"It should be a busy post-season for New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees in terms of the award banquet circuit. He is poised to rake in a ton of those, even if the one he wanted most eluded him.

Like all truly great players, Brees would trade all such hardware in a heartbeat to once again hoist the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champion. But that won't happen for the Saints next month, so Brees will have to settle for various awards recognizing his record breaking 2011 season in which, among other things, he shattered the mark for passing yardage in a season that had stood since Dan Marino in 1984.

The NFL players union, of which Brees is a director, launched the post-season award avalanche Friday in Los Angeles, according to the NFLPA.

Brees won three awards at the 2012 NFLPA PULSE Awards there, including the prestigious 46th Byron "Whizzer" White Award, which is awarded annually to the player who serves his team, community and country in the spirit of the late Supreme Court Justice.

Brees was also named winner of the Fan's Choice Heart of the Game award as chosen by tens of thousands of football faithful through online voting last month, as well as the winner of one of the annual "JB" awards for community service, named for CBS Sports announcer James Brown."