Drew Brees reveals Brandon Staley's surprising connection to Saints Super Bowl Season

Drew Brees joined WWL SportsTalk with Mike Detillier and Steve Geller and revealed a hidden tie between Brandon Staley and the New Orleans Saints.

When asked about the now-Saints defensive coordinator, Brees was immediately complimentary of Staley. “I’ve always had a ton of respect for Staley.” Staley entered the NFL coaching ranks in 2017, so it'd be easy to assume Brees’ reference point begins there.

Brandon Staley's history with the Saints traces back to 2009

However, Brees has been aware of Staley since 2009, when he was a part of the Saints training camp. “I’m sure you guys know his story. Staley spent most of the 2009 training camp with us, with the Saints in the quarterback room.” The former Saints quarterback must have realized this story wasn’t well known, because he stopped in his tracks and asked if the hosts were aware of this story. 

When they weren’t, Brees gave a gem that showcased Staley’s mindset and the history between the Saints and Staley. “Staley was a college coach at like Mercyhurst or something like that. He was tight with Joe Lombardi. He had gotten the ability to basically come and spend training camp with us in 2009.

“He knew he was going to move to the defensive side of the ball and be a defensive coach in college, but he wanted to study the offensive side because he thought it would help him on the defensive side.” It’s a strategic move many wouldn’t have made. Many would have looked to soak up as much information specifically related to the position they were set to coach. 

That upcoming season Staley was just making the move from graduate assistant to defensive line coach at St. Thomas. He was only three seasons into his coaching career, but even at that point, Brees described Staley as “hyper-intelligent.”

Even after training camp ended, Staley remained in contact. Staley would study the Saints throughout the years and reach out to Lombardi with notes during the season. Notes would include thoughts about the offensive tendencies to be aware of or the upcoming opponent. 

This is a story many probably wouldn’t know, but it does showcase what is special about Staley. He’s a cerebral mind that is well respected by his peers. These traits have been prominent in his character since the beginning. Staley is no longer sitting in on Saints training camp. He’ll be leading the charge on the defensive side of the ball.