Exclusive: Drew Brees drops truth bomb on Tom Brady battles

Brees spent 15 seasons with the New Orleans Saints and brought a new era of success to a team that only had seven winning seasons in their history, five total postseason appearances and one playoff win during the 39 years before he arrived. From 2006-2020, the 13-time Pro Bowler led the Saints to nine playoff appearances, seven division titles (which included four straight from 2017 to 2020), three NFC Championship Game appearances and the first Super Bowl in franchise history (Super Bowl XLIV). Brees was also named Super Bowl MVP of that game.

By the end of his tenure with the Saints, Brees had 13 total Pro Bowl selections as well as two Offensive Player of the Year awards. He also led the NFL in passing yards a record seven times.

Overall, between college and the pros, Brees' resume is incredible:

• Super Bowl champion (XLIV)
• Super Bowl MVP (XLIV)
• NFC champion (2009)
• 13× Pro Bowl (2004, 2006, 2008–2014, 2016–2019)
• 25× AFC/NFC Offensive Player of the Week
• 5× NFC Offensive Player of the Month
• First-team All-Pro (2006)
• 4× Second-team All-Pro (2008, 2009, 2011, 2018)
• 2× NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2008, 2011)
• Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (2010)
• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year (2010)
• Bert Bell Award (2009)
• Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2006)
• NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2004)
• Maxwell Award (2000)
• 2× Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (1998, 2000)
• Most seasons as passing yards leader: 7

Needless to say, Drew Brees is one of the best to ever do it. In an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints on behalf of State Line Distillery, Brees spoke about Tom Brady, winning the Super Bowl and more.

GOAT vs GOAT: Drew Brees vs. Tom Brady

After first facing off Oct. 2, 1999 in college (a 38-12 win for Michigan over Purdue at The Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan), the Brees vs. Brady head-to-head rivalry saw its final chapter on Jan. 17, 2021 with the 30-20 Buccaneers win in the playoffs.

At the NFL level, Brees finished 5-3 against Brady overall (including the postseason), but Brady walked away with the 1-0 edge in the playoffs.

Brady and Brees are first and second in various NFL passing records, including career passing yards, career touchdown passes, career pass completions and career completion percentage.

“I had a lot of battles with Brady, going all the way back to college,” Brees said. “[Versus Brady] This game's coming down to the last possession … Sean Payton and I would say there's certain games you don't look at the scoreboard because it doesn't matter.”

Brees holds the NFL record for most touchdown passes in home games at 332 — four ahead of Brady (328) despite throwing 656 fewer passes (5,335 vs. 5,991).

Brady’s 321 career touchdown passes on the road might be even more impressive than his overall total. Peyton Manning holds second place with 262.

In terms of overall efficiency, Brees’ 5.41 career touchdown pass percentage tops Brady’s 5.38 by a slight margin.

In the Saints' regular-season opener (Week 1 2020 NFL season) against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Brady's first game with Tampa Bay), Brees completed 18 of 30 passes for 160 passing yards and two touchdowns.

He also broke Brett Favre's record for most career pass attempts in the process, as the Saints defeated Brady's Bucs, 34-23. Following the Week 1 victory, Brees helped lead the Saints to a 5-2 stretch heading into a second matchup with Brady in Week 9.

Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football, he passed for 222 yards and four touchdowns in a dominant 38-3 victory. With the win over the Buccaneers, Brees defeated Brady head-to-head for the second time (both in the same season).

In their final matchup and the final game of Brees' career, Brady and the Buccaneers won 30-20 in the NFC Divisional Playoffs that same season.

On March 14, 2021, exactly 15 years to the day when Brees signed his first contract with the New Orleans Saints and about two months after the playoff loss to Brady's Bucs, Brees announced his retirement after 20 seasons.

On Feb 1, 2023, Brady announced on social media he was retiring “for good.” Brady initially came out of retirement after just 40 days before the start of the 2022 season. Both Brady and Brees had hung up their cleats, officially ending an era for two of the greatest QBs in NFL history.

Winning Super Bowl XLIV

On Feb. 7, 2010, the Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV. Brees threw for 288 passing yards and two touchdowns in the upset victory over Peyton Manning and the Colts. Brees' 32 completions tied a Super Bowl record set by Tom Brady (who else?) in Super Bowl XXXVIII, and the Saints legend won Super Bowl MVP in the process.

“That's the pinnacle of what you hope to accomplish, to win a Super Bowl,” Brees explained. “I always dreamed I would have a son to share that with, that's what made that so remarkable, you're at the pinnacle of your career and career accomplishment and to have my son there. Time stood there!”

New Orleans trailed 10-6 at halftime in Super Bowl XLIV. To begin the second half, head coach Sean Payton came up with one of the riskiest calls in Super Bowl history.

Kicker Thomas Morstead started off the second half with a surprise onside kick. And it worked! The Saints recovered the kick and soon got their first lead of the game after a 1-yard touchdown catch from Pierre Thomas. The Colts responded right back with a Joseph Addai rushing touchdown to regain the lead at 17-13.

The Saints then scored 18 unanswered points, including Tracy Porter's 74-yard interception return for a touchdown, to clinch the victory. It was the first Super Bowl title in Saints franchise history. Brees was also named the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, both for winning the Super Bowl and his charitable work towards the reconstruction of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. And on Dec. 17, 2010, Brees was named the AP Male Athlete of the Year to cap off an incredible year.

New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina

Drew Brees leading the Saints to a Super Bowl win five years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans was a huge moment for the city. Brees saw first-hand what the franchise means to New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina.

“It was unbelievable. That was the symbol of resurgence of New Orleans. Not only were we gonna come back, we were gonna come back stronger than ever and do it together. People were having a hard time rebuilding their homes, rebuilding their lives, but they were finding a way inside the Superdome that night and buying season tickets.

“The relationship between Who Dat Nation and the Saints is unlike any other in all of sports.”

In 2010, Sports Illustrated described Brees as “an athlete as adored and appreciated as any in an American city today.”

When Sports Illustrated selected him as 2010 Sportsman of the Year, it said the award was “for not only leading the New Orleans Saints to the first Super Bowl title in the franchise's history, but also for helping lead the city of New Orleans' rebirth after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.”

In addition to his play on the field, Brees and his family won over the fans in New Orleans by living and building their family in New Orleans proper, instead of the suburbs like many players did.

Shortly after Brees joined the Saints in the aftermath of Katrina in 2006, he immediately started giving back to the New Orleans community. Brees and his foundation helped raise over $1.5 million to rebuild schools, parks, playgrounds and more that were damaged during the hurricane.

Brees continues to be an active member of the New Orleans community in his post-playing career, including during the coronavirus pandemic and Hurricane Ida in 2021, which hit the same area as Katrina 16 years earlier.

Drew Brees: Future Hall of Famer and Coffee Liqueur Connoisseur

How does a football legend like Drew Brees stay on top of his game? One of his go-tos: State Line Distillery Coffee Liqueur!

Brees first heard of the brand when their coffee liqueur was given to him as a gift from his friend and business partner Jason.

“I loved it, wanted to learn more,” Brees said. “It doesn't taste artificial at all … it tastes like there's been a lot of care in it. if you taste it alongside the others [competitors], it's not even close!”

What exactly is it?

State Line describes it as a locally roasted cold brew coffee paired with cane sugar and sustainably sourced grain from Wisconsin’s Driftless region to create a decadent liqueur with smooth, rich flavors of coffee & chocolate.

Just like their ambassador and partner Drew Brees, State Line Distillery has also won some hardware including:

• Winner of Double Gold Medal & Best of Class Coffee Liqueur, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023
• Winner of Double Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2024

A full description from State Line Distillery's website:

“State Line Distillery is proudly Wisconsin. We source our grains from local fields, our botanicals from local gardens. We're headquartered in the capital city and our aim is to bottle the best of home. Our knowledgeable and passionate bar staff connects the art and science of distillation to beautifully designed, balanced cocktails. Our goal is to make craft cocktails that are approachable, delicious, and presented to customers a fun and educational manner. At State Line, each ingredient in every cocktail has been meticulously crafted using only fresh ingredients, which we believe results in a better drink. The spirits used are exclusively our own, distilled on site, providing us a unique opportunity to create cocktails that can only be found in our lounge. Gather around the table, back patios or the bar and enjoy a different kind of cocktail experience.”

Here's an Instagram video with more info on the partnership between Brees and State Line Distillery: