Book #22

A pretend interview with Drew Brees (quarterback for the New Orleans Saints)

Based on his story from the book Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the hidden power of adversity

I’m not a sports fan by any means, but the idea of finding positives in adversity intrigued me.  I was pleasantly pleased with the things I learned.  This faux interview contains some of my favorite parts of Drew’s experience.  The things he learned about adversity are things we can all learn. 

 

 

Interviewer: We have with us today Drew Brees, the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints.  Drew recently took his team to the Super Bowl and achieved a great victory.  Now we want to know about his journey.  So, tell us, Drew, did you always want to play football?   

Drew: I loved whatever sport I was playing; growing up I always had a ball in my hand.  Although I played both football and baseball in High School, I really wanted to play baseball.  Even after signing on to play football for Purdue I thought I could focus on baseball and get drafted after college.  Turns out that wasn’t in God’s plan for me. 

 

Interviewer: In High School, you tore your ACL.  You’ve said that that incident changed you; tell us how it changed you.

Drew: That injury was the best thing that happened to me up to that point.  6 months after surgery I was completely healed and physically stronger.  “But for me the real difference wasn’t in my body but in my head and my heart.  I had a new sense of confidence because I knew I had worked hard to fight through the injury.  I’d pushed myself past limits I’d previously thought I could not go beyond.  I was physically, mentally and spiritually tougher because of what I had endured in order to get to that point.”  I was young, but I learned that I should always try to find the positive out of every negative. 

 

Interviewer: You attended Purdue after graduation and after Purdue you were drafted by the San Diego Chargers.  Share some of the things you learned while playing for that team.

Drew: Well, I constantly had to evaluate my attitude toward my teammates and coaches. “Human nature tells me to be angry and resentful and defensive when things don’t go my way—to seek revenge.  I always have to fight that. . . Anyone can see adversity in a difficult situation, but it takes a stronger person to see the opportunity.”  

 

I also learned that I am only as strong as my weakest link.  I had a trainer who helped me to see that I lacked strength in certain areas, and those weaknesses affected how well I played.  My trainer helped me with my diet as well—teaching me that eating the wrong foods made my body work harder to fight against free radicals making me feel fatigued and not able to recover as quickly. 

 

Another thing I learned is that no matter how good you are at what you do, there will always be people who think you aren’t good enough.  I made a choice early on to be motivated by the people who believed in me instead of being goaded by those who doubted me. 

 

Interviewer: After a terrible shoulder dislocation and a yearlong recovery process you were drafted by the New Orleans Saints.  You’ve said that you felt “called” to New Orleans; called to help the city get back on its feet.  Can you tell us what you mean by that?

Drew:  Actually, I believe that “each one of us has a calling for our lives, and it’s up to us to pursue that with everything we have.”  God wanted me in New Orleans.  I and my team knew how important it was for us to give the people of New Orleans something to hope for.   “We knew how much our fans identified with the team.  With that connection, we hoped they could latch on to some of our hope.  We could lead them back to higher ground, where they could get a glimpse of a better future.” 

 

Interviewer: Will you share some of the team building activities you do with your team?

Drew: I realized early on that I needed to change the way I prepared for a game.  I had a ritual that I followed that didn’t include my teammates.  I decided that I needed to be pumped up for them—that put me outside of my comfort zone, but I knew it was important.  The things I do with my team are secret during the season.  I created chants for to us to say before games, we had positive thinking activities, we did team building exercises and anything I asked them to do I was willing to do myself.  We were a team. 

 

Interviewer: What is the best advice you’ve been given?

Drew:  I’ve gotten lots of great advice.  One of my favorites was from a good friend.  He told me “that each morning when you wake up, think about winning the day.  Don’t worry about a week from now or a month from now—just think about one day at a time.  If you are worried about the mountains in the distance, you might trip over the molehill right in front of you.”  So often we worry about future challenges instead of celebrating the daily accomplishments. 

 

Another favorite came from my mentor Tom House.  He told me once after a loss that I was thinking so much about winning that I forgot the process it takes to win.  In anything we do we “need to put as much emphasis on the process as [we] do on the result.”  I apply this advice to all areas of my life. 

 

Interviewer: What advise can you give to your fans?

Drew: We are all going to face trials in our lives.  Those trials make us who we are.  But, it’s not enough to know that, you need to take action.  “Knowledge alone doesn’t change anyone.  You have to get to the point where you not only accept it but own it and put it into practice.”  You need to see those tough times as opportunities for growth.  “Have faith that it is happening for a reason.  And when it comes, you can lean into the adversity, put your shoulder down, push through it, and learn from it.  Through those experiences, God will mold you into the person he wants you to be.  The person you’re meant to be.” 

 

Interviewer:  There you have it folks—an inspiration to us all.  Thank you, Drew, for sharing your insights to overcoming adversity.