think I might want to quit football...because I don't feel I'm ever going to get an opportunity to play."
Mina Brees "didn't freak out" says Brees but told her son, "...you don't have to play. But remember this: when you least expect it, that opportunity will present itself. You never know when it's going to come, but all it takes is one play."
When Johnny Rodgers, a QB with a higher-profile and better family connections than Drew, went down with a torn ACL, Mina's advice to her son turned prophetic and Brees got his shot.
However, Brees would have to stare down adversity again. He led the JV team to a 10-0 record and then, the following season, tore is own ACL after leading the Westlake varsity team deep into the playoffs.
"The ACL injury was a defining moment in my life," says Brees in Coming Back Stronger . "I made a decision not to let something negative control my emotion....the injury stirred me up inside, and I was filled with questions: Do I have a purpose? Is there a reason I'm on this earth? Do I have a destiny, or is everything just chance?"
Brees made the choice to come back stronger in what would be a recurring theme in years to come. He led Westlake to a 16-0 season and the first state championship in the history of the school.
Austin, Texas was a happy town but college football's major powers didn't seem to take notice. His hometown Texas Longhorns had other plans and Drew was only recruited by "a few Ivy League schools, along with Purdue and Kentucky."
This kid from Austin always seemed to be the perennial underdog, always having to overcome the odds.
Drew Brees chose Purdue of the Big Ten.
"By the way, where's Purdue?" It's in Indiana, Drew.
By his sophomore year, he was the starter but after an ill-advised interception against Notre Dame resulted in a loss, Brees began to question his own ability.
"Do I belong here? Can I compete at this level?
Once again he discovered his inner resolve to persevere through adversity.
In his senior year, Brees would lead Purdue to the 2000 Rose Bowl with a 64 yard TD pass in the final seconds to beat Ohio State. Purdue didn't go to Rose Bowls. Just never happened. No way. No how. That is until Mr. Brees came along.
Well now they call me the breeze
I keep blowin' down the road
I ain't got me nobody
I don't carry me no load
Oooh Mr Breeze
Fast forward to December 31, 2020- the day that would change the course of Drew Brees' life forever.
The Super Bowl seemed a million miles away when you lay in that hospital bed in 2006 with a shoulder so severely torn, even your doctor thought your playing days may be done.
The San Diego Chargers unceremoniously dumped you with an insulting contract offer and you and Brittany put plans to start a family on hold.
All of this because because you were just doing your job.
You dove for a fumble in your own end zone in 2005. You were just being you. Playing football the way Rose played baseball and Maravich played basketball. Diving to recover a fumble with your team out of playoff contention.
No good deed goes unpunished.
A 325 pound Denver defensive tackle named Gerald Warren landed full force on your throwing shoulder. It was a pretty gruesome sight.
In Birmingham, Ala, renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews watched a replay of that scramble for the ball and told Sports Illustrated , "I thought, my God, what an injury."
After examining you, he said it was a 360 degree tear of the labrum and, during surgery, Andrews found that you also suffered a deep, partial rotator cuff tear.
He told SI that it was "one of the most unique injuries of any athlete I've treated."
"Lord, I was just hoping to give him a functional shoulder. An average athlete would not recover from this injury," said Andrews.
Never underestimate the heart of a champion.
Meanwhile, the city of New Orleans was in shambles and struggling to regain its balance following Hurricane Katrina. Somehow, someway you two found each other and the marriage quickly got off to a rousing start.
In Coming Back Stronger , Drew Brees talks of a decision that came down to Miami or New Orleans and a meeting with the phlegmatic, aloof, former LSU coach Nick Saban, who was running the show in South Beach at the time.
"Nick was up-front with me. He told me straight out that he was interested in having me play for the Dolphins. His personality is not real warm, and you struggle to get a smile out of him. He's a hard-nosed stoic kind of guy, and he did most of the talking at the breakfast, as I recall."
By contrast, Brees took to Sean Payton right away.
"Our first conversation occurred while I was going through the Arby's drive-through in Birmingham, and I realized right away I like his (Sean Payton's) personality. I appreciated what he had to say about the team and the direction they were going. I could feel they truly wanted me and would appreciate a chance"
Brees pressed Saban for a commitment.
"Coach (Saban), I know how what your doctors believe about me. My question is, what do you believe? Do you believe that I can come back and be better than I was before and lead your team to a championship?"
Saban paused.
"That was really all I needed to hear. His pause told me everything." said Brees. "Immediately I called my agent. "Tom (Condon), do the deal with New Orleans."
It's January 2007 and you're walking through Audubon Park; San Diego seems so far in the past now.
You pass walkers and joggers along the trail.
Just last Saturday night, you led the Saints to 27-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the team's second playoff win in team history, setting up a meeting with the Chicago Bears for the NFC Championship.
"Thank you for what you've done for this city. I want you to know that we appreciate it," says a man pushing a baby stroller.
A woman passing in a red SUV yells out the window, "Thanks Drew!"
You tell SI's Tim Layden, "That happens 10 times a day. And it's never 'Good game' or Can I have your autograph? It's always somebody saying thank you."
You look downward and shake your head in humility.
Those Bourbon Street preachers say gratitude is the least heartfelt of all emotions. Guess they've never witnessed an outpouring of emotion like this.
Chef Emeril Lagasse tells Sports Illustrated, "He is a god down here right now. He is a miracle man."
In your first year as quarterback of the Saints, you are navigating the team toward the impossible dream: New Orleans' first Super Bowl.
Your right tackle Jon Stinchcomb tells SI, "Without him we just wouldn't be here. It's that simple."
Three year later, Stinchcomb would be one of your protectors in a Super Bowl victory.
Life was tough back in those days. Standing in long lines at the grocery. Standing in even longer lines at the pharmacy. Having to be in the drive-up line by 8:00 p.m. for a box of Popeye's fried chicken.
Football was one of the only distractions.
Now, it's Valentine's Day 2010 and your love affair with the city and its people is stronger than ever. You've just won the Super Bowl and Disney World will have to wait for a while.
"All those rough patches on the journey- the injury, the rehab, the hurricane, the new team-and now we were really here, Super Bowl champions. I stood there with my little boy, and I was overwhelmed. I told (baby) Baylen how much I loved him and how much he meant to me and what an inspiration he was to me," said Brees.
"We did it little boy. We did it."
You throw footballs from a Mardi Gras float as the King of Bacchus on a frigid Sunday night in New Orleans.
You throw perfect spirals that people scramble for like they were pieces of gold.
You fling necklaces and medallions with ease. The same way you threw that TD pass to Shockey in Miami and you're as humble as ever.
They say steel is strengthened in the fire and Lord knows you've been there, Mr. Brees.
Coming Back Stronger- a little Tanqueray and Tonic-New Orleans Style- for the the adversity-plagued soul.
