New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees took the center stage after pregame warmups before kickoff against the Philadelphia Eagles. As is his tradition, Brees gathered his teammates in the home end zone of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for a brief speech. He didn’t downplay the big moment in front of them.
“You play because you love this game, you love the game of football,” Brees shouted to his teammates, “Not everybody gets to the first stage. Not everybody gets to be lethal. But when we stand here now, we play for one another, and that’s lethal.”
Brees rattled on in his trademark pregame monologue, modeled after what he’d learned from studying drilling Marines and fiery preachers.