They said he was too short, his hands were too small, lacked pocket presence, and would never be an effective NFL quarterback, and boy, did he prove the masses wrong. Drew Brees is one of the most unorthodox quarterbacks of this current generation of play-callers. While he is primarily a pocket-passing quarterback he tends to slide outside the pocket for better vision outside of his linemen. After receiving only two scholarship offers, the 6'0 quarterback hailing from Dallas Texas played his college ball in Indiana at Purdue University. In four seasons with the Boilermakers, Brees shattered two NCAA records, thirteen Big Ten Conference records, and nineteen Purdue University football records. As a senior, Brees led Purdue to their first Big Ten Championship title since 1967.
Despite his sensational play at the collegiate level, Drew Brees was selected 32nd overall in 2001 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. In five seasons with the Chargers, Brees was able to lead the team to one playoff berth in 2004. Unfortunately, after severely injuring his right shoulder, he lost his starting quarterback job to Philip Rivers and signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints free agent in 2006. This is where the legend of Drew Brees officially began. Since joining the Saints, Brees has led the Saints to seven playoff runs in fourteen seasons. In 2009, Brees tied the Super Bowl completions record (32) on route to a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Brees was named Super Bowl MVP and currently holds NFL records for career pass completions passing yards, completion percentage, touchdown passes, and more. The funny thing about Drew Brees is that his story is nowhere near over as the Saints look to b preparing for yet another postseason run.
When we think of inventors, the image that comes to mind is usually that of a frazzled scientist toiling away in a lab, not celebrities pulled from the pages of Us Weekly. However, a number of well-known public figures hold patents for various innovations. Some are related to the work that made them famous, while others are offshoots of hobbies or just a single great idea.
Part of guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen's signature sound was his two-handed tapping technique, but letting all ten fingers fly while simultaneously holding up the guitar's neck could get a bit tricky. Van Halen came up with a novel way to get around this problem, though; he invented a support (top) that could flip out of the back of his axe's body to raise and stabilize the fretboard so he could tap out searing songs like "Eruption." While Van Halen was obviously interested in improving his guitar work, the patent application he filed in 1985 notes that the device would work with any stringed instrument. Want to tap out a scorching mandolin solo? Find someone selling Eddie's device.
It’s probably not surprising that James Cameron—who designed a submersible to take him to the deepest known part of the ocean—will often invent technology to make his films if what he needs doesn’t exist. He holds a number of patents, including US Patent No. 4996938, “apparatus for propelling a user in an underwater environment,” that he and his brother, Michael, created to film The Abyss and patented in 1989. The device is basically an underwater dolly equipped with propellers that makes it easy for a camera operator to maneuver in the water—and allowed Cameron to capture the shots he wanted for the 1989 film, part of which was filmed in an abandoned nuclear reactor.
In 1987 Jamie Lee Curtis designed and patented a disposable diaper that included a waterproof pocket that held baby wipes. She hasn't profited from her idea yet, though, since she refuses to license the patent until diaper companies make biodegradable products.
You know him as a rock legend, but Neil Young also loves trains—so much that he owns a stake in a model train manufacturing company and has an extensive collection. He also holds seven patents related to model trains, including Patent No. US5441223, "Model train controller using electromagnetic field between track and ground."