The Saints have a special night planned for Drew Brees | Saints

For Christmas 2018, Sean Payton gave Drew Brees a gift.

In recognition of Brees breaking Peyton Manning's NFL passing record earlier in the season with a 43-19 win over Washington, Payton gifted Brees a black and gold Rolex watch with the X's & O's diagram of the record-setting 62-yard pass. game on the back.

The fancy watch was his way of saying thank you for everything Brees did for him during their career-defining years together in New Orleans.

“I thought, 'How do you start paying someone back like that?'” Payton said during an interview in August.

Payton and Brees will be together again at Caesars Superdome on Thursday night when Brees will be honored for his induction into the Saints Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony of the nationally streamed game against Payton and the Denver Broncos.

Brees' induction ceremony was intentionally scheduled on the night that Payton and so many of his former coaches and teammates would be in attendance. Eleven Broncos coaches worked with Brees during his legendary 16-year tenure in New Orleans. Eight Broncos players were Saints teammates with him, including tight end Adam Trautman, fullback Michael Burton and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach.

With so many current and former players and coaches on both sides, it's sure to be an emotional night for Brees.

“I'm glad I'm going to be there so we can see him,” said Broncos offensive line coach Zach Strief, who started at right tackle alongside Brees for six seasons in New Orleans. “There are a lot of personal connections and of course it's really cool when you see the guys you played with honored in that way. So to be there while it happens, we won't be out at halftime or anything, but I'm sure I'll see Drew while we're there. It is the first of many honors he will receive.”

As longtime offensive assistants on Payton's staff with the Saints, Pete Carmichael and Joe Lombardi worked with Brees on a daily basis. Both were eventually promoted to offensive coordinator positions, Carmichael in New Orleans and Lombardi in Detroit, Los Angeles (Chargers) and now Denver.

“We have so much appreciation for him, what he has done for all of us,” said Lombardi, who served as quarterbacks coach for 10 seasons during the Payton Brees era. “I have such fond memories of our time there, and of course this is a well-deserved honor.”

During Brees' tenure, the Saints won seven NFC South Division titles and the franchise's only Super Bowl title in 2009. Along the way, he set a number of team and NFL records and led the NFL in passing seven times. He is the only player to record more than two seasons of 5,000 or more yards passing (Brees accomplished the feat five times). He led the NFL in completions and completion percentage six times each and led the NFL in passing touchdowns four times. His career completion percentage of 67.7 remains the highest in NFL history for players with 10 or more years of experience.

“It all starts with him,” said Carmichael, who is in his first season as the Broncos’ senior offensive assistant. “The further you get from it and you look back on his career, the more astonishing the numbers he puts up become. Everything about that time was just so special. He is a great person and a superstar player.

“He raised everyone’s playing level with the way he approached everything. Not just football, but everything. Just his focus, his determination, his drive to be great. He was just a very special player.”

In addition to players and coaches from both teams, several of Brees' former teammates are scheduled to attend the game, including Super Bowl XLIV champion teammates Roman Harper and Scott Fujita.

“I’m glad I’ll be there the night they do it,” said Roach, who grew up in Baton Rouge and followed the Brees-led Saints. “I got to play with Drew for a year and that was cool. Great guy. Great player. I don't know if we'll celebrate (his induction into the Hall of Fame), but I'm glad I got to be there that night. He really deserves it.”

Meanwhile, the Saints are doing their best to make the evening something very special. They have asked fans to wear all-black clothing and will be handing out special Drew Brees rally towels to those in attendance. A New Orleans-style second line parade is expected to take place during the halftime ceremony, led by the Storyville Jazz Band and the Saints' drumline.

“When I think of Drew, I think of the stamina, the consistency of production, just the reliability throughout the year,” Payton said. “Man, it was special. You can't underestimate the importance of not only his performance and consistency on the field, because every day you have the same person from a work preparation perspective and then leave the field in the same way.

“And he was one of those people that he took on and led in so many different ways. “He's been an extension of our staff, and so much of what we've done has evolved over the years with staff and just perseverance.” The consistency of excellence has been remarkable, there are only a handful of players (in history). the NFL) that you can point to the same stamina and consistency year after year.”