{"id":965090,"date":"2026-08-05T17:54:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T17:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/965090\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T17:54:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T17:54:20","slug":"drew-brees-jumped-curbs-and-got-stuck-in-a-garage-before-superdome-reopening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/965090\/","title":{"rendered":"Drew Brees jumped curbs and got stuck in a garage before Superdome reopening"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Drew Brees<\/a> left three hours early for the Superdome and still nearly missed the Saints\u2019 homecoming.<\/p>\n

The quarterback was new to New Orleans and unfamiliar with the city\u2019s back streets when traffic surrounded the Superdome before the Saints\u2019 2006 home opener against the Atlanta Falcons.<\/p>\n

Brees tried Airline Drive. It was packed. He tried I-10. It was packed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m literally sitting on I-10 at the Poydras exit,\u201d Brees said. \u201cI could see the Superdome, but now I\u2019m, like, way past on my routine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FansFans with “Home Sweet Dome” banner during first game at newly rebuilt Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana, video still(ASSOCIATED PRESS)<\/p>\n

Players were required to be in the locker room two hours before kickoff. Brees was concerned about more than a possible fine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the biggest game of my life,\u201d Brees said. \u201cI can\u2019t believe that I\u2019m late to the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brees began jumping curbs as he tried to reach Garage 5. When he arrived, he realized the safari rack on his vehicle might not clear the garage ceiling.<\/p>\n

It did not.<\/p>\n

\u201cSparks fly,\u201d Brees said. \u201cAnd now I\u2019m stuck under one of these metal water pipes in the parking garage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brees said he accelerated to free the vehicle, backed out of the garage and pulled onto a curb. He then jumped out and began running toward the stadium as security officers approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cI toss him my keys,\u201d Brees said. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Thank you. I gotta go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FILEFILE – In this Sept. 25, 2006, file photo, the New Orleans Saints take the field for their football game against the Atlanta Falcons at the newly re-opened Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. When the New Orleans Saints host rival Atlanta on Monday night, it’ll mark the 10-year anniversary of the stadium’s reopening, and a victory over the Falcons that symbolized a city’s determination to rebuild from one of the worst natural disasters in American history. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon, File)(ALEX BRANDON | AP)<\/p>\n

Brees quickly dressed and ran onto the field with his heart pounding. General Manager Mickey Loomis approached him after hearing about the trouble.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, you\u2019re here. It\u2019s gonna be a great night,\u201d Brees recalled Loomis telling him. \u201cJust relax. Go have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brees said he did not see the play that sent the Superdome crowd into a frenzy early in the game. He was preparing for the Saints\u2019 first offensive possession when he heard it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of a sudden, you know, it\u2019s like a shotgun blast,\u201d Brees said. \u201cAnd then the roar of the crowd. You\u2019d thought the roof just exploded off the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FILEFILE – In this Sept. 25, 2006 file photo, New Orleans Saints’ Steve Gleason (37) sprints through the end zone after blocking an Atlanta Falcons punt in the first quarter of their NFL football game at the newly re-opened Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. The Saints recovered for a touchdown. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon, File)(BILL HABER | AP)<\/p>\n

The Saints defeated the Falcons 23-3 one year after Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans went on to win 10 regular-season games and reach the first NFC championship game in franchise history.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf 2006 doesn\u2019t happen, then I don\u2019t know that we\u2019re winning the Super Bowl in 2009, if ever at all,\u201d Former Saints wide receiver Lance Moore recalled.<\/p>\n

The season also marked the beginning of the partnership between Brees and coach Sean Payton.<\/p>\n

\"File-ThisFile-This Sept. 25, 2006, file photo shows New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, left, hugging coach Sean Payton after their football game with Atlanta Falcons at the newly re-opened Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Payton sees Monday night\u2019s matchup with rival Atlanta as a separate event from the 10th anniversary of the Superdome\u2019s reopening after Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon, File)(ALEX BRANDON | AP)<\/p>\n

Those who worked with them said Brees turned Payton\u2019s complicated offensive language into something his teammates could understand. Their shared approach to play-calling, preparation and offensive football helped shape the Saints for the next 15 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery few, if any at all, saw the game the same way in terms of play call or personnel decisions, the way the roster is built, as a Drew Brees and a Sean Payton,\u201d Former Saints quarterback Luke McCown said.<\/p>\n

Brees\u2019 preparation continued long after practice ended.<\/p>\n

Teammates recalled seeing him rehearse the entire offensive script in front of a mirror, working through his play-action fake, first read, second read, third read and checkdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of Drew\u2019s superpowers is how hard he works at mastering his part of the offense,\u201d Loomis said. \u201cHe\u2019s going to master it through repetition.\u201d<\/p>\n

DREW BREES HALL OF FAME<\/a><\/p>\n

From 2008 through 2016, Brees recorded five seasons with more than 5,000 passing yards. Four came with Payton coaching the team. Brees also passed for nearly 5,200 yards in 2012 while Payton was suspended.<\/p>\n

Former Saints running back Mark Ingram described Brees as a coach, offensive coordinator and one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history wrapped into one person inside the huddle.<\/p>\n

The partnership began with a 2006 season that helped change expectations for the franchise.<\/p>\n

But before Brees could help reopen the Superdome, he first had to escape traffic, free his vehicle from a garage pipe and sprint into the stadium.<\/p>\n

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here<\/a> to report it. Please include the headline.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to the Fox 8 YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 WVUE. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Drew Brees left three hours early for the Superdome and still nearly missed the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":965091,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2076],"tags":[13189,126977,110125,127034,7,896,55,2572,2571,6,397,127036,127035],"class_list":["post-965090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-orleans-saints","tag-drew-brees","tag-drew-brees-documentary","tag-drew-brees-hall-of-fame","tag-drew-brees-superdome-story","tag-football","tag-new-orleans","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-neworleans","tag-neworleanssaints","tag-nfl","tag-saints","tag-saints-falcons-2006","tag-superdome-reopening"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117044187639030528","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=965090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/965091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=965090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=965090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=965090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}