Drew Brees still perfect against Chargers after Monday night comeback

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees still reigns supreme over the Los Angles Chargers.

Late in the second quarter on Monday night, the New Orleans Saints were down 20-3 to the Los Angeles Chargers, and Drew Brees was struggling immensely, along with his offense.

When it comes to facing the Chargers, however, Brees always is up to the task of proving that his former team did wrong by letting him go. It proved to his advantage as he won his first three meetings.

During the fourth meeting on Monday, however, it was against a rookie quarterback in Justin Herbert, who gave the future Hall of Famer all he could handle before Brees and the Saints outscored the Chargers 27-7 to win in overtime and keep Brees perfect against his former team.

There’s no doubt Saints fans are still happy with Brees’ decision to come to New Orleans. The Chargers meanwhile, remember him as a player whom they believed had enough promise to bring them a championship.

There are few who forget that in 2001, the Chargers, then based out in San Diego, entered the NFL Draft with the No. 1 overall pick after having endured a 1-15 season in 2000.

Chargers general manager John Butler knew that the franchise needed a change after 1998, when former general manager and Hall of Famer, Bobby Beathard, made the decision to draft Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf, a decision that turned out to be, arguably, the worst pick in NFL history.

With Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick considered the top prospect and the Chargers not willing to go again in the quarterback route in the first round, Butler traded the pick to Atlanta in exchange for the No. 5 overall pick, which was spent on Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, a wise pick indeed.

In the second round, however, Butler chose to go with a 6-foot quarterback from Purdue by the name of Drew Brees, another future Hall of Famer. However, Brees will be entering Canton as a member of the Saints.

This is due in part to a shoulder injury suffered by Brees in 2005, which led to his eventual departure from the team, turning over of the keys to Phillip Rivers whom the Chargers acquired in the 2004 NFL Draft after a trade with the New York Giants for Eli Manning.

The New Orleans Saints got the better end of the deal

Brees signed with the Saints in 2006 on a six-year, $60 million deal and guided them to the NFC Championship while Rivers would lead the Chargers to the  No. 1 seed in the playoffs. The following year, Rivers went to the AFC championship before falling to the eventual 18-1 New England Patriots.

Though Rivers had been prolific along with Tomlinson, the Chargers seemed to struggle in the postseason, while Brees has led the Saints to multiple division titles, set NFL records by himself, and led New Orleans to a Super Bowl title, something that had never been seen in the Bayou in their long history.

While the Chargers seem to have finally found a quarterback that they can lean their head upon, they still are heeding a reminder that they could have had success with Brees.

Had they chose to bring him back instead of letting his shoulder injury overshadow his determination and belief that he could still play, they might have a ring by now. Instead, the Saints are reaping rewards from that decision to this day.