Drew Brees may be retired from the NFL, but his pregame hype speeches are in mid-season form.
That was evident when he arrived at Alex Box Stadium to throw out the first pitch ahead of LSU's series finale against Georgia, and found his way into the huddle for one of his signature fire-up moments before the Tigers took the field, leading the team on the same chant his New Orleans Saints popularized en route to a Super Bowl title in the 2009 season.
It was an unplanned moment, LSU head coach Jay Johnson said, and it was perfect.
“Drew is a stud. That was so awesome," Johnson said. "We’ve got so many kids from Louisiana, too, who that’s their guy. ... So him stepping in the huddle and getting locked in with those guys, it was one of the coolest moments of my coaching career, getting somebody like that that’s so about the right things, that elite investment in our team and doing that. I didn’t tell him to do that. Nobody told him to do that. He just did it. What a superstar.”
Listen to Jay Johnson's full interview on WWL in the player below. Can't see the embed? Click here.
It would also appear that Brees' words struck the right chord, with the Tigers rallying from a 2-run deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning for a win on a Cade Doughty walk-off home run. The result netted LSU another series win as they continue to rise in the SEC standings.
"Those words that he gave them will resonate with them for a long time," Johnson said. "If we can emulate some of those things that he did as a competitor and as a player and as a teammate, that’s only going to make our program stronger."
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The Tigers (30-14, 12-9 SEC) now sit 3rd in the SEC West and tied in conference play with Auburn, just 2 games back of Arkansas. They're also tied for third-best conference record overall, with Tennessee leading the way at a stunning 19-2 in conference play.