"We had an edge in '06, a little chip on your shoulder, with everything that was going on in the city post-Katrina. Then, last year after the slow start, I felt there were some guys that lost confidence and you lose a little confidence and all of a sudden you're in such a deep hole we were never really able to dig ourselves out of it," Brees says. "We got back to .500 on two occasions but never really got over the hump. When are we at our best? When we have that edge."

"We have the pieces of the puzzle in place," Brees says. "Year in and year out you know the Indianapolis Colts and the Patriots are going to be in the mix. We want to be one of those teams."