Assuming he retires, which seems like a legitimate possibility, and inspired by the Rivers thread, it might be a good time to do a serious analysis of Drew Brees' NFL career. I'll start with the raw numbers:
- 20 seasons
- 287 games, 286 starts
- 172-114 (.601)
- 7,142-10,551 (67.7%), 80,538 yds, 7.6 y/a, 571 td, 243 int, 98.7 rating
- led the NFL in completions 6 times
- led the NFL in passing yards 7 times
- led the NFL in passing TD 4 times
- led the NFL in passer rating 2 times
- led the NFL in completion percentage 6 times
- 4,000 or more yards 12x
- 5,000 or more yards 4x
- 30 or more TD 10x
- 13x pro bowler
- 1x all pro
- 9-9 in the postseason
- 1-2 in NFCCG
- 1-0 in Super Bowls
- 1x SB MVP
- #2 in career AV
- #1 in pass completions
- #1 in pass yards
- #2 in pass TDs
- #5 in passer rating
So his counting stats are insane. But also, his peak efficiency stats are crazy good too. Elite completion percentage numbers. Elite passer rating numbers. At his best, he was absolutely astoundingly good.
But...
- He also had 6 losing seasons (nearly 1 out of every 3 of his seasons was sub-.500)
- His playoff record for such a great QB is only 9-9
- Last three playoffs he went out by losing at home
- He was helped enormously by playing half of his games in a dome (141 out of 286):
- In domes: 69.8%, 8.1 y/a, 323 td vs. 121 int, 104.6 rating
- Outdoors: 65.3%, 7.1 y/a, 224 td vs. 110 int, 92.5 rating*
*For comparison, here's Brady's indoor/outdoor splits
- In domes: 68.6%, 8.8 y/a, 40 td vs. 12 int, 111.8 rating
- Outdoors: 63.7%, 7.4 y/a, 520 td vs. 170 int, 96.4 rating
In other words, Brady was better than Brees was both indoors and outdoors, even though many more of Brady's outdoor games were held in bad weather environments (being in the AFC East as compared with the NFC South).
So how good was Drew Brees REALLY? Unlike Rivers, Brees has always been considered elite even compared to his peers. And he's not just had a long career, but his numbers dwarf Rivers'. However, he's had the benefit of a great passing environment, and has had, comparatively speaking, only modest success from a W-L perspective.
What say you, SOSH? How good was Drew Brees really?
- 20 seasons
- 287 games, 286 starts
- 172-114 (.601)
- 7,142-10,551 (67.7%), 80,538 yds, 7.6 y/a, 571 td, 243 int, 98.7 rating
- led the NFL in completions 6 times
- led the NFL in passing yards 7 times
- led the NFL in passing TD 4 times
- led the NFL in passer rating 2 times
- led the NFL in completion percentage 6 times
- 4,000 or more yards 12x
- 5,000 or more yards 4x
- 30 or more TD 10x
- 13x pro bowler
- 1x all pro
- 9-9 in the postseason
- 1-2 in NFCCG
- 1-0 in Super Bowls
- 1x SB MVP
- #2 in career AV
- #1 in pass completions
- #1 in pass yards
- #2 in pass TDs
- #5 in passer rating
So his counting stats are insane. But also, his peak efficiency stats are crazy good too. Elite completion percentage numbers. Elite passer rating numbers. At his best, he was absolutely astoundingly good.
But...
- He also had 6 losing seasons (nearly 1 out of every 3 of his seasons was sub-.500)
- His playoff record for such a great QB is only 9-9
- Last three playoffs he went out by losing at home
- He was helped enormously by playing half of his games in a dome (141 out of 286):
- In domes: 69.8%, 8.1 y/a, 323 td vs. 121 int, 104.6 rating
- Outdoors: 65.3%, 7.1 y/a, 224 td vs. 110 int, 92.5 rating*
*For comparison, here's Brady's indoor/outdoor splits
- In domes: 68.6%, 8.8 y/a, 40 td vs. 12 int, 111.8 rating
- Outdoors: 63.7%, 7.4 y/a, 520 td vs. 170 int, 96.4 rating
In other words, Brady was better than Brees was both indoors and outdoors, even though many more of Brady's outdoor games were held in bad weather environments (being in the AFC East as compared with the NFC South).
So how good was Drew Brees REALLY? Unlike Rivers, Brees has always been considered elite even compared to his peers. And he's not just had a long career, but his numbers dwarf Rivers'. However, he's had the benefit of a great passing environment, and has had, comparatively speaking, only modest success from a W-L perspective.
What say you, SOSH? How good was Drew Brees really?