A Week In The Life

Sporting News, The, Nov 6, 2000 by Tom Dienhart

DREW BREES, THE BIGGEST MAN ON ANY COLLEGE CAMPUS, WAS PREPARING FOR PURDUE'S GAME OF THE YEAR. WE WERE THERE. COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

Drew Brees is carrying his little sister, 10-year-old Audrey, who clings tightly to his neck. Purdue just beat Ohio State, 31-27, and fans and reporters mob her big brother. The "Heisman! Heisman! Heisman!" chant is rumbling. At this moment on a late-October Saturday night in the south end zone of Ross-Ade Stadium, you'd swear there's no one on the planet more popular than No. 15.

Minutes earlier, Brees capped an improbable game-winning drive with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Seth Morales with 1:55 to play. The scoring strike more than made up for an interception Brees threw the previous possession that led to Ohio State's go-ahead score.

"After I threw the interception, (defensive end) Ike Moore told me if I broke something, I should fix it," Brees says. "Well, I fixed it."

It's the culmination of the biggest week in the lit of the biggest man on any campus in America. The nation's eyes were on Brees and Purdue. His Heisman Trophy hopes and Purdue's Rose Bowl dreams hung in the balance. All week leading up to the game, Brees was reminded of its magnitude. Being Drew Brees is tough. It was even harder this week. What was it like?

DREW BREES IS KICKING BACK.

It's 2:30 Monday afternoon as Brees sits in the office of sports information director Jim Vruggink. In five days, Ohio State comes to West Lafayette with its silver helmets, which by now are decorated with lots of those Buckeye stickers.

Brees is smiling. This is the guy who holds every significant passing record in the Big Ten. This is the guy who, with several hundred flicks of his right arm, has trashed the 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust Big Ten. You know Woody Hayes would love to sock him. It seems anyone with a microphone and call letters has questions for Brees, who doesn't know when to say when on interview requests. Vruggink starts dialing.

"This is Mike Golic of ESPN," says Vruggink, handing Brees the phone.

As Brees hugs the receiver to his cheek, he leans back and reveals an 8-inch raspberry on his left forearm. The damage was caused by the fake turf at Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium during Purdue's overtime win there last Saturday.

"This is Drew," he says. "How ya doing?"

Listening to Brees' answers, it's easy to figure out the questions. There isn't a blitz or a question Brees hasn't encountered. Still, you'd think he's answering the questions for the first time. He sounds fresh. He sounds interested. He sounds genuine. The calls continue for close to an hour before the cell phone in Brees' left front pocket rings. The caller ID revels it's a classmate. Before returning the call, Brees looks at his watch and remembers he has a photo shoot in 10 minutes for a fraternity magazine. Brees has gotta go ...

DREW BREES IS DRIVING.

His big, black Chevy Tahoe 1500 chugs up a hill toward Ross-Ade Stadium. Everyone on campus knows whose Chevy it is. The Texas license plates must be the giveaway. Brees parks the Tahoe behind a bush just outside the stadium. Is that a parking spot?

It's Tuesday. It's hot for late October in mid-north Indiana. Brees is dressed in shorts, a light shirt and running shoes with a beige Purdue hat pulled down tight over his head. That hat is always with him.

Brees waves. He senses it's coming. He saw the sports section of the local Journal and Courier this morning. He knows Ohio State linebacker Joe Cooper called him soft. Furthermore, Cooper informed the world the Buckeyes would hit Brees--early and often.

"How stupid can you be?" Brees says. "I don't know why people say that type of stuff. I saw (Purdue offensive tackle) Matt Light this morning, and he wasn't very happy about it."

Brees is on his way to meet the press at Cary Quad, an all-men's dorm. On this day in a basement cafeteria, it's home to the de facto Drew Brees Show. In addition to the local media crowd, a connection is provided so out-of-town reporters can call with questions. It's a long list on this day.

No one has to tell Brees where to sit. Just look for the chair that's in front of the thicket of mikes. At a table in the back of the cramped room, four cafeteria workers take a break. They each steal glimpses of Brees. You can't hear what they're saying, but you know what they're saying.

It's time to take questions. Brees sits, removes that hat, straightens up, leans forward and begins being Drew Brees, media star. Anyone in the room could have predicted what the first query was going to be. Sure enough, a voice crackles over the speakerphone. "Drew, what do you think of Joe Cooper saying ... "

The same predictable questions keep coming. Brees keeps answering as his eyes, looking at no one, move around the room.

"We know that if we don't beat Ohio State, it doesn't matter what we do the last two games (at Michigan State and at home vs. Indiana)," Brees says. "We probably won't go to the Rose Bowl. This is the most important game of the season right now."