Drew Brees had plenty of success while at Purdue: 2x Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Maxwell Award winner in 2000, and set conference records for passing yards (11,792), touchdown passes (90), and many others. But one thing he did not find success in is beating Notre Dame, losing two last-minute games in South Bend. He had this to say about his games against ND:
“We should have won and somehow, someway Touchdown Jesus got us in the end,” “… There’s no question that is really one of the epicenters of college football. The history and nostalgia that exists there, and I think just what that place represents to so many people, it is a special place.”
His past failures against Notre Dame won’t stop him from jumping in the booth with Mike Tirico this upcoming year.
Brees returns to South Bend on September 11th as the other half of the color commentator booth for the coveted ND on NBC game against Toledo. This will be his first action with football since retiring this off-season from the New Orleans Saints.
He would go on to say:
“I will be impartial for every game with the exception of the Purdue game because my bloodlines run deep with the black and gold and the Boilermakers,” Brees said, also acknowledging he had long been well-aware his second game in this role will feature this matchup. “On a serious note, I’m excited to be a part of that and really continue the legacy of what Notre Dame football has meant to so many and obviously extremely excited to be in the booth with Mike Tirico.
While trying to put together one last Super Bowl run with the Saints, Brees did say he was able to catch a lot of Notre Dame games this year, especially the season split the Irish had against Clemson. But commentating requires hours of film prep and understanding coaching tendencies.
On College Football and similarities to the NFL, Brees would say:
“More so now than ever, you see this crossover of NFL and college,” Brees said. “You’ve got coaches that are jumping back and forth, and I think you have the styles of play that are beginning to mimic each other because you have quarterbacks going from college football into the pros and they’re so versatile, they’re so athletic, they can do so many things that you see these offenses in the NFL skew more toward really catering toward the skill set of those players coming from college.
Drew Brees is hands down one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever step foot on a football field. If he can find half the success he did in the NFL in the commentating booth, we as fans are in for a treat.
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