Ben DeLeon, Westlake High School teammate

"It was a magical season and Drew was kind of the glue that kept everything together for us. He was a quarterback, he was our leader, he was tremendous and as we've come to find out he was a little underrated. And he has used that throughout the consistency of his life to just prove the doubters wrong and he continues to do that to this day."

Ron Schroeder, high school coach

"He wasn't that big. He wasn't that fast. He wasn't that strong, but it took a while to discover those intangibles that he had."

Jonny Rodgers, Westlake High School teammate

"Drew is the most competitive person you've ever met. And for somebody to tell him he couldn't do something and challenge him, that's about the worst thing you can do, is challenge Drew Brees because he will step up to the challenge and nine times out of 10, if not 10 times out of 10, he'll meet it."

Matt Matza, Westlake High School teammate

"Redemption is a beautiful thing. And you have to be willing to do the work and I think some people might crawl in a hole one way and never come out and feel sorry and 'Oh, me.' And certain other folks are invigorated by it and you see it even today with professional athletes. Some are never the same, some you look at just watching them train and rehab from an injury is as inspiring as anything they'll ever do on the field. And that doesn't get as much press. And certainly in high school you're not watching Drew rehab, but he busted his ass. And he busted his ass so he could get fully back, wanted his position back, wanted to lead the team."

Chris Clopton, Purdue teammate

"I remember, Coach Tiller said it best, it was the Pigskin Classic we played in during sophomore year, and it was a pass that he made in the end zone, and I remember Coach Tiller was saying on the radio, 'We got him. We've found our guy. We don't have to look any further; we've found our guy.' And then from that point on, he just developed, developed, developed... his character but also how to perform on the field."

Jason Loerzel, Purdue teammate

"So the intensity that everybody sees from Drew all the time is constant. OK. He's very intense at everything that he does. OK. And by intense I mean very competitive."

Jeff Brohm, Purdue coach

"Trust me, when Drew Brees comes around, people take notice and they listen to what he has to say and they understand, they watch TV and see all the accomplishments that he has had throughout his career, so when he spends a lot of his time to come back and talk to our guys, it's not a normal person talking. It's somebody that's been there and done that, done it at the highest level, trust me, he's had a tremendous impact on our program, our football team, and we're very thankful to have him a part of it."

Jason Loerzel, Purdue teammate

"Drew is hyper-focused at whatever it is that he does and when he sets his mind on something you know Drew's going to complete it. He's going to get it done. He he's able to compartmentalize things that others you know just can't get done. Focus."

Tim Sullivan, former San Diego columnist

"I've never been more wrong about an athlete than I was about Drew Brees. I didn't think he could play at that level. I thought he was too small I didn't think he either could see over the line or adapt. He wasn't as mobile as some other quarterbacks. But you know he transformed himself overnight."

Brittany Brees

"I just knew that was it, we were gone. And you know you just, he walked off the field with his arm just locked up, and it was the strangest position you know of anyone that I've ever seen with an arm like that. And at that point you know I just prayed. I prayed and I just knew that we were gone, in San Diego. And I just didn't know if he would ever play again. But I was just, it broke my heart for him because he's the most amazing man. And he worked so hard to get there. And if that was our time then it was up then that was OK. But it just broke my heart for him. You know he didn't deserve that."

Pete Carmichael, Saints offensive coordinator

"Well, I can remember specifically the injury happened and you know as a coach you're always kind of, 'I wonder how bad is it,' and I can remember being up in the press box and as he came off the sideline onto the sidelines, I can remember Cam Cameron saying through the headsets, 'Oh it's not good.' And you know the type of makeup, the character of Drew Brees, you thought if there was going to be a guy that was going to have some adversity in his life and would be able to overcome it, you knew it would be him."

Dr. James Andrews

"Every time we gave him a certain timetable, he said good, I want to know what it is and I'm going to beat it. And of course he did. And we had to almost put a rein, a check rein on him to try to keep him from going so fast and running out of things to do, but he wanted to know the timetable so he could challenge the timetables and get well quicker than what we anticipated."

Ben DeLeon, Westlake High School teammate

"It's always there. It's just that his faith is who he is and it defines him in terms of the actions that he makes and what he does. That is what is his faith is. That's why I'm so proud of him. You know I tell him that I'm really proud of him not because of his accolades on the field. It's great. I mean but you know if Drew were not playing football he'd be doing something else. And I'm confident he's going to be just fine after he plays football because of the faith and because of keeping that at the the center of everything that he does."

Jon Stinchcomb, former Saints teammate

"Not only was he gifted and talented to be one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game but he's one of the most positive influences on the city of New Orleans post Katrina, on the communities that he's been in and on so many lives. I can't even begin on a personal level. The times that I've seen him go out of his way to change somebody's world, sick kids and just across the board. That's the legacy that I think he leaves that far exceeds what he's done with number nine on his chest and a helmet on his head."

Ron Forman, talking about the 2006 season

"With Drew Brees' face on TV saying New Orleans is coming back, this is my city, this is my home; that coverage made all the difference in the world in New Orleans being the city it is today."

Mike Triplett, ESPN.com reporter

"They were all in on being a part of New Orleans and its recovery. I remember one of the questions I asked him was What are some of the like local traditions they've taken part in and their answer was so long they were so excited to talk about how they started love snowballs and which restaurants they went to and which ones where their favorites and where there's new pocket of town that they had found so they were they were really genuinely all in really embracing this city and growing back with it."

Cathy Riedlinger, Lusher president/CEO

"I'll tell you my favorite thing about working with the Drew and Brittany. When they come here, I love for my kids to see the two of them together. I love the way he treats her. I love the way they are a team. I think that, you know a school leader always worries a little bit when so many kids of our kids walk around with T-shirts and with the jerseys that have No. 9 on the back. I can't tell you what it means, especially for the kids in New Orleans after Katrina, and especially for our kids coming back, to know that they're wearing the No. 9 for an incredibly good human being."

Mike Triplett, ESPN.com reporter

"Somewhere between 2006 and 2009 Brees went from being a real good story and a good leader and an MVP type of guy because because of everything to Oh wait a minute this guy is the next Dan Marino."

Deuce McAllister, former Saints teammate

"He can make every throw and he can take a lick if he has to as far as standing in the pocket and being a big quarterback as normally that's why you see it. You know people talk about well you can't see over the offensive line. His passing percentage has been 72 percent. He has broken his own record numerous times as far as completion percentage is concerned in the NFL. So he's an active quarterback. He gets it out of his hand quick and he studies and prepares and he's competitive. That's a winning formula for any quarterback."

Pete Carmichael, Saints offensive coordinator

"He's a great athlete. You know he does such a great job in the pocket that you know a lot of times he's not getting outside the pocket to make plays. He does a lot in the pocket but he has such a great feel and he's got excellent feet that he finds those throwing lanes and again when he gets out of the pocket, you still see him making plays."

Pierre Thomas, former Saints teammate

"He's very hard on himself. But the work that he puts out there on the field afterward is worth it. You know. All that time that he puts in the film room, it shows out there on the field that he knows what to do, he knows the right play calls. He's going to put you in the right position."

Deuce McAllister, former Saints teammate

"First ballot Hall of Fame, first ballot Hall of Famer. … You know the one thing that I want to see him be able to do is win a league MVP. I think you know he's been kind of shafted a couple times on that. Unsure if that's going to happen now at this point but he's a first ballot Hall Famer and he is a great teammate."

LaDanian Tomlinson, former Chargers teammate

"He's a walk-in Hall of Famer in every sense of the word and with me already being in the Hall of Fame, I will go back every year and so when his time comes, I'll be right there, on stage though. He had to sit in the crowd. I'll be on stage behind him listening to his hall of fame speech."

Pierre Thomas, former Saints teammate

"The guy can hoop. We kind of called him white chocolate on the basketball court. The guy's got skills. I mean he can move. He can shoot. He's got a nice jumper. He's got a nice little layup. I don't know if he can dunk. I didn't see him dunk."

Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys Coach

"He's a very rare player. Obviously, his production and statistics speak for themselves, but he is going to go down as one of the all-time great players in this league and he just has such a command of the position. He has tremendous ability. His athleticism and his ability to throw the ball anywhere on the field. He is smart, he is instinctive, he has got an incredible feel for the game. His accuracy at all three levels of the defense is off the charts."

Dirk Koetter, former Buccaneers coach

"A sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer. Drew Brees sets the barometer for every quarterback in this league with the way he performs."

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton

"There's a work ethic to him, the competitive nature to how he prepares, his efficiency down the field, third down, red zone. All the details that go into a long work week. Over the years, occasionally you see not a lot, but a handful of these quarterbacks that have been through 40 receivers, 20 tight ends (and) 20 running backs. There's a lot that goes on in preparation and he's playing exceptional right now."

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton

"He's pretty good at remembering plays, very good at it. And I'll be able to recall—hey, do you remember when we did this?" Those things come up, and that bank of history is important. It makes it easier—'Yeah, yeah, I know what you're talking about.' … It might even be a situation where we're trying to draw someone offsides. There's just a constant communication, a constant thinking, a constant preparation to win, to win, to win."

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis

"Sometimes you feel a little awkward piling on these compliments but he deserves them all. Nothing he does should surprise any of us, right? We love him. The impact he's had our team, our organization, our city is hard to measure."

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton

"It's different now than it used to be. When you see Tom Brady and these guys, they're eating; they're lifting; they're sleeping differently. 25 years ago, Len Dawson was having cigarettes at halftime. It's changed a lot. It really has. Then, when you take that and the work ethic and the talent and put it all together you get Drew Brees and you get someone special."

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton

"My hair has gotten a little grayer, and he has lost some of his, but that's about all that has changed."

Zach Strief, former Saints teammate

"Drew Brees has been the single greatest motivation for me as a player. Every day I would walk into the building and pass Drew watching film. Every Thursday I would send him pictures of the menu so we could order his dinner, since his work day ended four hours after ours. …. My greatest drive as a player was not to let you down."

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis

"It's beyond the numbers. It's the leadership. He's the face of our organization. He's embraced being identified with New Orleans and all those things that are good for our community and him as well."

Brittany Brees

"I mean he literally can do it all. He's up at 4:30 in the morning. He's up until probably like 11:30 at night. If he is not playing with the kids he is working. He's eating quickly and then going back to work or playing with the kids. I mean it's, he truly is the most amazing man I've ever met in my entire life. His work ethic is like nothing I've ever seen. I cannot find something to match it. You know and he loves it. I mean he is such a hard worker and he truly takes pride in being a good person and being a hard worker and a man of integrity and a man of his word. So I think whatever he does he's going to love and he's going to be super successful at it."

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton

"I think the thing that is inspiring the most is knowing what is most important to him and that common goal that we have relative to winning another championship. All the actual hardware, the different bats, those all get dust but it's about these memories right now with someone like that, as special as that is tonight, and all that he's accomplished. That's what you miss when it is done. But honestly, I think it was winning in the beginning and competing and being relevant. The other things take care of themselves."

Jonny Rogers, Westlake High School teammate

"I bet there's not a guy on the Saints team that wouldn't tell you that he doesn't want the attention. What he's doing, he's doing for others. He is a team builder and it's been that way since we put the pads on in 1993."

Matt Matza, Westlake High School teammate

"Even folks here that know in Austin, they say, 'Oh, you went to school with Drew,' and people in our neighborhood, 'is he really that good of a guy?' And the answer is, 'Yeah, he's better.' He's actually better. He's a better human being maybe than a football player, and he's a great football player, but he's just such a great individual."

James Carville, as told to SI

"It's like living in New York in 1926, when Babe Ruth was there. Or Chicago in 1995, with Michael Jordan. To actually live in a city where Drew Brees is critical to our lives 16 days a year—it's stunning. He's become like the river. He's just a part of us."

Saints linebacker Demario Davis

"If you take all the GOATs from every arena, the GOATs of music, the GOATs of basketball, the GOATs of baseball, all the GOATs. … He's the GOAT of GOATs. That's Drew Brees."

Ron Schroeder, Westlake High School Head Coach

"You know you look back at your life and you know, why did he tear his ACL? Would he be a New Orleans Saint or the leading passer without tearing that ACL? Why didn't he play in that first scrimmage when he was a freshman? Was it something that humbled him, that made him work harder? Why does San Diego draft Phillip Rivers? So, Drew could go to New Orleans with the perfect coach with an environment like the Saints."