Brees' pitch to Sproles: 'Come join us ... Win a championship'

METAIRIE, La. -- Drew Brees has a history with Darren Sproles and didn't hesitate to exploit it when it became clear that Reggie Bush wouldn't be back in New Orleans.

"I pulled out all the stops," Brees said of his effort to attract Sproles, a 5-foot-6 running back and return man who agreed to a four-year, $14 million free-agent deal with the Saints on Thursday.

Brees was the San Diego Chargers' quarterback in 2005, when Sproles was drafted by the team and had the first of his five seasons with more than 1,000 kickoff-return yards. The now-Saints signal-caller also maintains an offseason residence in San Diego and trained with Sproles earlier this year.

"I have his number," Brees said, grinning, as he described a series of calls and texts in which his message to Sproles was: "We need you baby. Come join us. You'll fit in great. Win a championship. Let's break some records. Let's do something special. Let's go."

Sproles planned to travel to New Orleans soon to sign his new contract, but he wouldn't be permitted to practice until sometime next week because of restrictions on free agents practicing before the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement has been ratified.

Brees called the addition of Sproles "awesome" and said the back's speed and versatility in the running, passing and return games would "absolutely" allow the Saints to run many of the same plays originally designed for Bush.

"When you look at those guys' skill sets, they're very similar in a lot of ways," Brees said. "As I look at our offense and the way we would plug them in, we'd plug him in the exact same way we would have Reggie and be able to do even more things with him.

"I'm very familiar with him as a person, his work ethic and the drive and competitiveness that he has," Brees continued. "He's going to fit in great with this team and this locker room and this offensive system. He's a guy who has exceptional skills in a lot of different ways, and we're going to be able to use him in a lot of different ways."

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Sproles will join a backfield that already includes Pierre Thomas, rookie Mark Ingram and short-yardage back Lynell Hamilton. Sproles, however, is different from the other three in that he primarily relies on his speed, agility and versatility in the passing game, whereas the others can run with tackle-breaking power and balance.

"He's going to bring a lot to the table for this team," Thomas said. "He also can help me show the ropes to these younger guys. I've seen a lot of his work; he's a great running back, a very fast guy, very low to the ground. ... He's going to be a great addition to our backfield."

For Brees, the Saints attracting a player such as Sproles within one day of trading Bush was about more than filling a void. It was about the team's increasing ability to project an image that attracts good players.

That wasn't the case, as Brees pointed out, just after Hurricane Katrina, when New Orleans was devastated and the Saints were piling up losses.

"What we've built here with our team, our organization is a culture guys want to be a part of," Brees said, offering credit to Saints coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis for leading the way. "Put it this way. Back in '06, we were in a situation where you had to overpay or you really had to figure out creative ways to get guys here, because this place didn't have the best reputation. Guys weren't jumping to come to a city that had been under water for the last six months.

"I look at what we've been able to accomplish as a team and just the type of guys that we've brought in here and this family atmosphere that we've built. I think guys take notice of that around the league and guys want to be a part of that."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Brees throws four TDs, leads Saints over Seahawks

NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees became the Saints' all-time completions leader, throwing for four touchdowns in New Orleans' 34-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Brees was 29 of 43 for 382 yards and completed his 1,850th pass as a Saint in the second quarter to break a record held by Archie Manning since 1982.

Brees hit Marques Colston and Robert Meachem twice each for TDs to keep the defending champion Saints (7-3) one game behind NFC South Division leader Atlanta.

Matt Hasselbeck was 32 of 44 for 366 yards, the most yards allowed by New Orleans' top-ranked passing defense this season, but Seattle (5-5) had trouble getting in the end zone. The Seahawks lost two fumbles and had four drives end with field goals.

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Brees, struggling Saints insist they aren't in panic mode

METAIRIE, La. -- Drew Brees still smells greatness in the New Orleans Saints' locker room, even though they stunk up the Louisiana Superdome during their most recent performance against the struggling Cleveland Browns.

"We're all in the midst of trying to put our finger on what exactly is going on," Brees said Monday, one day after the Saints dropped to 4-3 with a stunning 30-17 loss to the Browns. "We know the type of team we have. We know the type of work ethic we have. The effort is there. Guys want to win. Guys want to be great."

Last season, the Saints wore T-shirts around the locker room that read, "smell greatness," a motto derived from a motivational speech they received from San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott. The Saints won their first 13 games in 2009, lost just three all season and won their first Super Bowl.

In 2010, the Saints have vacillated from super (a 31-6 road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), to so-so (close wins over the struggling Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers) to plain sloppy (turnover-filled losses to the Browns and Arizona Cardinals).

Brees, who threw 11 interceptions all of last season, already has 10 in this campaign, tying him with Minnesota's Brett Favre for the NFL lead in that category entering Monday night's Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants game.

Against Cleveland, Brees' passes were intercepted four times, tying a career high for one game, and two were returned for touchdowns by linebacker David Bowens. Brees also was sacked three times by the Browns, and the Saints were penalized seven times for 98 yards, too.

Brees also threw three interceptions during a 30-20 loss at Arizona.

Coach Sean Payton said Brees' turnovers, as well as the lack of interceptions by New Orleans' defense, are symptomatic of the Saints not jumping out to big leads as they did so often last season.

"Certainly your chances of turning the ball over from an interception go up if you're playing come-from-behind football," Payton said, pointing out that teams are often forced to throw more when trailing. "It gets back to being in a position where you're playing with a lead, playing with balance. As soon as you become one-dimensional, it becomes more difficult."

At the same time, Payton said, opposing offenses have had an easier time calling conservative plays and protecting the football, limiting takeaways by a Saints defense that was among the best in the league in that category last season.

"The way we practice and the effort we give, I think the turnovers will come," Payton said. "The difference this season clearly is that there haven't been many cases or series or quarters where we've played with a lead of above a score compared to a year ago. When (a team has a two-score lead), the defense has more opportunities to rush the passer and the opposition is one-dimensional."

On paper, New Orleans' defense appears to be one of the bright spots on the team, ranking fourth overall in yards allowed per game, compared to 25th last season. All-Pro safety Darren Sharper, who on Sunday played his first game since having offseason knee surgery, said using such stats to judge the Saints' defense can be tricky.

"Now we're top-five, but we haven't created as many turnovers as last year, so is the defense better than last year, or is the defense worse?" he asked.

"We don't worry about stats," Sharper continued. "Getting takeaways is what we pride ourselves on doing and that's the biggest factor in changing the makeup of a game and whether or not you win or you lose."

Brees said the whole team was mindful of how hard it can be to defend a title, and how often recent NFL champions have faltered the following season, a phenomenon often referred to as the "Super Bowl hangover."

The Saints never underestimated how hard it would be to maintain last season's excellence. They're simply disappointed they have struggled to play well consistently through the first seven weeks. It only gets harder this week, with the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1) visiting Sunday night.

"We're never going to panic, but there's definitely a sense of urgency," Brees said. "We just have to really focus on the details -- not letting anything slide, from being on time to meetings, from what you're doing in the film room, what you're doing in the weight room, what you're doing in the training room, taking care of your body. Just don't let a single thing slide. Make sure you're accountable to one another. That's what everybody's preaching right now."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Browns capitalize on four Brees INTs for upset

NEW ORLEANS -- David Bowens returned two of Drew Brees' four interceptions for touchdowns, and the Cleveland Browns took a stunning 30-17 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Saints on Sunday.

Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy passed for just 74 yards, but he got his first win as an NFL starter -- a desperately needed one for the struggling Browns (2-5). Peyton Hillis rushed for a 4-yard score for Cleveland's only offensive touchdown.

Scott Fujita and Sheldon Brown also had interceptions for the Browns. Brees was sacked three times, once by Fujita, who was a defensive leader for the Saints last season.

The Saints (4-3) trailed all game and pulled no closer in the second half than 20-10 on Brees' 11-yard TD pass to David Thomas early in the fourth quarter.

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