Drew Brees

Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees plays for the New Orleans Saints. Brees signed with the Saints in 2006, shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and put the Saints' existence in New Orleans in jeopardy. Brees previously played for the San Diego Chargers in the AFC.

On April 22, 2010, EA Sports announced that Brees had been chosen for the cover of its upcoming Madden NFL 11 video game. The game will be released in August of 2010. Some believe there is a so-called "Madden Curse" which causes bad things to befall athletes picked for the cover. To this, Brees has said that "Just like records are made to be broken, curses are made to be broken too."http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/04/new_orleans_saints_quarterback_48.html

On Sunday, February 7, 2010, Brees led the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Brees was named the Super Bowl MVP as the Saints defeated the Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV. Brees was 32 of 39 for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the game, with no interceptions. He also had no interceptions and ended with a 114.5 quarterback rating.http://www.boston.com/sports/football/articles/2010/02/08/saints_brees_is_now_among_the_finest_of_quarterbacks/

Brees has been selected to the Pro Bowl multiple times and was selected the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2004. On January 6, 2009, Brees was named the Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.SI.com: [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/01/06/offensive-poy.ap/index.html He was a runner up for the honor in 2010 and won the FedEx Air Player of the Year award for the second year in a row on February 3, 2010.http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/02/new_orleans_saints_quarterback_38.html

In mid-March of 2010, Drew Brees took to his Twitter account to announce his plans to write a book. Details were not immediately forthcoming as to the exact subject matter, though Brees tweeted that it was "great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many."http://twitter.com/drewbrees/status/10349122274

Brees was drafted by the San Diego Chargers as the first pick of the second round of the 2001 draft. Brees' playing career with the Chargers was in jeopardy in 2004 when San Diego acquired Philip Rivers from the New York Giants in a deal for Eli Manning. However, Brees beat out Rivers for the starting job in 2004, and finished third in the league for quarterback rating, behind only Peyton Manning and Daunte Culpepper. Brees was named to the Pro Bowl that season. In 2006, Brees inked a deal with the New Orleans Saints worth $60 million over six years. That year, he led the Saints to the AFC Championship.

In 2009, Brees led the Saints to the playoffs once again. In January of 2010, New Orleans beat the Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings to take the NFC championship - the team was headed to Miami, Florida, for the Super Bowl.