Former Purdue quarterback Drew Brees was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 8. Here are highlights from his speech:
Drew Brees on playing quarterback
“I don’t take for granted I got to play most coveted position in all of sports. As far back as I can remember, I wanted to play quarterback. I never saw the position as one of pressure but rather one of great responsibility. Bill Parcells described it as the steady hand that steers the ship. Marty Schottenheimer would say there’s no position on the field who’s performance has a greater impact on those around him. Bill Walsh often emphasized quarterback play is about making the correct decisions repeatedly. The quarterback is the distributor of hope and confidence. A master of probability. The ultimate problem solver. I’ve always seen the game of football at the quarterback position as a true art form, like a song or a dance.
“The key to the art form was controlling the rhythm of the game. Everything had a rhythm from the articulation of the play in the huddle to the pre-snap cues and communication. To the cadence and the snap of the ball. To your feet dropping back, the timing and flow of your hitch and gather, to the .3 seconds between your front foot hitting the ground that set off a combustion of energy from your toes to your fingertips as it translates power to the pronation and spin of the ball as it releases to the atmosphere. That is what I live for.
“I loved the chess match. it was a complex puzzle to solve and each drive represented a section of that puzzle. If you failed with one, you could come back to it later with a different perspective or different confidence. To solve it was euphoric. Through the process you saw something take place. You saw a masterpiece come together with every teammate and position playing an integral role in final outcome.”
Brees on Purdue’s role in his career
“Purdue university; I still don’t know how you got this Texas kid up to West Lafayette, Indiana but it was certainly one of the best decisions I made. I chose Purdue because of its academic reputation and opportuntiy to play in the BIg Ten Confernce. Little did I know I’d leave four years later with one of the most respected degrees in the country, a Big Ten championship, the love of my life and the opportunity to live out my child hood dream of being a professional athlete.
Brees on Joe Tiller, his coach at Purdue
“To our late coach Joe Tiller. Thank you for creating an environment where we always had to prove it. You always had that look in your eye like you knew something we didn’t. You knew how hard to push, and that was well past our perceived limits. We trusted your plan as you set a new standard that developed grit, toughness and put a massive chip on our shoulders. We carried it everywhere we went.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Highlights from former Purdue QB Drew Brees’ Pro Football Hall of Fame induction
Reporting by Nat Newell, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nat Newell, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
