Everything Drew Brees Said Ahead of LSU Matchup, Citrus Bowl
Q. Drew, a couple things, have you had any input as far as implementing any play ideas that you may have brought to West Lafayette with you? On game day, explain your role and where you’ll be located?
DREW BREES: Yeah, obviously, there was a great system in place with the Purdue offense, and that is still continuing to be executed. I think I have had a great collaboration with Brian Brohm, who is our interim head coach, and also the guy who is going to be calling the plays.
For me, a lot of the last two weeks have been getting up to speed with the things that — I would say — kind of the core principles of the offense. The things that our quarterback likes to do and is very good at and then finding places where I can offer up ideas or maybe little nuances and additions or thoughts that might be implemented as well. I think the combination of those things is what we might see on Monday.
Q. You know how Louisiana is, LSU on Saturday and Saints on Sunday, fans have been rooting for both teams over the years. What have you heard about how Drew Brees is trying to beat LSU in this game?
DREW BREES: It is funny, being a Saints fan is like being a Tiger fan, right? They are one and the same. Growing up in Louisiana or having 15 years in Louisiana and having our kids born there, having our kids raised there. Obviously, we were Tiger fans as well. Still are. I love LSU, except for Monday.
The way this all came together is really kind of funny. My family and I fly to Indianapolis to go watch the Big 10 Championship game, watch Purdue take on Michigan. Right on the heels of that, obviously, our head coach leaves and we are all kind of trying to figure out what the bowl scenario is going to look like with the coaching staff.
That is when my conversations with Purdue began about just offering my assistance, to be able to come in and help as a coach in any capacity. At the end of the day, I love my university. I love my alma mater. I wanted to provide whatever assistance they might need during this time, not only to get ready for the Bowl game, but also to help stabilize the program and help with any transition to the next head coach.
In the process, it would give me a great opportunity to work with great young men like Austin Burton here and others. I love the game of football, too, so to have the opportunity, to take a lot of the things, that I’ve learned throughout my career and maybe impart some of that knowledge, experience, wisdom on these young men was a great opportunity.
Just happened to be that it was against the LSU Tigers in the Citrus Bowl. Like I said, I have so much respect for LSU. I know so many of the guys on the coaching staff, whether they were coaches with the Saints at some point, so we have that relationship. Dr. Tate, the president. Scott Woodward, the athletic director. All these guys, I have had great relationships with, conversations with here throughout this off-season. I mean I had a shoulder surgery in Baton Rouge in May and did some rehab at the LSU facility with Beau Lowery.
At the end of the day, I have a great relationship with these guys, but I will equate it to when you go out in the yard on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day to play a backyard football game with your family. You love them but you are trying to beat him.
Q. When you guys heard that Drew was going to join the staff and help you guys out, what kind of went through your mind and what did you know about Drew? Did you have to do any research?
AUSTIN BURTON: I don’t think it took much research to know who Drew Brees was, but I think as a room, excited would be an understatement. You know what I mean, to have a Hall of Famer come in your room and to be able to learn so much.
The best part about it is he is so open to any question. Any little thing, whether it is watching film or on the practice field, he is very detailed and specific and gets you the right answer all the time. It has been awesome to have that resource around and it has been a really exciting time.
Q. What have you seen from Brian Kelly and his staff at LSU that’s led to the quick success?
DREW BREES: Yeah, I have been really impressed. Maybe, I have a little more insight, because I was broadcasting games for NBC last year, and we had all the home games for Notre Dame. Obviously, Brian Kelly was the head coach there, so I had a chance to sit in on a lot of production meetings with him and hear his philosophy, strategy and watch the way that he implemented that with his team there.
Right when it was announced that he was taking the LSU job, I felt like that was going to be a great fit. I think he brings a great level of experience, structure and I think certainly to continue the winning ways at LSU, but, also, when you look at just the crop of talent that exists in Louisiana and their ability to recruit, I just felt like that would be something that would attract people even more to LSU. Obviously, continue to build on a program that already is very, very successful and is a contender each and every year for a national championship — that that would continue.
I think that culminated in the win against Alabama. My boys and I were rooting them on every step of the way. That was a defining win for LSU in the program and really sets the stage for a lot of what they will be able to accomplish in the future. There is a great level of confidence around Brian Kelly and the program that he is going to build.
Q. How much can you kind of make up across the past month when you have a bunch of opt-outs and playing with a lot of new guys and you’re getting back in there, as opposed to maybe the start that you had earlier in the year when you had a very short amount of time to get ready for it? When you have a month, how much are you able to knock out to get more comfortable?
AUSTIN BURTON: Yeah, I think, like you said, one of the blessings about it is just having that full month to really prepare and kind of know you are the guy versus that little week, when I was unsure if I was starting until later on in the week, just kind of knowing the situation.
And then in terms of opt-outs, I think it just gives guys a great opportunity to step up. I think a lot of the guys from wide receivers to tight ends, to defensive players, too. It is such an opportunity for us to make our statement that we feel like we want to show that we can play on the big-time stage, too. It is a great opportunity for all of us. I think there is a lot of excitement and eagerness to just go out there and play well.
Q. Got me back to playing football in the backyard.
DREW BREES: Always. I throw left-handed now, though.
Q. You said at the start of this, this is a one-time thing but I assume that’s still the case for you.
DREW BREES: Yes.
Q. Have you had teams or programs reach out to you to gauge your interest if you would like to continue coaching?
DREW BREES: Yes, but I’m not entertaining those. This is interim. I’m just doing this, because I love my university, and the opportunity to coach young men like Austin and our team, and just get this program through the bowl game. Obviously, get us prepared to go out there and play really well against LSU on Monday. And then after that, turn back into a pumpkin.
Q. What would it mean for you personally to be able to finish your college career as a starting quarterback here at Purdue?
AUSTIN BURTON: Yeah, it has been a long career. Over the past couple years, we as a team in general have done some really great things for this university. Setting history this past year and the year before that, having another eight-win season, or nine-win season, I should say. It has been an awesome time here. To go out on top here and win the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl would be a good way to go out.
Q. You’ve been around college football a lot. You’ve seen what’s gone on with the transfer portal and opt-outs, what’s been your thoughts on that as you see the sport change a little bit?
DREW BREES: Yeah, you have basically brought free agency to college football. There are some examples of it where it has been a really positive thing for guys to maybe go somewhere else and get an opportunity. Unfortunately, I think there are more examples where it is probably not the best thing. I think in some cases, it allows guys to bypass the growth and development that takes place in your early years — as a freshman, as a sophomore, even as a junior — of having to fight through some adversity, really grow, really develop. Kind of battle through tough times in order to get to where you want to get. I think there is a lot of character development that goes along with that. In some cases, I think the portal provides an easy out and allows guys having to avoid to go through that.
I think all of us would recognize the benefits of having to struggle a little bit and having to maybe get — not get what you want for a while and having to learn the hard way.
I know how much that benefitted me. I think there was probably a lot of guys that would have said, hey, had the portal been there when they were there, they might have entered it, and gone elsewhere and not foregone the opportunities that they ended up happening when they stayed.
I think it feels like there are still some elements of that, that are up for discussion, and it might be modified as we go along here. It is the world we live in, and we are not in a position to make those rules right now. We just follow them.
Q. Austin, there’s a lot of people that see the opt-outs on your team and think why play this game at all. For you, sixth-year senior, you get to start, what’s it like to end your career this way?
AUSTIN BURTON: I can’t ask for much more than that, to have an opportunity to play in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and have Coach Brees be a part of it as well, it’s a great situation.
And like I said earlier, for all the opt-outs, guys in the wide receiver room, tight end room, they are all very excited just to be out there and make some plays. It is such a unique situation, and trying to maximize every moment of it.
Q. LSU, Purdue both made it to their respective Championship Games, and meeting here in this Bowl game, just how exciting is it?
AUSTIN BURTON: It is huge, LSU had a great season, made it so the SEC Championship Game and won a lot of games. It is exciting for us, too. We had another great season. It should be a good game two days from now so we are juiced up for it?
Q. I know you’ve only been here for a little bit, but you’ve been in big games. You’ve seen this team throughout the season. How big of a win would this be for Purdue?
DREW BREES: This would be a big win against a program that is no doubt a top five, top three college football program in the country. LSU fights for national championships each and every year. That is their level of expectation.
Obviously, we acknowledge just how strong the SEC is as a conference and the battles that take place week-in and week-out in that conference. So, you come out of that conference in the upper echelon, you know that you are a really good football team.
Purdue, those are the games that we strive to have the opportunity to play in. It’s an honor to be here. It’s an honor to play against an opponent like LSU, and hopefully, everybody has a chance to see our brand of football and enjoy what Purdue can do. We take a lot of pride and grit and determination that we play with. The opportunity that a lot of these guys are going to have on Monday to play in this game against LSU and, hopefully, put on a great performance.
