Drew Brees sees a lot of himself in Browns rookie quarterback

Baker Mayfield.And then some."I think he can be a lot better than me Color Rush DeMario Davis Jersey ," the New Orleans Saints star said Wednesday.A fellow Texan, Brees has never met Mayfield but he's tracked his playing career from afar and has been impressed by virtually everything he's seen from the Heisman Trophy winner, now waiting his turn to play in Cleveland. Brees, who will face the Browns on Sunday, loves Mayfield's competitiveness and playmaking ability, and believes he can develop into one of the NFL's top quarterbacks."He's got all the tools," said Brees, who could pass Peyton Manning and Brett Favre this season on the career list for yards passing. "He's more athletic. He probably can run around better. He's got a stronger arm. He's got all the tools."Brees would know. Now in his 18th season, the 39-year-old has been defying preconceived opinions about quarterbacks and proving people wrong from the moment the Chargers drafted him in the second round in 2001.Too short. Too slow. Too this. Too that. It won't say any of those things on his Hall of Fame bust.Brees has broken the mold on what a star quarterback is supposed to look like. And while he might not be able to look many of his QB peers in the eye, he's been able to make up for any physical limitations with other gifts."I don't know what it's like to be 6-foot-5 because I never will be 6-5, never have been 6-5," Brees said. "But I'll say it like this: If every one of you closed your eyes, all of your other senses would be heightened, your sense of smell, your sense of hearing, all that other stuff. So maybe because I'm 6 feet Youth Marshon Lattimore Jersey , maybe there's certain things that I can't see as well, but for that reason, maybe I can hear it and feel it better because that's what I've had to do my whole career."You find a way to make up for it. You just get it done."By doing what he's done for nearly two decades, Brees has paved the way for Mayfield — and other smaller quarterbacks — to follow his footsteps.If not for Brees and his major success as a multi-year Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, it's unlikely the Browns would have taken a chance on Mayfield and drafted him first overall."I do take a lot of pride in that," Brees said.Mayfield was a walk-on at Texas Tech and again at Oklahoma, where he became one of the school's most celebrated players. And while he didn't have the strongest arm or best 40-yard dash time or some of the other physical attributes the other QBs in this year's class could boast, Brees said Mayfield has shown he can win."Well, at some point you just have to look at results, right?" he said. "So you have to let your mind go past the measurable — maybe how big a guy is or how fast he runs or that kind of stuff and just turn on the tape and does the guy compete? Does the guy make plays? Does the guy win football games? And obviously he's proven he can do all those things."When Brees broke in, he was a backup for Doug Flutie, another undersized QB who showed it's not just a game for big men. Brees watched Flutie excel at a high level and molded his game accordingly."I had a chance to learn from one of the absolute best in my opinion, especially when it came to just having to at times just make plays because of your size and maybe certain limitations," Brees said. "He would get the job done. So I had a chance to learn from a guy like that and I owe him a lot of credit. We call it the 6-foot and under club. All the 6-foot guys, we kind of know what it's like."We kind of have the chip on our shoulder 'cause we've heard it our whole life. I just kind of chuckle at it. Maybe it is something. Maybe it isn't. But it gives us an edge."Brees was asked if Mayfield is in the under 6-foot club."Well, is he 6-foot and under?" Brees said.He was told Mayfield measured just a shade over 6 feet."All right Youth Alex Anzalone Jersey , well, that counts," Brees said. "He's in the club." This evening’s game between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings had all the makings of a grudge match. We all know what happened in the Divisional Playoff game last season. For the Saints however, the more important thing tonight was to try and keep their one game lead in the NFC South over the 5-2 Panthers, in the very competitive NFC conference.Here’s how the game unfolded:1st HALFWinning the toss, the Vikings deferred and the Saints started with the ball. New Orleans came out firing on all cylinders, with Sean Payton drawing from his trick-play box early and often, using Taysom Hill and even Teddy Bridgewater on one play. The Saints would find the end zone easily on an Alvin Kamara run to take a 7-0 lead. The Vikings would get in the act as well, Kirk Cousins finding Stefon Diggs for a touchdown to tie the game at seven.After the Saints went three-and-out on their next drive, the Vikings would once again drive 81 yards into the end zone with a rushing touchdown by running back Latavius Murray. A missed extra point by Dan Bailey would give the Vikings a 13-7 lead with 11:57 left in the half.The Saints would once again put a dent on the scoreboard, with a Wil Lutz 52-yard field goal reducing the Vikings’ lead to 13-10. The drive was marked by a big drop on third down from a wide open Alvin Kamara. On their next drive, the Saints would start marching into Vikings territory, when a pressured Drew Brees would unfortunately throw his first interception of the year, a ball intended for Michael Thomas that was picked off by linebacker Harrison Smith.The Vikings would then move the ball with ease into Saints territory, looking as though they were ready to take a 20-10 lead, when P.J. Williams would somewhat atone for his coverage sins Color Rush Austin Carr Jersey , forcing a fumble by Adam Thielen, which was returned deep into Vikings territory by cornerback Marshon Lattimore. A Vikings unsportsmanlike penalty and two-plays later, Alvin Kamara would leap into the end zone, giving New Orleans a 17-13. A sudden and unexpected change in momentum had the Saints leading by four at halftime, rather than trailing by 10.2nd HALFThe Vikings would start the half with the ball, but a 4th and 1 gamble at their own 45-yard line would result in a pass break-up by Marshon Lattimore, on a pass intended for wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. New Orleans, having the ball at Minnesota’s 45-yard line, would only be able to muster a field goal, however increasing their lead to 20-13.On the Vikings’ next drive, P.J. Williams would continue his atonement party, picking off Cousins and returning the interception for a touchdown, giving the Saints a two touchdowns lead at 27-13.Minnesota’s next drive would end in a punt after a beautiful sack of Kirk Cousins by Sheldon Rankins on a three-man rush. The Saints would then take the ball and methodically drive it down the field, using some clock in the process and eventually settling for another field goal by Wil Lutz, a 42-yard this time, to take a 30-13 lead.The Vikings would not simply roll over for the Saints and would use a long drive that resulted on a 4th and goal touchdown pass from Cousins to Adam Thielen Color Rush Larry Warford Jersey , to trim their deficit to 10 at 30-20, with less than five minutes left in the game.With Minnesota trailing by 10, the Vikings elected to go for an onside kick, which sailed over the heads of the Saints’ Hands Team and went out of bounds. The Saints would milk the clock, forcing the Vikings to use all their timeouts. New Orleans would go into the two-minute warning with a 30-20 lead. Minnesota would get one last possession, but without timeouts, the VIkings would run out of time The Saints are 6-1, still alone atop the NFC South and they are winning in a rarely seen methodical fashion. This team is now winning in multiple ways. That’s a great sign.Saints Win, Saints Win!***Here’s a quarter by quarter timeline of the game:1st QuarterVikings win the toss and deferSaints start from their 20-yard line after a Taysom Hill returnTaysom Hill finds Michael Thomas for a deep 44-yard pass in the red zoneAlvin Kamara rushes into the end zone for a touchdownNO: 7 - MIN: 0Vikings start from their 9-yard lineVikings run the ball successfully and get into Saints territoryP.J. Williams gets roasted by Stefon Diggs and Vikings get into the red zoneVikings go for it on 4th and goal and Stefon Diggs for a touchdownNO: 7 - MIN: 7Saints take over at their 25-yard line after a touchbackSaints go three-and-out and puntVikings take over at their 19-yard lineMinnesota is moving the ball as the quarter ends2nd QuarterVikings easily get into Saints territoryVikings get into the red zone on a flea flicker from Cousins to Adam ThielenP.J. Williams commits a pass interference in the end zoneLatavius Murray leaps into the end zone for a touchdownDan Bailey misses the extra pointNO: 7 - MIN: 13Saints take over at their 31-yard lineSaints get into Vikings territoryAlvin Kamara drops a wide open pass on third downWil Lutz kicks an makes a 52-yard field goalNO: 10 - MIN: 13Vikings start from their 25-yard lineVikings stall at their 40-yard line and are forced to puntSaints take over at their 33-yard lineSaints get into Vikings territory on two runs by KamaraDrew Brees throws his first interception of the season to Harrison SmithVikings are marching as the two-minute warning hitsVikings get into Saints territory on the strength of Kirk Cousins’ armVikings get into the red zoneAdam Thielen fumbles and Marshon Lattimore returns it into Vikings’ territoryBrees finds Kamara for a pass down to the one-yard lineAlvin Kamara rushes into the end zone for a touchdownNO: 17 - MIN: 133rd QuarterVikings start at their 25-yard lineVikings go for it on 4th and 1 near midfield and Marshon Lattimore breaks up the passSaints start at the Vikings’ 45-yard lineSaints get into the red zone on a screen play to Mark IngramSaints stall in the red zoneWil Lutz makes a 42-yard field goalNO: 20 - MIN: 13Vikings take over at their 25-yard lineVikings get two first downs and get near midfieldP.J. Williams picks off Cousins and returns it for a 45-yard touchdownNO: 27 - MIN: 13Vikings take over at their 20-yard lineVikings get into Saints territorySheldon Rankins sacks Kirk Cousins, forcing the Vikings to puntSaints take over at their 16-yard lineSaints are moving the ball as the quarter comes to a close4th QuarterSaints get into Vikings’ territory on a pass to Tre’Quan SmithSaints methodically drive the ball down the fieldSaints stall at the Vikings’ 25-yard lineWil Lutz makes a 42-yard field goalNO: 30 - MIN: 13Vikings take over at their 25-yard lineVikings get into Saints territoryMarcus Davenport reports his second sack of the gameVikings convert a 3rd and 17 and get into the red zoneOn 4th and goal, Cousins finds Adam Thielen for a touchdownNO: 30 - MIN: 20 Vikings try an onside kick that goes out of boundsThe Saints at their 43-yard lineSaints get into Vikings’ territory, forcing Minnesota to start using their timeoutsSaints face a 3rd and 10 in Vikings territory at the 2-minute warningSaints stall and are forced to punt with 1:15 left in the gameVikings take over at their 9-yard line with 1:09 left in the gameMinnesota runs out of time, as the clock expiresFinal Score: NO: 30 - MIN: 20Saints Win Saints Win!