David A. Aretha - Drew Brees

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For Monday Night Football broadcasts, ESPN likes to keep the crowd volume tuned high so TV viewers can hear and feel the fans' enthusiasm. On Monday, November 30, 2009, viewers across America felt it in their bones. The cheering, the shrieking was so loud that night, the ESPN play-by-play duo of Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden had to scream to be heard.

In the second-most-watched event on cable television in American history, nearly 15 million U.S. households tuned in for this marquee matchup. The New England Patriots, the greatest football dynasty of the 21st century, ventured to New Orleans, proud home of the 10-0 Saints. For 60 football minutes, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees put on one of the greatest passing performances in National Football League (NFL) history.

Brees, the on-field and emotional leader of the Saints, attacked the Patriots with confidence, savvy, and passion. In the second quarter, with his team on its own 25-yard-line, Brees dropped back and looked to his leftthen rifled a deep ball to the right to wide receiver Devery Henderson. "Wide open is Henderson!" blared Tirico. "Goodbye! Touchdown!"

In the stands, fans went wild.

"Look at my man, Drew Brees!" analyzed Gruden during the replay. "A pump to the left. The ball fake. The eye discipline. Move the defense. He moves the defense to the left, and Devery Henderson leaves a big void in the secondary."

To understand why the fans were so jacked for this game, one must understand the context. The Saints had joined the NFL in 1967 and didn't make the playoffs until their 20th season. All that time, they were one of the laughingstocks of the league, known nationwide as the "Aints." They became more competitive over the next two decades, generating excitement and an increasingly loyal fan base. The Saints were the only major professional sports team in Louisiana, and fans throughout the Bayou donned black and gold jerseysmany with "Brees" on the backand dreamed of one day reaching the ultimate game.

"The Superdome might be the loudest, toughest venue in the sport," wrote Yardbarker.com's Chris Mueller, "Saints fans somehow imbue it with an atmosphere that is equal parts party, rock concert and hostile sporting event. With apologies to the other 31 teams, this is the best fan base in the NFL."

Perhaps on that magical November night in 2009, another event fueled the team's and fans' passions. Four years earlier, Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast region, particularly New Orleans. Levees that protected New Orleans from storm surges failed. Water roared into the city, causing massive flooding. Hundreds of New Orleans residents perished and thousands of homes and buildings were laid to waste. An estimated 1.5 million people in the region had to leave their homes, either temporarily or permanently.

Besides the physical toll, residents were emotionally devastated. They needed something to feel good aboutneeded hope and encouragement. For many, the Saints became a source of inspiration.

The Saints didn't reach the Super Bowl from 2005-08, but in '09 they seemed destined for greatness. A victory over the mighty Patriots would push them to 11-0 and prove they could beat anybody.

That night, the Saints "Breesed" to a 38-17 score over New England. In just 23 passes, Drew completed 18, for 371 yards and five touchdown passes. It was the first time this century that a quarterback (QB) threw five touchdown (TD) passes in a game against the Patriots. Brees averaged 16 yards per pass attempt, the most ever in a game against an NFL team with a winning record.

Brees drops back to pass during the third quarter of a game against the New England Patriot in the New Orleans Superdome in 2009.

Source: Newscom.

"It only counts for one win on the stat sheet, but emotionally, those types of wins can mean a little more," Brees said afterward. "Anytime you can win, and win that way, it builds confidence for you."

The Saints would ride that confidenceand the arm of Breesall the way to the ultimate game. On Super Bowl Sunday, in the bars and restaurants of New Orleans' French Quarterin the rebuilt and half-restored homes of the hardest-hit neighborhoodsall across Louisiananervously hopeful fans put their faith in the city's greatest hero. For the first time everfinallythe Saints would battle for the NFL championship. And Drew Brees rose to the occasion.

"Drew likes to be told, 'No,'" Ben De Leon, Brees' high school teammate, told Black&Gold.com. "Tell him he can't come back from a knee injury as a high school junior to play in college, and he will do it. Tell him he's too short to play in the NFL, and he'll do it. Tell him he can't come back after a shoulder injury with San Diego, and he'll do it. Tell him New Orleans can't be rebuilt, and he'll do it."

This book is the story of a true American hero. It's about a kid who overcame adversities as a child and now helps young people do the same. It's about a young quarterback who chose New Orleans as his NFL team largely to help uplift a community that needed a whole lot of support. It's a story about a universally respected teammate and team leader who marshaled the Saints to the pinnacle of the football world. Along the way, he has broken some of the biggest career records in football: most completed passes, most passing yards, and most touchdown passes. Not in the 100 years of NFL football has there been a more accurate passer.

To discover the origins of the Drew Brees story, we need to journey to a state long known for its football fanaticism: Texas.

A Mark of Courage

Drew Brees has enjoyed a storybook football career, but his childhood was scarredfiguratively and literally. Drew was born with a dark red birthmark, about an inch long. It started to the right of his right eye and trailed down his cheek.

"Because of my birthmark, which I was obviously born with, I got all kinds of comments when I was a kid, about 'Wipe that whatever off your face.' All kinds of names. People would call me 'Spot,'" Drew once told CNN. "I think they were trying to be malicious. They were trying to be hurtful."

Other children would have felt ashamed or angryperhaps begged their parents to have the mark surgically removed. But, displaying character and toughness even at an early age, Drew decided to keep that birthmark as a badge of honor. "Instead of seeing it as a bad thing," he wrote in his book Coming Back Stronger, "I chose to see it as something that made me unique and special. It set me apart from everyone else. Now it's just a part of who I am. I wouldn't consider cutting off my arm. Neither would I cut off my birthmark."

As he grew, Drew realized that he could use the story of his birthmark in another way: as a platform to teach others to be more tolerant.

Good things haven't just "happened" to Drew Brees. He has succeeded by maximizing his potential and venturing forth with courage and a positive attitude.