Drew Brees’ Legacy. Where Does He Rank as an All Time Great Quarterback?
Drew Brees is still breaking records, and there is no sign of slowing down.
November 2, 2018
On Monday October 8th 2018, Drew Brees made NFL history yet again. He surpassed “The Sheriff,” Peyton Manning, and broke the all time passing yards record. Brees and the Saints were home against the Washington Redskins where he threw for 363 yards, three touchdowns, and a 153.2 passer rating. Brees made many fantasy owners that were losing going into that game very happy that night, putting up between 27 and 32 points, depending what league you play in. Brees broke the record right before halftime on a 62 yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith, who had finished the night with two total touchdowns. Brees now has 71,940 passing yards in his career and has an opportunity to enter the 500 touchdown passes club. If he gets there, he will join the most recent entrant to that club, Tom Brady, who entered it in week 5 against the Colts. Brees and the Saints played Terrell Suggs and the red hot Baltimore Ravens defense in week seven, who in week six sacked Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota a total of 11 times. Brees passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns as the Saints edged the Ravens 24-23 because of Justin Tucker’s first missed extra point in his career. (ESPN.com)
Another quarterback record has been broken, and the talks of greatest quarterback of all time have been brought up again. Some of the top players come out of the quarterback position. Players like Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre are always brought up. Now, with Drew Brees in the top spot of passing yards in NFL history, he may be in the talks of top five all time. Brees has always been very underrated when in comes to top quarterbacks of all time. He is often ranked last in the top quarterbacks of this generation. The other two being Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is usually ranked higher than he should be. This record could help Brees finally break into the top 10 all time. He has definitely surpassed some quarterbacks in all time quarterback rankings such as Terry Bradshaw of the 70’s Steelers dynasty, Troy Aikman of the dominant Cowboys 90’s dynasty, Kurt Warner, Roger Staubach, and many other quarterbacks. The usual names in the top five are Brady, Manning, Favre, Montana, and the fifth name may vary, depending on who you ask. The biggest problem with ranking the best players at any position is bias. Any Packers fan in the 2010’s will tell you that Aaron Rodgers is the greatest. Yes, he has done some pretty amazing things with a not so great defense, taking them to the 2014-2015 NFC championship against the Seattle Seahawks, but they lost in overtime 28-22. Kurt Warner is also an all time great quarterback. He lead the Greatest Show on turf, also known as the 2000 St. Louis Rams. with star receivers like Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, the MVP of the season running back Marshall Faulk, and the best left offensive tackle in the league at the time future hall of famer Orlando Pace. This team won Super Bowl 34, 23-16 against Steve “Air” Mcnair and the Tennessee Titans.
Brees was drafted in the 2001 draft 32nd overall by the then San Diego Chargers (now the Los Angeles Chargers). Brees had some decent times in San Diego, leading the young team to the playoffs in 2004. He suffered a nasty shoulder injury and his contract was up, the Chargers wanted him out. In 2005, The New Orleans Saints took the risk on Brees, and he hasn’t disappointed them since. Giving hope to a city, who had just been hit by Hurricane Katrina. He led the Saints to their first Super Bowl in the 2009 NFL season against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The Saints went into halftime down 10-6, but they lit off a spark in the second half. They opened the second half by kicking an onside kick, which the Saints recovered, that was the momentum shifter of the game. Things went downhill for Manning and the Colts. With the Saints leading 24-17 with 3:12 left, Manning had an opportunity to tie the game. Then Tracy Porter hopped Reggie Wayne’s route and intercepted the ball to take it all the way to the house for six sealing the game for the city of New Orleans, who needed a shine of hope during a time of depression. The city has never stopped loving Brees, even though they lost to the 7-9 Seahawks the next year. Drew Brees is a literal saint in the city of New Orleans. With 72,103 career passing yards and 499 career touchdown passes, Brees has proven himself since being drafted and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Brees is hands down a top five quarterback in NFL history.
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