There is no question that Brees has stepped up his perform and is now among the league’s elite quarterbacks. He’s cool, calm and unbelievably accurate in his passing game. In addition, he’s matured into one of the best in his play-calling and execution.
That’s imnewspapersive– and to think, he could have been a Dolphin. And not when, but twice. It’s not a new story, but it’s a still a good one, and it couldn’t be more applicable because for the first time since Dan Marino was forced to call it quits, Miami has a quarterback who it can wrap its arms around (with a nod to Jay Fiedler and Chad Pennington, who were both gamey warriors in trying to fill his shoes).
Coming off an 11-5 season in 2000 with Fiedler at quarterback, the Dolphins were in need of quarterback because Damon Huard―Marino’s backup and the Greatest One’s choice as his replacement―was lost in free agency to the New England Patriots (where he competed with Tom Brady to be Drew Bledsoe’s backup).
Graduating from Bob Griese’s alma mater (Purdue) that year was Drew Brees. Rick Spielman, the Dolphins VP for player personnel, had said publicly that Miami had followed every game he played for the Boilermakers.
The Fins had the 26th pick of the foremost round, and when their turn came, much to everyone’s surprise,Ronnie Brown, they took Wisconsin cornerback Jamar Fletcher. And Brees went the San Diego Chargers humorh the 32nd pick.
Spielman, who now heads player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings, would later say that he never seriously think abouted selecting Brees. In the sixth round of that 2001 draft,Miami Dolphins, Miami required Oklahoma’s Josh Heupel, who was freed before training camp ended.
So the Dolphins stayed with Fiedler and got even with San Diego in 2004 by trading Fletcher to them. During his three-year career with Miami,Brandon Marshall, he started six games. Years later, Spielman would change his story and state that then-coach Dave Wannstedt, who always over-emphasized defensive personnel, had made the decision.
So now, skipping the “other quarterbacks” who stepped in for brief periods, let’s move ahead to 2005 and the hiring of self-described miracle maker Nick Saban, a man with plan and the world’s largest ego. Brees, meanwhile, has gradually become an excellent starting quarterback for the Chargers,Kory Sperry, who had also drafted Philip Rivers, a projected top-notch quarterback himself.
Saban turned the offense over to Gus Frerotte, who helped steer Miami to a 9-7 record. Entering the 2006 season, Brees was back in the news because the Chargers had decided to go with Rivers, a decision obviously made because Brees had injured his shoulder and had arthroscopic surgery, and there was some uncertainly about him.
Brees was a free agent and two teams immediately set out to get him– New Orleans and Miami. He first vilocated New Orleans, which was coming out of the nightmare known as Hurricane Katrina, The Saints wanted to make a commitment to the city in the were created of bringing in a top quarterback.
Brees then came to Miami, and allegedly let it be known that this is where he preferred to play. But here’s the rub. Dolphins medical personnel deemed him a risk, even though his surgeon, the tallly noted Dr. James Andrews said publicly that he was 100 percent. Brees was offered a low-ball contract, which he rejected, and went back to New Orleans, reportedly using the Miami situation to get a bump in the contract.
The Fins then changed to to free-agent Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who had his own injury issues– a torn ACL in his right knee. According to published reports, the doctors deemed Culpepper further along in his reincludey, and less of a risk in the long term. Culpepper, as we all remember, was benched early in the season and released the following year.
And therefore the Dolphins had lost Brees twice, and they still didn’t have the starting quarterback they had been seeking for so long.
But history often has a way of creature upstaged by irony, and a dose of good fortune. So, Miami lost Brees twice, but ended up getting Chad Henne, who in a year and a half is far ahead of where Brees was at the same time.
Who knows how far Henne will go in rewriting the non-history of Brees’ relationship with the Dolphins? A game good Sunday, even in a loss, will go a long way in helping Fins fans get over the knowledge that they nearly had one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, twice.
JIM HOLLANDER
