Saints QB Drew Brees back in San Diego for first time since leaving Chargers

SAN DIEGO -- Drew Brees said last week that he planned to get his personal emotions out of the way as much as possible before kickoff in his return to San Diego.

Even so, he embraced them during a passionate pregame speech to his New Orleans Saints teammates before Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers.

"It was right here on this spot 11 years ago I didn't know if I was ever going to play football again! I thought my dream was getting ripped away from me!" shouted Brees, who began his career with the Chargers but was not re-signed as a free agent after he suffered a major shoulder injury in Week 17 of the 2005 season.

"But now I've got another chance to play for the New Orleans Saints, and I don't take that for granted! Embrace the opportunity!" Brees continued before breaking into a traditional pregame chant.

Brees then started fast, leading the Saints to a 7-0 lead on the opening drive and then a 35-34 come-from-behind victory. He threw for 206 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Brees is now 3-0 against his former team since he joined the Saints in 2006. He has beaten the Chargers once in London and once in New Orleans. Sunday was the first time he has played as a visitor in San Diego. Thanks to the NFL's change to its West Coast travel rules a few years ago, San Diego was the only team New Orleans hadn't played on the road since Brees arrived.

The Chargers' decision to let Brees go and replace him with Philip Rivers in 2006 seemed inevitable at the time. They had acquired Rivers in a draft-day trade when he was selected No. 4 overall in 2004. But that decision has been widely second-guessed ever since. Former Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinsontold ESPN's Chris Mortensen this week that he thinks San Diego would have won a Super Bowl with Brees in 2006.

Brees led the Saints to a Super Bowl title after the 2009 season.

"I'm humbled and honored to play this game for 16 years, to play it five years in San Diego, 11 years in New Orleans. I feel like I've got a few more," Brees said after Sunday's win. "But the bottom line is I'm not taking a second of it for granted. I never have, I never will. I understand how precious it is. That last game here in San Diego, I felt like my career might be over. As I walked off the field, I said, 'This might be the last football game I ever play,' and that's just the truth. And so that's another reason why I'm so emotional."

Brees' 48,555 yards and 348 touchdown passes from 2006 to 2015 are the most in any 10-year span in NFL history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.