NFL Top 10 Series: Quarterbacks - #4

Welcome one and all to the much talked about and much anticipated (maybe not so much) debut of the NFL Top 10 Series. We’ve gone through the motions since the middle of the month of April with honorable mentions posts, which if you’re reading this post right now you have probably read through most if not all of them. So once again, thank you for the page views. It is appreciated. Six down, four more to go. We started our journey with a high-attempt quarterback whose stats showed just that. Now at #4, we go back to just that. That’s not to say he isn’t good, because obviously he is. Just making a point I’ll discuss later on. Anyways, we’re off and running.

Quarterback #4 – Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks of this era, but of all the things he has done, a few things are left unanswered.

By now, we all know the narrative. Drew Brees leaves San Diego, after a doctor told him the likelihood of him playing well was very low. He goes to New Orleans, and succeeds to the highest level, launching himself into the ‘elite’ quarterback category, and eventually leads the once-hapless New Orleans Saints to the promised land, winning the franchise its first Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLIV against the Indianapolis Colts.

It’s strange sometimes to thin that Brees wasn’t always an elite quarterback. He was a rising star for a while in San Diego, but never really found his groove until he went to the Bayou. Since 2006, Drew has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and with the stats that he has put up it’s hard to argue. He’s posted two 5,000-yard seasons, once in 2008 when he was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, and last season when he broke Dan Marino’s record of 5,084 passing yards, and once again becoming the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.

His precision is top notch, almost prolific at this point. Since 2007 he’s posted completion percentages above 65%, including an incredible 71.2% last season, and a 70.6% in 2009, the year the Saints won the Super Bowl. Since 2005, he’s thrown for over 3,500 yards each year, over 4,000 six times, and, of course as already stated, over 5,000 twice. Brees is an incredibly prolific quarterback at this point in his career. According to Pro Football Focus, Brees’ lowest passing total last season was 258 yards, and despite that he still completed 3/4 of the passes that he threw. He has thrown a touchdown pass in 43 consecutive games, which is four away from the record that is currently held by the great Johnny Unitas. The closest anyone came before him? Brett Favre who got to 36.

Brees is fairly dynamic under pressure as well. Brees faced 174 pressured dropbacks last season, and was sacked 24 times for a miniscule 13.8%. His pressured TD:INT ratio was fifth best in the league last year, throwing for 10 touchdowns compared to three interceptions. Those 10 touchdowns led the league in terms of being pressured. He’s unflappable, aplomb and composed under pressure, which is why he also had the best completion percentage when facing pressure as well, completing 84 passes for a 58.7 completion %. He was graded as the second best quarterback under pressure according to Pro Football Focus last year, finishing with an 8.9. Only Eli Manning was better with a 9.8.

For as great as Brees is though, there are a few question marks. Few wonder what kind of stats Brees would put up if he didn’t have so many passing attempts. The New Orleans offense is pass-first, and it shows with how many attempts he has had since coming to New Orleans. He has thrown over 500 times each year, five times over 550, and four times over 630. Given his efficiency, it’s not so much that his completion percentage would be hampered, but one would have to wonder if he would be having such large yardage numbers if he played in a more balanced offense, or at least one that doesn’t cause him to throw over 600 times a season.

There is also another glaring question: Can Drew Brees win a road playoff game? Believe it or not, Drew Brees has only won one game away from the home stadium that he has played in, and it was on a neutral site. That was at Super Bowl XLIV. Besides that, Brees has fallen on the road three times. Once in the NFC Championship Game against the Bears, against the Seattle Seahawks in the 2011 Wild Card Playoff Game, and of course, last year against the San Francisco 49ers (where he had an astounding 63 pass attempts). Sure, it has glaringly been the defense that has been the problem, but it’s still not a great thing to see a quarterback as great as Brees is not be able to win something away from his home turf.

Nonetheless, Brees is one of the best in the league, and one of the best in the era. I don’t think that he should have a problem getting to Canton if he puts up prolific numbers, but even with as great as he is, and as great as any quarterback or player is, there is a wonder of what more can he do?