March 26

	Quarterback Drew Brees led Purdue to the Rose Bowl last season.

Did a great job directing Joe Tiller's sophisticated pass offense, but in the NFL Brees will be looking to overcome his lack of ideal size and top arm strength. A major plus with Brees is the fact that he has all the necessary intangibles you look for. He's a tremendous competitor, always maintains his poise and has the resiliency to forget about the bad plays and move on. He's a also a winner who responds to challenges in close games that could go either way. Over a four-week period last season, Brees led the Boilermakers to come-from-behind victories over Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Ohio State while directing the Boilermakers to their first Rose Bowl since 1966. In the end, I would view Brees as an excellent early second-round choice.

Feb. 7
I like the way Brees went about his business and managed the Boilermaker offense, but during a structured individual workout he'll have to prove that he has the necessary arm strength to shine in any pro system.

Jan. 4
While he did an excellent job of accurately distributing the ball for Joe Tiller, ultimately it will be his performance during combine/individual testing that will determine if Brees can be successful directing any type of pro offense.

Dec. 31
Produced huge numbers in Joe Tiller's offense, but he lacks the height you would prefer. He'll have to silence skeptics who question how effective he will be when it comes to cutting through the wind late in the season. Ultimately, it will be the combine/individual workouts which determine if Brees ends up in the mid-first round or drops down a number of spots.

Dec. 7
Enjoyed a brilliant career with the Boilermakers, but he lacks big-time arm strength and has to prove to the skeptics that he's not just a system QB.

Nov. 22
Seven of his last 11 interceptions came against Ohio State and Michigan State over the previous two weeks, but he was able to lead the Boilermakers to a convincing 41-13 victory over Indiana that propelled the Boilermakers to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1966. Against an outmanned Hoosier defense that has had all kinds of problems even slowing down the opposition this season, Brees completed 20 of 29 passes for 216 yards and one TD.

Nov. 15
Struggled in the Boilermakers loss at Michigan State, tossing three interceptions. For the day, Brees completed 26 of 43 passes for 279 yards and one TD. While he's thrown just 11 interceptions on the year, seven have come in the last two games.

Nov. 8
After a much-needed week off, the Boilermakers return to action this week with a road battle against Michigan State. If Brees can orchestrate victories in the final two games against the Spartans and Indiana, the Boilermakers are ensured of making their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1966.

Nov. 1
Engineered yet another comeback victory over Ohio State, hooking up with Seth Morales on a 64-yard TD strike with 1:55 left in the game. On the previous series, Brees tossed a costly interception when he was attempting to throw the ball away. For the day, he completed 39-of-65 passes for 455 yards and three TDs. He was intercepted four times. As mentioned, he's been at his best in clutch situations, leading the Boilermakers to come-from-behind victories the last four weeks against Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Oct. 26
Through eight games, Brees has been efficient throwing the football while also beating the defense with his legs. What really strikes me with Brees, though, is his tremendous competitiveness, resiliency and desire. Folks, he's just two TDs away from reaching 100 for his career at West Lafayette. He's accounted for 83 passing, 13 rushing and two receiving. This past week, in the Boilermakers' overtime win at Wisconsin, he completed 21-of-43 passes for 174 yards and two TDs (once again, no interceptions). For the year, he's tossed 19 TD passes (and just four picks). Brees is also completing 60 percent of his aerials. During the combine/individual workouts, however, he'll still have to prove that he isn't just a system QB.