Payton and Brees by Jeff Duncan

Author:Jeff Duncan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Triumph Books
Published: 2020-08-12T23:03:41+00:00

14. Maxing Out

On Sunday, December 15, 2019, the indoor practice facility at the New Orleans Saints training complex was almost empty. The Saints had completed their walk-through practice in preparation for their Monday night game against the Indianapolis Colts about a half-hour earlier, and most of the players had retreated to the locker room to undress, shower, and head home. This was essentially the end of the work week. The only official team duties between now and kickoff on Monday night were a few meetings at the team hotel in downtown New Orleans later that night. But one Saint was still on the field: Drew Brees.

Dressed in his red No. 9 practice jersey, shorts, and a baseball cap, Brees stood at the 10-yard line of the south end zone and worked through the script of plays in the game plan for the Colts. He surveyed the imaginary defensive formation, then turned to his imaginary teammates and audibled to a new play with a pair of his hand signals. He then signaled to the imaginary center, took the imaginary snap, and retreated into a three-step drop. At the top of his drop, he looked left, checking off his imaginary receivers in the route progression of the play. Then, he looked right, shifting his body and feet for optimal balance, all the while pumping the imaginary ball in his right hand. Brees’ choreography was so true to form he even licked his fingers between plays, just as he does habitually during games.

For Brees, the visualization session is a vital part of his weekly routine. It’s his opportunity to play the game before the game, to reinforce the game plan and mentally steel himself for the approaching battle.

He doesn’t just simulate a successful completion. He also works through contingencies in each situation. What do I do if the defense double-teams my first option? Where’s my hot read if the linebackers blitz through the A gap? What if no one is open?

Over and over, he systematically works his way through each play on the call sheet. Each rehearsal takes between 20 and 30 minutes to complete, and Brees doesn’t stop until he’s comfortable with each play sequence. It’s a tedious, lonely process, but a critical one for Brees. The mental reps are just as important as the physical ones he takes in practice, a necessity for him to feel comfortable and confident heading into game day.

“I think when you can have a very defined starting point and ending point on every play, despite what is happening all around you, I think that helps create a calmness and a poise with you as a quarterback, which you have to have,” Brees said. “I’d say that’s very much controlling the chaos. How you determine that starting point and that ending point on every play is through preparation. When you’ve visualized everything that could happen, most importantly, when you’ve visualized the worst-case scenario—‘If they do this, what’s my answer?’—if you have all the answers, and you have all the tools, then you don’t really go in worried.

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