2011 NFL Season: Did Drew Brees Just Become More Impressive?

According to Nola.com, the UN World Food Program named Drew Brees, the future NFL Hall of Famer, an Ambassador to the Horn of Africa.

Just when it appeared that the New Orleans Saints QB could not be anymore impressive, he goes and does something like this. It is not enough to own the best completion percentage in NFL history, 70.6 percent, but now he will have the opportunity to help feed millions of hungry children in Africa.

This type of generosity might be foreign to most of the NFL, but it is just another day in the life of Drew Brees.

The Brees Dream Foundation, the organization that was founded in 2003, aids in the fight against cancer and provides opportunities for children in need. To date, the foundation has contributed over $7 million to charities and different causes in communities close to Drew’s heart. Cities like New Orleans, West Lafayette/Purdue and San Diego all receive support, and most importantly, attention from the foundation (http://www.drewbrees.com/foundation).  

Although Brees’ life looks cozy now, it was not without drama early on. In the final game of the 2005 season, his career was turned upside down. He injured his shoulder against the Denver Broncos when he tried to dive on a loose ball. In January of 2006, his shoulder was operated on by Dr. James Andrews, someone who has handled plenty of star athletes.

After going through shoulder surgery, few teams wanted to hand the reins over to a QB coming off a serious operation. Only the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints were interested in him as a starting quarterback. When Nick Saban and the Dolphins picked Daunte Culpepper over Brees, the direction of both franchises was forever altered.

One organization continued to miss the playoffs, while the other became a perennial favorite to win the NFC. In the 2009 season, the Saints did just that en route to the city's first major sports championship. New Orleans defeated the Colts 31-17 in one of the most-watched Superbowls to date.  

Since that day in February of last year, Brees has reached a new level of popularity, both locally and nationwide. Shirts began to crop up everywhere around the city with his likeness on it. And even shirts with the slogan “Breesus is My Homeboy” started to be seen around town. He was being compared to a savior, not for all of mankind, but for the residents of a city that did not just want a winner, but needed one.

Because of that magical season, the weight of rebuilding a city that had experienced one of the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history did not seem so heavy.

People say football is just a game, and they are right. However, if you asked all those fans that were openly weeping on the streets of the French Quarter, the Saints beating the Colts was bigger than the sport.

Tracy Porter, the cornerback who picked off Peyton Manning in the fourth quarter of the big game, will forever be remembered as the one that was sprinting towards the end zone, just pointing to the crowd. He was saying "this is for you, New Orleans," without uttering a single word.

As for the All-Pro quarterback, whether you want to call him Breesus or just Drew Brees, he is the undisputed king of the Crescent City.