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Payton and Brees: The Men Who Built the Greatest Offense in NFL History
“Perfect for football fans of all stripes, this dual-focus portrait celebrates the winning power of strong bonds between coach and player.” — Publishers Weekly A rare, behind the scenes look at the New Orleans Saints over more than 14 seasons
In 2006, Sean Payton arrived in New Orleans as a relatively unknown first time NFL head coach. His task was resurrect a Saints team that had just finished 3–13 and had won only one playoff game in the previous four decades.
Meanwhile, the city was undergoing its own staggering rebuild following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina five months earlier. Payton knew that to turn around the Saints’ fortunes, he needed to turn around their dreadful quarterback legacy. The Saints targeted a San Diego Chargers castoff they hoped would become the new face of their Drew Brees.
Every team in the NFL had passed on Brees at least once because of his surgically repaired right shoulder or his lack of prototypical size. But for the Saints, Brees was worth the risk. Together, these two underdogs rolled up their sleeves and got to work, helping rebuild the city as they transformed the franchise from laughingstock to Super Bowl Champions.
What they have done since, including building the most productive offense the NFL has ever seen and setting multiple passing and scoring records, has only deepened their legacy in New Orleans and throughout the league.
Based on more than 14 years of firsthand reporting and dozens of interviews with players, coaches, and executives, Payton and Brees is the definitive account of how Sean Payton and Drew Brees transformed a team, a city, and the game of football.
In 2006, Sean Payton arrived in New Orleans as a relatively unknown first time NFL head coach. His task was resurrect a Saints team that had just finished 3–13 and had won only one playoff game in the previous four decades.
Meanwhile, the city was undergoing its own staggering rebuild following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina five months earlier. Payton knew that to turn around the Saints’ fortunes, he needed to turn around their dreadful quarterback legacy. The Saints targeted a San Diego Chargers castoff they hoped would become the new face of their Drew Brees.
Every team in the NFL had passed on Brees at least once because of his surgically repaired right shoulder or his lack of prototypical size. But for the Saints, Brees was worth the risk. Together, these two underdogs rolled up their sleeves and got to work, helping rebuild the city as they transformed the franchise from laughingstock to Super Bowl Champions.
What they have done since, including building the most productive offense the NFL has ever seen and setting multiple passing and scoring records, has only deepened their legacy in New Orleans and throughout the league.
Based on more than 14 years of firsthand reporting and dozens of interviews with players, coaches, and executives, Payton and Brees is the definitive account of how Sean Payton and Drew Brees transformed a team, a city, and the game of football.
- GenresSports
304 pages, Hardcover
Published October 13, 2020
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107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 10, 2021
Sean Payton’s dream school was Purdue.
Sean, Drew, Carmichael, and Curtis Johnson have all been on the same staff for 15 consecutive years. Wow!
Brees step-dad of ten years, Harley Clark, is credited for creating the famous, Hook ‘Em, salute. So cool. 🤘🏽
When Drew was 12, he beat Andy Roddick three times as a junior in tennis.
I didn’t know that Sean looked into the 49ers and Colts head coaching jobs in 2015, and in 2016, he was interested in the Rams head coaching vacancy. I didn’t know He and Loomis were at odds during the time the Saints were 7-9 in back-to-back-to-back seasons. I’m sure the behind the scene problems were magnified due to the losing and on-the-field product. Props to Mickey Loomis for handling the situation with Payton and that both were able to work it out. Any other GM would have either quit or moved on from their problematic head coach.
It’s also a compliment to Sean Payton to see his former assistant Joe Brady and former scout/QB Coach, Mike Neu take his system to the collegiate level and have great success.
Jeff Duncan throughout this book highlighted Sean Payton’s and Drew Brees mentalities and thought process in their attention to detail, their commitment to both discipline and dedication to the grind, and their relentless effort to watch as much film on their opponents as possible to notice tendencies and find an advantage. Because of their preparation, the Saints offense is one of the absolute best in the NFL year in, and year out, and Drew Brees is arguably one of the best QB’s in the history of the league with a ton of records and a Super Bowl ring to show for it. The Saints offense is a machine built on continuity, consistency, and commitment. But without Sean or Drew, the machine is not the same.
I particularly liked the “DOME-INATION.” Love the stories of games that the Saints blew out their opponents at home. The Giants seem to have been in most of them, lol.
Love the stories of Drew and Sean behind-the-scenes and their competitiveness. Especially from former players or coaches.
All around a really good read. As a fan I love this stuff as much as I love the Saints. Duncan really put an emphasis on Sean and Drew’s film study habits. It’s was brought up so much throughout the book. I got the point early on but I thought it was fitting considering how important watching film is to them and how Duncan repeatedly focused on that aspect.
Sean, Drew, Carmichael, and Curtis Johnson have all been on the same staff for 15 consecutive years. Wow!
Brees step-dad of ten years, Harley Clark, is credited for creating the famous, Hook ‘Em, salute. So cool. 🤘🏽
When Drew was 12, he beat Andy Roddick three times as a junior in tennis.
I didn’t know that Sean looked into the 49ers and Colts head coaching jobs in 2015, and in 2016, he was interested in the Rams head coaching vacancy. I didn’t know He and Loomis were at odds during the time the Saints were 7-9 in back-to-back-to-back seasons. I’m sure the behind the scene problems were magnified due to the losing and on-the-field product. Props to Mickey Loomis for handling the situation with Payton and that both were able to work it out. Any other GM would have either quit or moved on from their problematic head coach.
It’s also a compliment to Sean Payton to see his former assistant Joe Brady and former scout/QB Coach, Mike Neu take his system to the collegiate level and have great success.
Jeff Duncan throughout this book highlighted Sean Payton’s and Drew Brees mentalities and thought process in their attention to detail, their commitment to both discipline and dedication to the grind, and their relentless effort to watch as much film on their opponents as possible to notice tendencies and find an advantage. Because of their preparation, the Saints offense is one of the absolute best in the NFL year in, and year out, and Drew Brees is arguably one of the best QB’s in the history of the league with a ton of records and a Super Bowl ring to show for it. The Saints offense is a machine built on continuity, consistency, and commitment. But without Sean or Drew, the machine is not the same.
I particularly liked the “DOME-INATION.” Love the stories of games that the Saints blew out their opponents at home. The Giants seem to have been in most of them, lol.
Love the stories of Drew and Sean behind-the-scenes and their competitiveness. Especially from former players or coaches.
All around a really good read. As a fan I love this stuff as much as I love the Saints. Duncan really put an emphasis on Sean and Drew’s film study habits. It’s was brought up so much throughout the book. I got the point early on but I thought it was fitting considering how important watching film is to them and how Duncan repeatedly focused on that aspect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2022
Four stars or maybe four and a half for its content, importance and learning experience...I'm opting not to dock it much for the editing which leaves much to be desired. More on that in a minute. In the meantime, let's focus on the story being told here, of a truly special coach-and-quarterbacking pairing that brought a Super Bowl to a city that desperately needed some joy. Jeff Duncan does a phenomenal job of demonstrating what makes Sean Payton and Drew Brees unique as individuals and as a collaborative pairing. He combines in-depth character studies of these two groundbreaking figures with delightful Xs and Os breakdowns of what the Saints were doing to innovate and succeed. I learned a lot about how the Saints operate inside their facility on a day to day basis, and I think I understand now some of the recent moves they've made that have befuddled fans and analysts. For example, the book hints at why Sean Payton values Taysom Hill so much - he might be one of the few quarterbacks Payton can imagine having the brains and work ethic to run this incredibly complex offense. And I think I better grasp why the Saints have generally been uninterested in drafting wide receivers in recent years - they're less interested in raw talent and prefer to find football-obsessed workaholics who they can mold into effective weapons within their system. Those may be conjecture, but what is made clear throughout is the importance of Brees and Payton to each other and each man's essential role in the Saints' decade and a half of offensive proficiency.
I'm baffled by some of the editing choices or perhaps lack thereof. Especially in the midsection of the book, the narrative lags a bit due to repetition. Paragraphs sometimes don't lead into each other the way I'd expect; it's occasionally jarring. At times, individuals are referenced without having been introduced, or having been mentioned much earlier and we don't get a quick refresher. But the content Duncan includes is consistently fascinating and enlightening, and I came to appreciate these two men - already legends in our household as my partner is a New Orleans native and lifelong Saints fan - on an even greater and more nuanced level.
I'm baffled by some of the editing choices or perhaps lack thereof. Especially in the midsection of the book, the narrative lags a bit due to repetition. Paragraphs sometimes don't lead into each other the way I'd expect; it's occasionally jarring. At times, individuals are referenced without having been introduced, or having been mentioned much earlier and we don't get a quick refresher. But the content Duncan includes is consistently fascinating and enlightening, and I came to appreciate these two men - already legends in our household as my partner is a New Orleans native and lifelong Saints fan - on an even greater and more nuanced level.
January 13, 2024
Started this one a few years ago and finally revisited it the past few weeks to finish. Having started it during the Payton/Brees era and finishing it after was interesting. It was fun to look back on the glory days of the Saints and reminisce on all those great games. I enjoyed the behind the scenes content the most, but some of the quotes and stories of Payton and Brees' greatness started getting redundant and wasn't adding a lot to the book.
I think this would be a more interesting read now with a coupe more chapters about the end of the pairing. Reading the last couple of chapters were funny because you see a lot of thing eluded to that ultimately led to Coach Payton "retiring." Seeing him say so many times that he would never coach anywhere else and New Orleans is the only place he wants to be in funny to read now.
The book also shows how awesome the Saints were but as a fan, it also brings up more questions and thinking that they should have won so much more during that time. Of course the Rams NFC Championship and the Minnesota Miracle are addressed, but if they were so amazing, why were there so many mediocre years (of course the defense was terrible, which the book does mention, but that's also on Coach Payton), or why'd they fall short in the playoffs so many times. If you play out the Payton and Brees era, more times than not, they would have won more than one Super Bowl. But even with the disappointments, it was such a fun ride and I enjoyed reliving it in this book.
I think this would be a more interesting read now with a coupe more chapters about the end of the pairing. Reading the last couple of chapters were funny because you see a lot of thing eluded to that ultimately led to Coach Payton "retiring." Seeing him say so many times that he would never coach anywhere else and New Orleans is the only place he wants to be in funny to read now.
The book also shows how awesome the Saints were but as a fan, it also brings up more questions and thinking that they should have won so much more during that time. Of course the Rams NFC Championship and the Minnesota Miracle are addressed, but if they were so amazing, why were there so many mediocre years (of course the defense was terrible, which the book does mention, but that's also on Coach Payton), or why'd they fall short in the playoffs so many times. If you play out the Payton and Brees era, more times than not, they would have won more than one Super Bowl. But even with the disappointments, it was such a fun ride and I enjoyed reliving it in this book.
October 2, 2021
When I'm reading NFL material, I always keep a close eye out for errors, and there are a few in this game.
In the foreword, Steve Gleason bizarrely explains how his debut game was against John Elway and the Broncos. That was weird. Gleason did play his first game against Denver in 2001, but Elway's last game was the Super Bowl game against Atlanta played in 1999. How does that happen?
There's a reference to Mike McCarthy as "Matt" McCarthy.
Tre'Quan Smith's name appears at "Tra'quan", and there's an incorrect year on a playoff game.
There's a style issue with the chapters. Sometimes, people's first names are re-introduced with each chapter (which is what I would prefer and most readers would expect), but there are many exceptions, with obscure players and coaches who haven't appeared in many chapters suddenly showing up as last names -- as if we were just talking about them. Think "Harris", "Hill", "Murray", "Carmichael", "Ornstein" etc. You would have to have a thorough mastery of the New Orleans franchise to know who was being talked about.
So there's a little cleanup work that could have been done, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book. Duncan has been covering the Saints for years, and he brings to life a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff that's interesting -- how they design and develop plays, and some the relationships and dynamics behind some of the players and coaches. Recommended for those wanting a better understanding of the NFL game.
In the foreword, Steve Gleason bizarrely explains how his debut game was against John Elway and the Broncos. That was weird. Gleason did play his first game against Denver in 2001, but Elway's last game was the Super Bowl game against Atlanta played in 1999. How does that happen?
There's a reference to Mike McCarthy as "Matt" McCarthy.
Tre'Quan Smith's name appears at "Tra'quan", and there's an incorrect year on a playoff game.
There's a style issue with the chapters. Sometimes, people's first names are re-introduced with each chapter (which is what I would prefer and most readers would expect), but there are many exceptions, with obscure players and coaches who haven't appeared in many chapters suddenly showing up as last names -- as if we were just talking about them. Think "Harris", "Hill", "Murray", "Carmichael", "Ornstein" etc. You would have to have a thorough mastery of the New Orleans franchise to know who was being talked about.
So there's a little cleanup work that could have been done, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book. Duncan has been covering the Saints for years, and he brings to life a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff that's interesting -- how they design and develop plays, and some the relationships and dynamics behind some of the players and coaches. Recommended for those wanting a better understanding of the NFL game.
April 8, 2021
As much as I hate to say it, this is not a great book. The first problem is the timing of its release. Although no one knew that Brees was going to retire after the 2020 season, it could have safely been assumed that he would play no more than 1-3 more seasons. So a book like this should probably have been held until Brees retired.
Regarding the book itself—it's just sloppy. The writing is redundant. For example, the penultimate chapter is mainly about Joe Brady, and when Brady is mentioned again in the final chapter, we get another short biographical intro to him. He is also introduced a few times in the book before we get to his chapter.
Another example of this is the final paragraph of the book. Duncan uses a quote from Brees that does a good job summarizing his time with the Saints. It could have been an effective closing—unfortunately, Duncan had already used that exact quote about 30 pages earlier in the book.
The biggest problem is that the book doesn't provide much interesting information. It's essentially a bunch of NFL people with a connection to the Saints talking about how great Brees and Payton are. Would have been nice to have some information that felt both new and meaningful.
Regarding the book itself—it's just sloppy. The writing is redundant. For example, the penultimate chapter is mainly about Joe Brady, and when Brady is mentioned again in the final chapter, we get another short biographical intro to him. He is also introduced a few times in the book before we get to his chapter.
Another example of this is the final paragraph of the book. Duncan uses a quote from Brees that does a good job summarizing his time with the Saints. It could have been an effective closing—unfortunately, Duncan had already used that exact quote about 30 pages earlier in the book.
The biggest problem is that the book doesn't provide much interesting information. It's essentially a bunch of NFL people with a connection to the Saints talking about how great Brees and Payton are. Would have been nice to have some information that felt both new and meaningful.
November 11, 2020
If you do not like football but are interested in greatness or accomplishment, this might be for you. It is a paean to the 10,000 hours theory, the Practice, Practice, Practice avenue to Carnegie Hall theory.
Lots of great players and coaches have been in and are in the NFL. These two get the nod here because they have put up over 89,000 yards passing in their 14 seasons, more than any other team in any similar period. And the list goes on. Only in the number of Super Bowls won do they suffer. One is all they claim, plus a few near misses. True, Brees and Brady are fighting for most touchdown passes all time, but Brees certainly helped his cause this past weekend with a 38-3 win over Brady, jumping two or three touchdowns ahead. That duel will continue and the youngster in Kansas (who almost became a New Orleans Saint) might put them both in also-ran company in a few years.
Full of superlatives and insights, this was an entertaining and illuminating book and is
Recommended.
Lots of great players and coaches have been in and are in the NFL. These two get the nod here because they have put up over 89,000 yards passing in their 14 seasons, more than any other team in any similar period. And the list goes on. Only in the number of Super Bowls won do they suffer. One is all they claim, plus a few near misses. True, Brees and Brady are fighting for most touchdown passes all time, but Brees certainly helped his cause this past weekend with a 38-3 win over Brady, jumping two or three touchdowns ahead. That duel will continue and the youngster in Kansas (who almost became a New Orleans Saint) might put them both in also-ran company in a few years.
Full of superlatives and insights, this was an entertaining and illuminating book and is
Recommended.
October 18, 2020
I enjoy reading about New Orleans Saints history. 'Payton and Brees' provides occasional really neat insights, but mostly it just feels like an extremely long feature piece rather than a cohesive narrative. It's nowhere up there with 'From Bags to Riches,' but I do think it will make a really good archival piece one day.
November 11, 2020
Awesome read...
These 2 gentlemen will be remembered by the city of New Orleans for more than their contribution to turning our team into a winning team but for how the changed the entire city. Great job with the book Jeff
These 2 gentlemen will be remembered by the city of New Orleans for more than their contribution to turning our team into a winning team but for how the changed the entire city. Great job with the book Jeff
July 21, 2024
What a wonderful book. It brought back great memories. I now realize just how special it was to witness this phenomenal pair on the field. I hope one day Drew Brees will get the recognition he deserves.
January 22, 2021
Hated to see this run possibly end. Definitely a good read for every Saints fan. #WhoDat
April 1, 2021
Who Dat
December 4, 2021
I didn't know this stuff cause I didn't follow football pre-2015 but if you did there's probably not much here for you. Sean Payton sure is cool though
February 15, 2022
A fun look back at my favorite team. There were a couple of stories that I had not heard of before as well as some cool behind the scene breakdowns for some memorable saints moments.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews