Wednesday, October 5, 2011

MEP of the Week: Week 4

Okay, okay. I know it's too early to name Aaron Rodgers my MEP of the Week again. I mean, he did break about 5 different francise and league records, and is playing pretty much the best football of his career, but we'll just hold off for now.

I'm sure he'll do it again later on.

This week, perhaps surprisingly, I'm actually focused on a QB that everyone seems surprised I don't hate: Drew Brees. I very much think that the Saints will be the Pack's greatest hurdle to the Super Bowl and definitely see them meeting again in the NFC Championship game, but even if that's so -- even if they keep us out of the Super Bowl altogether -- I could never hold that against Drew Brees. Ben Roethlisberger, sure. Matt Ryan, of course. Definitely Michael Vick. But Drew Brees has always occupied a soft spot in my heart.


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The first thing you have to respect is his dedication. About a year ago, Sports Illustrated did a spread on Brees and I remember reading that even when they're on a bye week -- even when they're not in season -- Brees will get out every Sunday and throw, just to keep himself in a rhythym. I think he takes the game seriously and I think he has a tremendous amount of respect for the game, which in turn I think earns him respect from virtually everyone. Can you think of one person who doesn't like Breesy?


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I think I, and most people, like Brees because he's just so understated. He's one of the best in the game, is the third-most accurate passer of all-time, has the tenth-best passer rating, and brought a struggling team in a devastating city to a Super Bowl victory. But he just doesn't draw attention to himself. I love Tom Brady, and I love Rodgers, but even I can admit that there are moments when I can see why they sometimes rub people the wrong way. They've both got that chip, they can both be arrogant. But Brees -- and I think I would put Peyton Manning in this category too -- is just an All-American, all-around nice guy who happens to excel at his position. And, while this may be an insignificant point, he's also a great husband and a great father. A lot of our best QBs right now are very young and very hungry -- you imagine that they just don't have time for a family. But Brees seems to excel at both, which is pretty much all a girl can ask for. And of course there's the Brees Dream Foundation, which does such great work for its communities. The guy is just firing on all cylinders, all the time. You've gotta wonder when he has time to sleep. (Though those Nyquil ads are pretty convincing).

Plus...the cherry on top? He looks great in a suit. I mean, really. There are no more words.


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-Michelle

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