Drew Brees joined SB Nation Radio to talk about an upcoming promotion with Pepsi and Tostitos for fans, and also some things related to the New Orleans Saints season.
From now until January 2, you can purchase specially marked products to enter weekly sweepstakes for a chance to win 17 different unreal fan experiences that can help them get closer to the game.
This includes a trip to Super Bowl LI to be on the field for the trophy presentation, a trip to Madden NFL studios to have an avatar created of themselves that will be included in the game, and attending a game in New Orleans which includes eating at Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar and visiting the Saints facility to play catch with Drew Brees.
Brees also talked a bit about the offseason, NFC South competition, the recent floodings in West Virginia and Baton Rouge, and rookie Michael Thomas. You can use the embedded player below or go here to listen: SB Nation interview: Saints' Drew Brees
Brees' outlook on the offense:
"There’s a lot of things we’ve been working on this offseason. In the beginning, you're keeping things simple. You're teaching the fundamentals. As the preseason goes along, you have have to go step-by-step, phase-by-phase. I think that we would have liked to perform a lot better in last week's preseason game against the Texans, but I think this is all part of the process of continuing to grown and learn. And I can tell you this...there’s a great sense of urgency right now with what we’re doing, both in the run game and pass game. I’m excited with the way we're working, I'm excited with guys’ approach each and every day. We got some young receivers that are chomping at the bit to be great players. It just gets me excited to come to work every day."
How Brees looks at the preseason:
"A lot of the preseason for me is in practice. It’s taking the concepts that we’ve been working on throughout OTAs and really trying to apply them to game-like situations during practice. I get more reps during practice. I get to rep these plays, these concepts to situations and a lot of different looks because my time during games are limited."
On rookie wide receiver Michael Thomas:
"He is progressing. Each day, I just see the fire in this guy’s eyes. He wants to work, he wants to be great. He’s always asking for feedback on how he can do something better and what I’m expecting and what I’m looking for. You love a guy with that mentality, because he wants to learn. He wants to be coached. He wants to be great."
On the flood events in both The Greenbrier and locally:
"You see how those things affect the community. But then, you also see how they bring communities together. We had the chance to roll into West Virginia less than a month after those floods there. So obviously, the devastation was still very present. We actually took a day to go and help rebuild a park and a few homes in the White Sulphur Springs area where we were. Everyone was very thankful that we took an interest and what was happening to help them rebuild.
Obviously, Baton Rouge with what happened last week and all the rain and the flooding, and obviously there are tough times there. So many families lost everything, lost their homes and their belongings right when the school year is starting for the kids. But man, this community rallies. If there's a community that knows how to handle these types of things, it's Southeast Louisiana - whether it's hurricanes or floods or oil spills or whatever it might be, we've been through a lot. We find ways to stick together and come back stronger."
What New Orleans means to Brees:
"I love New Orleans. I love New Orleans so much. My wife Brittany and I have been embraced here in a way that I can't even describe. We have four children, all born here in New Orleans, and I'm so proud to call them New Orleanians. It's a really great community, we love our neighborhood. We know all of our neighbors. It's a different feel, it's a different sense. Everybody looks out for one another. I eat red beans and rice every Monday night with my neighbor. It's something that's unusual I think different than most areas around the country where that's lost. New Orleans just has that charm."
On NFC South competition:
"The bottom line is everyone in our division is good. Our divisional games, I feel like every time out, are just these contested battles where it comes down to the last possession or a one possession game at the end of the day. We know the work that's cut out for us in each and every game in the division. I think everybody knows what they're getting."
Brees was also asked about his favorite sports outside of football, which included baseball, golf, and tennis. Brees, who admitted that he was a sports junkie, has a desire to teach his kids how to play so that they can all enjoy it as a family, and that he can play that forever.