Miami » After opening the season by tying a franchise record with six touchdown passes against Detroit, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees just smiled and offered nine words that said everything about his ability and his humility.

"You always think about the ones that got away."

Actually, No. 9 is the one who got away -- from the college programs in his native Texas that failed to recruit him; from San Diego, where a shoulder injury ended his five-year stay with the Chargers; and from Miami, where the Dolphins were not convinced he would sufficiently heal when he was available as a free agent.

So this is the question for all of those folks who overlooked, released or dismissed him: How'd that work out?

All that matters to Brees is that everything turned out wonderfully for Purdue University and the Saints, resulting in rare appearances in the Rose Bowl and the Super Bowl.

It fits nicely into Brees' life story that he could arrive in Super Bowl XLIV after breaking the NFL's season record for passing accuracy and still be cast as The Other Quarterback in a pairing with Peyton Manning of the Colts. In a sense, he's still the kid who occasionally drove from the Purdue campus to watch Manning play in Indianapolis, and was thrilled to receive messages from him.

Yet if he's the Tom Brady to Kurt Warner or the Eli Manning to Brady in a Super Bowl context, history allows for that kind of breakthrough. While he said trying to keep up with Peyton Manning in this game is "exactly the trap that I'm not going to fall into," Brees will be ready to deliver his best material at Sun Life Stadium.

"It's hard in a 15-minute press conference to talk about his work ethic and how he prepares," said Saints coach Sean Payton, who attributes Brees' success to "a combination of character and toughness, hard work and athleticism."

Not that those traits made him highly recruitable in high school in Austin, Texas. "You grew up watching Drew Brees if you're from the state of Texas," said Saints backup quarterback Chase Daniel, but he's talking about Brees' post-Texas existence.

The hometown University of Texas was uninterested in Brees, and so was every major college except Purdue and Kentucky, programs with new coaches scrambling to assemble a 1997 recruiting class. Purdue's Joe Tiller, who had come from Wyoming, landed Brees and is forever thankful.

So is Brees, who took advantage of his opportunity. And while San Diego ended up replacing him with Philip Rivers, Brees has thrived for nine seasons in the NFL as 6-foot passer with amazing accuracy -- including a 70.6-percent completion rate this season.

"He puts the ball in some accurate spots, spots that I've never seen a quarterback throw the ball," said offensive lineman Jhari Evans.

NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci, who coached the similar-sized Ty Detmer and Steve Young of BYU in the league, observed, "Here's a 6-foot guy that throws the ball as well as anybody, makes all the throws. He's brilliant, and that's why [Payton] can do so much with him. He's one of those football freaks that can absorb it all."

Watching from the press box during games, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. marvels how Brees operates. "In his mind, he just has this exceptional ability to slow the game down and see things that sometimes as a coach you might miss yourself," Carmichael said.

Brees' vision extends beyond his own position on the field. He's the Saints' emotional leader, known for delivering a pregame chant he learned from the Marines during a USO tour and modified for his team, and he's immersed in the New Orleans community.

"He just has it all together in all phases of his life," said teammate Reggie Bush.

The Colts will do everything they can to disrupt Brees and the Saints offense, but linebacker Gary Brackett said it is difficult to "rattle" him because he's so adept at moving around in the pocket and giving his receivers extra time to get open and make big plays.

The Saints will need all that Brees can give them in an effort to match Manning's production on the scoreboard. They're confident in him, having witnessed everything that has gone into this four-year drive toward the Super Bowl, ever since Brees arrived in New Orleans.

Backup quarterback Mark Brunell has been around some impressive players in his 18 NFL seasons, and his view of Brees says it all: "If anyone deserves to win this football game, it's him."

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com