The Rise of Drew Brees
People can say that Brett Favre and Peyton Manning are the "rare" athletes that are at the very top of the QB food chain, and I'm willing to admit that there's truth to that. Certainly, not everybody can play QB, year-in-and-year-out, at such an extremely high-level like Peyton and Favre.
QB is the toughest position to play in all of professional sports. But now we have Drew Brees! He makes our QB stable nearly complete. He's in his prime right now. Brees' will likely appear in the postseason this year.
Excluding Kerry Collins (191 TDs/187 picks) from the discussion - that would make Drew Brees essentially #6 among active leaders in passing yards and passing TDs (behind Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, McNabb, Tom Brady and Kurt Warner). Brees' will easily surpass Kurt Warner statistically. Now the real intrigue begins!
Comparing McNabb to Brees...
Brees' - 1st pick of the 2nd Round by the Chargers (32nd Overall Pick) in 2001
He turns 31 next January. 27,956 passing yards; 182 TD passes. A 64.1 completion percentage for his career. He's only been sacked 143 times.
Onto McNabb - Top 10 Overall Pick by the Eagles in 1999
According to his ESPN profile, he turns 33 in November. 29,932 passing yards; 199 TD passes. A 58.8 completion percentage for his career. He's been sacked 331 times.
Could McNabb be "less athletic" than Drew Brees? Could he have less "pocket presence" than Mr. Brees? Those are all interesting questions. Since neither of them have a Super Bowl ring, I consider them even in that department. A few years ago, the sports media would have practically guaranteed 45,000 career passing yards for McNabb, but that is truly in jeopardy right now. If he somehow manages to stay healthy and reaches that pinnacle, I will be impressed. That doesn't happen everyday in the NFL.
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My conclusion/projection:
Drew Brees' numbers have absolutely skyrocketed the last few seasons. The media has been forced to acknowledge him. Unless something catastrophic occurs, Brees' will surpass McNabb in passing yards and TDs thrown, and it will happen in the near future. The trend of Brees' rising and McNabb stagnating is likely to continue. Brees' throws into really tight coverage all the time, and his interception numbers aren't bad at all. McNabb doesn't have much of an advantage in any statistical category.
I knew Brees' had superior eye/hand coordination, but some of the differences were bigger than I had expected (sacks, completion percentage). Drew Brees, Steve Young & Brett Favre are the prototypical athletic QBs. Heck, Brett Favre can still run around in the pocket at 40! Hopefully, Drew Brees' can do the same in his late 30's. It's a real treat to see such amazing eye/hand coordination, combined with athleticism and pocket awareness. Drew Brees' is a Top 3 NFL QB!
Passing TDs among active leaders:
Favre - 476
Peyton - 348
Brady - 212
McNabb - 199
Warner - 191
Brees - 182
Edited by: Deadlift