After whirlwind offseason, Saints' Brees again has 'eye on the prize'

Pro Bowl News

A whirlwind off-season finally slowed down for All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees recently when he joined the Saints' strength and conditioning program.

After leading the upstart Saints to within one game of Super Bowl XLI, Brees participated in the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, rode in a Mardi Gras parade and traveled to Costa Rica, Europe and the Middle East.

In his spare time, he took some business courses at Northwestern University and helped rebuild part of the heavily-damaged Ninth Ward area of New Orleans, which is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Also in the cards were eight weeks of rehab after he dislocated his left elbow (non-throwing) in the first quarter of the Pro Bowl. That injury didn't stop him from traveling, it merely limited his ability to play a little golf.

"I had to go into rehab mode again for about eight weeks," said Brees, who spent all of last spring rehabilitating from surgery on his throwing shoulder. "That's frustrating. It's another off-season where you have to do some rehab. I guess that's kind of the business we're in. I came out of it stronger."

Brees said he'll be ready to go in coaching sessions and the veteran minicamp, which will be held June 1-3. He's eager to get back to work on improving the NFL's top-ranked offense and make what he hopes is their first trip to the Super Bowl.

"I think what we need to do is manage our expectations," he said. "Of course, the expectations for us and our offense are through the roof. But I think you have to realize it doesn't get any easier."

Brees said he's much more comfortable going into this season, partly because the injury he sustained wasn't as serious as last year's — which helped grease the skids for his departure from the San Diego Chargers. He has had a full year in coach Sean Payton's offense and the Saints were winners after the team came off a 3-13 year in 2005.

The biggest thing is not being complacent when they get down to business.

"You look at a lot of the teams that went from worst-to-first and then look at what they did the next year," Brees said. "You see a lot of them nosedive a little bit.

"By us recognizing it, that's the first step of knowing that you can't get complacent. It doesn't get any easier. We have a little bit of a bull's-eye on our chest now. And I think we still have a lot to prove. Obviously, it was a special year and it's one that you will always remember. But you did not achieve that final goal, so it's eyes on the prize."