Coming Back Stronger Part 16

The Baylen Moment.

As soon as the game was over, there was ma.s.s chaos on the field. I was surrounded by media people ten deep. Interviewers were yelling out questions, and cameras and flashbulbs were going off everywhere. My first thought, though, was the guys on the other side of the ball. I respect them a lot-on and off the field-and I wanted to reach out and say, "Good game." I found as many as I could, but the media barrage had me surrounded.

Then a camera came out of nowhere, and a voice said, "Hey, Drew, you just won the Super Bowl. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to Disney World!" I shouted.

At that moment I was thinking about all the times in our backyard when my little brother and I were playing Wiffle ball. We reenacted this scene over and over as we were growing up. Reid would hit a home run over the back fence, and as I ran to get it, I'd yell, "Hey, Bro, you just hit a home run. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to Disney World!" Reid would shout as he ran the bases.

You joke about that stuff as a kid, and now here I was living it. It was actually happening. It seemed completely surreal, but the whole time I tried to tell myself, Enjoy the moment. Just take it all in. And there are some images that are permanently freeze-framed in my memory. I can still see the expression on my teammates' faces. I can picture guys hugging their wives and kissing their children. I can imagine the confetti as thick as rain. I can see fans dancing and saying, "Who dat!" And on the JumboTron are the words World Champions.

They called me onstage, and the Lombardi Trophy was brought through the gauntlet of Saints players by Len Dawson, a Purdue great and a Super Bowl champion himself. All our guys were touching the trophy as it went past. As that was happening, Brittany was fighting her way through the mayhem and heading toward me with Baylen. From up onstage, I leaned down and gave her a kiss. Then she handed Baylen to me. That was when it really hit. All those rough patches on the journey-the injury, the rehab, the hurricane, the new team-and now we were really here, Super Bowl champions.

I stood there with my little boy, and I was overwhelmed. I told Baylen how much I loved him and how much he meant to me and what an inspiration he was to me. I thought of my mom, who I believed was smiling down from heaven, and all my family and friends who were there watching.

"We did it, little boy. We did it," I said.

He sure didn't mind all the commotion. He just seemed to take in all the excitement and the confetti and the lights and the cheering people. Of course, he had no idea what was going on. I can't wait to tell him what a special moment that was for his daddy-one of the greatest moments of my life.

I handed Baylen back to Brittany and gave her a kiss before stepping up for the trophy presentation. As Sean gave me the trophy, I couldn't believe this was actually happening. I kissed it and just stared at it for a while, looking at the reflections and knowing how long we'd waited to look in that mirror.

When I was told after the game that I had been named MVP, I was blown away. Up to that point I was still trying to soak in the fact that we'd won the game and the World Champions.h.i.+p. I was humbled and grateful-I had a lot of teammates to thank for putting me in that position.

After the game Michael Irvin said to me, "You don't realize what just happened to you."

I didn't understand what he was saying. "What do you mean?"

Michael has won three Super Bowls and has been part of outstanding teams. He was referring to the MVP t.i.tle specifically, saying that this was a life changer. Not that I'll look at myself differently or approach life differently, but that others perceive you in another light. Being a Super Bowl champion was my dream and my goal-it was what we'd worked so hard for. The MVP honor was just icing on the cake.

That was a great moment-for our team and for the entire city of New Orleans. n.o.body would have believed after August 29, 2005, that this was possible, but here we were. Dreams had become reality. We had won the Super Bowl, and we had done it for our city and our fans. I couldn't think of anyone who deserved it more.

The Parade.

If there's any city that knows how to put on a parade, it's New Orleans. In most places, the Super Bowl parade is something the winning city starts planning after the game is over. You win on Sunday, and you have a celebration in your city on Tuesday. It's usually pretty basic: the city puts together a route, the team rides around in convertibles, and the coaches and players go up to a microphone and say a few words. The community embraces the excitement for a day and then goes on about their business. Not so in New Orleans.

It didn't matter if we won or lost-our city was determined to have a parade for us. And in a way, they'd been preparing for the parade all year, since Mardi Gras was a week after the Super Bowl. We came home to find that many of the Mardi Gras floats had been donated for us to use in our parade. This was no cobbled-together parade of cars. We had legitimate floats to ride in-some of the best floats from each parade.

Before Katrina the population of New Orleans was about 455,000. When I came to New Orleans in 2006, we were roughly half that size. But over the next few years, people started coming back and rebuilding. At one point the estimate was that three thousand to four thousand people were coming back every month. By 2009 we were back to about 80 percent of the original population. So at the time of the parade, somewhere around 355,000 people were living in the city.

The turnout for that parade was almost a million people-about twice the population of the entire city. Who knows where they all came from-probably some from the Gulf Coast region, some from other parts of the state, and others who had been transplanted elsewhere. I heard that some fans flew to New Orleans to watch the game on TV and then stuck around for the parade. They wanted to be here to experience the homecoming, the celebration.

As exhilarating as it was to win the Super Bowl, it was just as exciting to see the sheer joy on the faces of everyone lining the streets of downtown New Orleans. This was about so much more than football. We knew it, and the fans knew it. Finally, after forty-three years, we'd accomplished something that most people thought would never happen in New Orleans. We had really pulled it off! And we'd done it together, with the help of our fans.

People screamed and cheered and sang as we pa.s.sed by. But some of the most meaningful moments for me were when I made eye contact with people in the crowd and read their lips: "Thank you. We love you. Bless you, boys." I've never seen an outpouring from fans that was so genuine and straight from the heart.

Not long ago I was talking with the woman who cuts my hair, and she told me about her friend who works at the New Orleans police department. She said that on the day of the parade, people were calling 911 about me. I was throwing beads to the crowd from the top of a float, and apparently people were concerned I was going to hurt myself. They thought I was walking too close to the edge, and they were worried I was going to fall off. I'm not sure many police officers would have been available to respond because every motorcycle cop in the city was there with their blue lights flas.h.i.+ng. They were just as excited as the people on the parade route.

The plan was for the parade to last two to three hours, but it took twice that long. With such a huge crush of people, it was all we could do to inch our way through those historic streets. We started at the Superdome and wound through Howard to Lee Circle, down St. Charles, up and down Ca.n.a.l, and then ended at Mardi Gras World on Convention Center Boulevard.

In some areas the crowd was fifty people deep. Everywhere we went, they were singing "When the Saints Go Marching In" and chanting, "Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?" People held up signs for us that read, Bless you, boys and Greatest year of my life. I was blown away by the ma.s.ses of people-young and old, from many different backgrounds and nationalities. They all rallied together over the one thing they had in common: the Saints.

Postgame Media Blitz.

I wasn't surprised by the media hype immediately following the Super Bowl, but I hadn't been expecting it to go much beyond that evening.

The first week after the game proved to be eventful from the beginning, starting with the NFL commissioner's press conference, followed by the Disney parade in Orlando and then a trip to New York for the Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman is from Indiana, so I knew he was rooting for the Colts. But when he saw the Sports Ill.u.s.trated cover with Baylen and me on the front, he really seemed to identify with that picture, being a father with a young son himself. We talked about how much a child puts your life and everything that happens to you in perspective.

By the time I got home that night it was really late, but I wasn't able to sleep. My mind was whirling, trying to take in everything that had happened. Not long after nodding off, I woke to the sound of Brittany and Baylen enjoying a loud, music-filled breakfast. They like to play the sound track from Glee, with Brittany singing at the top of her lungs while Baylen throws food all over the floor and claps. Life is good. I came downstairs and held Brittany in my arms for a long time.

"We did it," I said.

"I know, baby. I am so proud of you. You are so blessed-do you know that?" Then after a pause, she said, "How did you manage to win the Super Bowl and get your wife pregnant?"

I stared at her.

"That's right. I just took a pregnancy test. Baby Brees number two was there with us at that game."

I had no words. I held her as the tears gathered in my eyes. She was right-I am truly blessed.

Life didn't slow down at all that week. The next adventure was my appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Brittany and Baylen. We weren't sure how our little man would do flying up to Chicago the night before and then going on a live show, with all the lights and people, but he was a champ. Yet another item to check off his list of accomplishments at the age of one!

And then there was Ellen. Prior to the Super Bowl, my wife and her mom, Kathie, had been watching Ellen DeGeneres's show, and Ellen said that when she was a kid, she lived near Tulane Stadium, where the Saints had played before the Superdome was built. The games were free after halftime, so she would go to the stadium and watch the second half. Ellen has a real attachment to the people in the New Orleans area, and she has done a lot on her program about the city's struggles post-Katrina.

The Tuesday after we won the NFC champions.h.i.+p, Ellen said on her show, "My Saints are going to the Super Bowl!" And then she was having fun with her mother-Mama, as she calls her. She said that Mama wanted to go to the Super Bowl, but she had to find two tickets. It was just a funny little segment, not intended to be a true request to go to the game. But Brittany and her mom took it seriously and immediately jumped into action. Brittany called my marketing agent, Chris Stuart.

"Chris, stop whatever you're doing. We're getting Ellen tickets to the Super Bowl."

"Ellen who?" Chris said. "What are you talking about?"

Brittany explained the whole story, and Chris called the producer of the show. There was a gasp on the other end of the line. They never in a million years thought someone would actually give Mama tickets.

"Are you serious?" the producer asked.

"Yeah, I'm completely serious," Chris said. "Brittany and Drew want to do this for Mama."

The next day Ellen read an e-mail from Brittany on the air with Mama sitting in the audience, beaming. Brittany had written that we were both huge fans of the show and that the only prerequisite was Ellen's mother had to paint her face black and gold for the game. The audience loved it. Ellen wished us good luck and said I had to chat with her after the Super Bowl.

After we won, I made good on the promise, and she had me on her show. We talked about what New Orleans had done for my career-how I felt like the city had saved me, not the other way around. We discussed what this season meant not just to the people of New Orleans but to the whole region. Then she "retired" my jersey, hanging it from the rafters of her studio, and made a surprise presentation for Brittany and me. "Since you gave Mama seats . . . we want to give you permanent seats, you and your wife. . . . We will name the seats after you too."

There's a connection you have with people from this area-it doesn't matter who you are or where you've been-there's just something at a heart level that connects. No matter where in the world you go, New Orleans is always part of you.

When I was on the podium after the game, looking out into the stadium with all the people on the field, I made eye contact with an older, white-haired woman. I had seen her only a couple of times before, but I knew immediately it was Mama. She must have wiped black and gold off her face before going on the field. I blew her a kiss anyway.

Epilogue.

Now that the Saints have scaled the ultimate football mountain and won a Super Bowl, it would be easy to sit back and enjoy our World Champions.h.i.+p. But success presents as many challenges as setbacks do. I know every team we play is going to want to knock us off the pedestal. We'll have targets on us all year. It's up to us to find the motivation to push forward and build on the work that's been done. Will we be better in the new season? Only our commitment to growing stronger and getting better will answer that question. There aren't any shortcuts on the path to success. The way to do it is the same as it's always been: take things one game at a time, one drive at a time, one play at a time.

Winning the Super Bowl is not the end of the adventure. There's more to our journey-we have not arrived. Now it's time to prepare for the next challenge.

The story isn't over for New Orleans, either. We've made a lot of progress, but it's too soon to relax. It's not like every part of the city has suddenly been rebuilt overnight. If you drove through the Lower Ninth Ward with me, I'd show you some areas that look amazing, where people have rolled up their sleeves and banded together to rebuild. But I'd also show you houses where it looks like Katrina happened yesterday, places where there's nothing left but a slab. We've done some great work. But the story of our recovery is still being written.

The people of New Orleans are up to that task. And so are you.

I might as well tell you that whatever your struggle is, there is no final exclamation point that says, "You're done!" Yes, there was immense satisfaction for our team when we held up that trophy, especially after everything we had been through. The tougher the journey, the sweeter the celebration at the end. But that was only one major milestone on our long list of goals.

When I set out to write this book, my ultimate goal was not to get you excited about my career or the Saints, or even to make you want to move to New Orleans (although we'd love to have you at least visit us!). My desire was to have you turn the last page and become excited about waking up tomorrow. You will undoubtedly have challenges ahead that you will have to face and overcome. But don't forget that adversity is not your enemy. It can unleash a power in your life that will make you stronger and help you achieve amazing things-things you may have never thought were possible . . . until now.

Now that you've heard some of my story and the events and influences that have contributed to the person I am today, I'd like to make this personal for you. If I could sit down with you and have a face-to-face talk, these are some things I would say.

* Find a mentor. No matter who you are or what your profession is, we all need someone who can keep us grounded and speak truth into our lives. Find people who have built their lives on a solid foundation, and humble yourself to learn from them. I've never known a successful athlete, businessperson, or anyone else who has made an impact on the world who didn't stand on the shoulders of other great men and women.

* Don't give up. The worst thing that could happen in life is not getting knocked down; it's getting knocked down and then staying down. If you lose a job, if your relations.h.i.+ps crumble, if you face a health setback-get up. You may fall again and it may hurt, but get back on the horse. And once you're up, hold your ground. Commitment is when you refuse to give yourself an excuse.

* Turn your defeats into triumphs. Any difficulty you face-whether it's a tear to your shoulder, a person who betrays you, a dysfunctional family, or the bad luck you have with the economy-can unleash power within you for good. Use that negative to help you not only climb out of the hole you're in, but rise to greater heights. The greatest opportunities in life are the ones that test us the most.

* Dream. If your mind can conceive it, you can achieve it. Not on your own, and not without struggle and hards.h.i.+p and effort. But when that vision mixes with hard work and commitment, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

* Hope. In order to come back after a disappointment and accomplish something great, you have to believe in something bigger than yourself. But it's not enough to just put your hope in hope. You have to have an object of hope. For me, G.o.d is the center of that hope, and I lean on him to order my steps and show me the right path. Having hope in the Lord means I trust in his plan and believe he's never going to put anything in front of me that's too hard to handle with his help.

* Be flexible. My dream was to win a champions.h.i.+p with San Diego and play my whole career with that one team. That didn't happen-it wasn't the plan. And it took a devastating injury to tear me away from that city. Be flexible enough to know when you're being led in another direction, and then follow that new vision with all your heart. You are being led there for a reason-coincidence is usually G.o.d working anonymously.

* See adversity as an opportunity. Remember, experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. No matter what comes your way, remember that G.o.d can use everything in your life for good, even though it may seem unfair or insurmountable at the time. Seize that adversity and let it make you stronger. Welcome it, and unleash its power.

* Don't be afraid of taking a few steps back. A step back is not necessarily a setback. Sometimes you have to take a few steps backward before you can get the momentum to jump over a chasm in your life. The goal may be farther than you thought, and what you see as backtracking may really just be helping you get up the speed to make the final jump.

* Don't spectate-be ready. Instead of standing on the sidelines watching, spend that time getting ready for the next play. Too many of us are caught sleeping at life's traffic lights. When the next opportunity comes your way, make sure you have prepared yourself well enough to seize the chance you've been given. You never know if you will get that opportunity again.

* Remember who you are. G.o.d created each one of us for a purpose. You will find that purpose in doing the small things well, in taking things one day at a time. That purpose will always have an element of serving others. If you're well grounded in who you really are, and if you do the right thing for long enough, eventually you will start to see the fruit of those decisions.

When people think you're not big enough, not smart enough, not wise enough, or not experienced enough for a task, remember that faith will carry you through. The test of adversity is one that's fought with faith.

* Finish strong. It is not where you start in life, but rather how you finish. It's that last play that can make all the difference in the outcome. Keep it simple: in everything you do, make your last rep your best rep.

If you take away only one thing from this book, never forget that sometimes your greatest victories can come from your greatest defeats. The next time adversity knocks on your door, stand up tall and do the right thing. You can do more than just survive. You can come back-stronger.

Photo Insert.

This is my grandpa Ray Akins holding me up. I hold my son, Baylen, like this now.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a football in my hands and that same look in my eye.

My little brother, Reid, and I always had a special bond growing up. We were best friends.

Hoisting the MVP trophy after beating #4 Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl in 1998 Brittany and I outside the Le Pet.i.t Bofinger restaurant in Paris right after we got engaged On the beach in Okinawa, j.a.pan, in March 2008. This is the actual beach where my grandfather Ray Akins stormed in as a 19-year-old Marine, April 1, 1945. It was a very emotional day.

Christmas 2008: Brit was 8 months pregnant with Baylen at the time.

Brit and I before the Raiders game at Qualcomm Stadium in 2002 Dr. Andrews told me that if he had to do the surgery over again 100 times, he couldn't do it as well as he just did. Now that is what you want to hear!

My buddy Micah's courageous battle against Hodgkin's lymphoma gave us the strength to accomplish all we did in the 2009 season.

On the 2007 "Brees on the Seas" fis.h.i.+ng event with some of the kids from Children's Hospital of New Orleans Getting the kids pumped up before the 2005 Brees Gridiron Cla.s.sic at Qualcomm Stadium I really appreciate the opportunity to support the men and women of our armed forces. Here I am on my third USO trip (2008) with my two former teammates, Donnie Edwards of the Chargers (fourth from left) and Billy Miller of the Saints (far right).

Brittany, two-month-old Baylen, and me in Maui in 2009.

Baylen's first Christmas (2009).

Swinging with Dad in Audubon Park in New Orleans, 2009.

Teaching Baylen how to putt like a pro (2010).

end.