Saints QB Drew Brees Tells Men's Health He Still Has a Chip On His Shoulder

He is on the cover of the October 2010 issue of Men's Health magazine and he says he hasn't lost his edge; the feeling of being disrespected.

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees says that winning the Super Bowl has not robbed him of the chip on his shoulder.

"You still have to have a chip on your shoulder," Brees told Men's Health reporter Mike Zimmerman. "The way people perceive me now is different from the way they did 5 years ago. Five years ago, I wasn't big enough, strong enough, couldn't win the big one. Whatever. Now, coming off of a Super Bowl championship, showing them that I can play at a high level, I have to keep that chip on my shoulder like I still have something to prove."

"I look at every day as, 'I have to be better today. ' If I'm not getting better, I'm getting worse. You don't stay the same. So, I improve everyday, continue to make the sacrifices I've made to reach this level, and it's all about ,'How can I win another championship?," Brees said.

Brees told Men's Health it's all about having the "mental edge."

"Winning means having that mental edge on everybody. The more you push yourself physically...a hard mental toughness develops...because you have to push past your perceived limits. Push past that point you thought was as far as you could go.

"Once you push past that, you remake your confidence," Brees told Zimmerman. "I push past that and I know I've put myself in the best position to succeed. There is no person who will be in better shape than me, or more prepared. Physically, spiritually, psychologically-man I'm ready."

How ready?

"Ready to throw it all away like the best never happened," Brees tells Men's Health.

It's early Summer and Drew Brees is throwing practice balls to high school receivers in San Diego.

The ball's gonna be there, the ball's gonna be there! 

The high school kid drops the pass and Brees is not happy about it.

The fiery competitive edge that drives him to be the best, that drove him to shock the world one year ago, still burns in his soul. 

A real game or just practice, Brees hates to lose and he realizes he is playing for something bigger than his own ego gratification.

"We're still playing for a lot more than just football. It's not just about winning games for ourselves or for our organization," Brees says in Men's Health. "It's about winning for the city, the people, uplifting their spirits, giving them hope, especially with what's going on in the Gulf."

Brees says say no one, not even his closest friends will distract him from his ultimate goal—winning another Super Bowl.

While his teammates gorge themselves with buttered popcorn at the movies, Brees eats healthy snacks.

"There are plenty of times that you figure somebody else doesn't have the same interests you do,"Brees tells Mike Zimmerman. "And they might be your friends. That's the toughest- when they're closest to you.You have to have the discipline to at times say no, so that you can do what you need to do to accomplish what you want to accomplish."