Tonight the NFL season kicks off with the Minnesota Vikings taking on Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. In 2009 Brees, a Purdue University legend, saw his personal stock rise to an all-time high as he won a Super Bowl and put up HUGE passing numbers.
Brees gave an exclusive to Men’s Health magazine, and the October issue which features the interview hits newstands Tuesday, September 14th. We have a preview/some excerpts below.
As someone who gained “the relationship weight” in ’09, and lost all of it and more in 2010, I wholeheartedly endorse Men’s Health. And as someone who has a ginormous competitive chip on my shoulder, I enjoyed reading what Brees had to say.
On the importance of this season…
“We’re still playing for a lot more than just football. It’s not just about winning games for ourselves or for our organization. It’s about winning for the city, the people, uplifting their spirits, giving them hope, especially with what’s going on in the Gulf.”
On reaching another victory…
“There is no person who will be in better shape than me, or more prepared. Physically, spiritually, psychologically – man, I’m ready.”
On winning…
“Winning means having that mental edge on everybody. Because you have to push past your perceived limits. Push past that point you thought was as far as you could go. Once you push past that, you remake your confidence. I push past that and I know I’ve put myself in the best position to succeed.”
On still having to prove himself…
“You still have to have a chip on your shoulder. The way people perceive me now is different from the way they did 5 years ago. Five years ago I wasn’t big enough, strong enough, couldn’t win the big one. Whatever. Now, coming off a Super Bowl championship, showing them I can play at a high level, I have to keep that chip on my shoulder like I still have something to prove.”
“I have a lot to prove. I look at every day as, ‘I have to be better today.’ If I’m not getting better, I’m getting worse. You don’t stay the same. So I improve every day, continue to make the sacrifices I’ve made to reach this level, and it’s all about, ‘How can I win another championship?”
On accomplishing goals…
“You’re always in a position where you have to eliminate distractions and negative influences in order to focus, concentrate, accomplish your goals. You just have to understand that your window of opportunity is a small one. You have to make sure you’re doing everything you can within that window to accomplish what you set out to accomplish. That you’ve made that commitment to yourself, to the people around you. In my case, to the city, to the organization.”
“There are plenty of times that you figure somebody else doesn’t have the same interests you do. And they might be your friends. That’s the toughest – when they’re closest to you. You have to have the discipline to at times say no, so that you can do what you need to do to accomplish what you want to accomplish.”
“It’s all about setting priorities. I took one step closer to getting the edge today.”
