Drew Brees: A True Saint

By Bryce Kerr

People said that this was going to be a tough season for the Saints after “Bountygate” unraveled. New Orleans has struggled so far this year without head coach Sean Payton, who is suspended for the year, and assistant coach Joe Vitt, who returns from his suspension after week 6.

AP Photo/ Jonathan Bachman

Payton, Vitt, and suspended General Manager Mickey Loomis were all in the house when the San Diego Chargers came to New Orleans on Sunday night. The NFL permitted the three to attend the game following a request by Drew Brees.

They were not allowed to be on the field for obvious reasons, so they watched from a suite as the Saints tried to get their first win of the season. The 1992 Chargers are the only team that has ever started the year 0 and 4 and went on to make the playoffs.  

The main reason Drew Brees wanted Payton, Vitt, and Loomis at the game was not to see if the Saints could notch their first win, but instead, to see if Brees could throw a touchdown pass. Only one touchdown pass and Brees would break the record set by Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass.

And Drew Brees did it with style. He passed for 370 yards and threw for four touchdowns. Three of his four touchdown passes were to Marques Colston, who had a very nice night as well.

48 straight games. Drew Brees threw at least one touchdown pass in 48 straight games. And it is only fitting that Brees breaks the record against the only other team he has ever played for, the one that drafted him in 2001, the Chargers.

Brees isn’t done yet, though. The Saints quarterback could possibly put that record out of reach for other hopefuls, like Unitas thought he did so many years ago.

Lost in all of this record-breaking drama was the actual outcome of the game. New Orleans came back from a 24-14 deficit to earn its first victory of the year. The final score was 31-24. Drew Brees led a late game drive and the defense came up with a huge stop to end the game.

When the game was over, and Drew Brees was done answering the inevitable questions, he took his game ball up to the suite to see Payton, Vitt, and Loomis. He shared a congratulatory moment with them. He said it was “special they could be a part of this record.”

Joe Vitt will take control from Aaron Kromer, the current interim head coach, after next week. And Loomis will be back two weeks later.