"My No. 1 priority, and it always has been this, is keeping our team together and making sure we have the right guys in the right positions to make a run at this for a long time"
About this Quote
A quarterback doesn’t say “team together” when he just means camaraderie. Drew Brees is talking about leverage, legacy, and the fragile economics of contention, dressed up in locker-room language. “No. 1 priority” is a deliberate ranking: not records, not awards, not even his own contract. It’s a public commitment that subtly pressures everyone else in the building to behave as if the window is still wide open.
The phrase “and it always has been this” is doing quiet reputational work. Brees isn’t merely stating a preference; he’s staking a claim to a leadership identity that outlasts any season. For an athlete whose power is often portrayed as physical and immediate, he shifts the conversation to continuity and infrastructure: culture, roster management, and long-term planning. That’s unusually executive-sounding for a player, and it’s intentional. He’s signaling he understands the machine.
“Right guys in the right positions” carries a double meaning. On the surface, it’s a football truism about scheme fit. Underneath, it’s a roster-politics statement: keep key veterans paid, draft well, avoid ego-driven reshuffles, and don’t let the organization drift into rebuilding while he’s still capable of steering. “Make a run at this for a long time” isn’t optimism; it’s a demand for sustained relevance. In the context of an aging star and a league designed for parity, the line reads like a gentle ultimatum: align around continuity now, or watch the era end.
The phrase “and it always has been this” is doing quiet reputational work. Brees isn’t merely stating a preference; he’s staking a claim to a leadership identity that outlasts any season. For an athlete whose power is often portrayed as physical and immediate, he shifts the conversation to continuity and infrastructure: culture, roster management, and long-term planning. That’s unusually executive-sounding for a player, and it’s intentional. He’s signaling he understands the machine.
“Right guys in the right positions” carries a double meaning. On the surface, it’s a football truism about scheme fit. Underneath, it’s a roster-politics statement: keep key veterans paid, draft well, avoid ego-driven reshuffles, and don’t let the organization drift into rebuilding while he’s still capable of steering. “Make a run at this for a long time” isn’t optimism; it’s a demand for sustained relevance. In the context of an aging star and a league designed for parity, the line reads like a gentle ultimatum: align around continuity now, or watch the era end.
Quote Details
| Topic | Teamwork |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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