On Sept. 29, 2002 at Qualcomm Stadium, Drew Brees crossed paths with the New England Patriots for the first time.
Brees, a second-round pick the year prior out of Purdue, handed the ball off to eventual Hall of Fame inductee LaDainian Tomlinson 27 times for 217 yards and two touchdowns that afternoon. And he needed to deliver passes to only four targets – Tomlinson, Curtis Conway, Tim Dwight and Fred McCrary – to log a 21-14 victory in just his fourth start.
Much has changed since then. But like the latter quarterback, Brees is still around. He’s turning to the air a little more frequently at age 38 with the New Orleans Saints than at age 23 with the San Diego Chargers.