“Blessed is he that puts up 5,000 yards in vain, he shall get nothing.”
Can we all take a moment for Drew Brees? He continues to be a top quarterback in this league, but his team is awful. It would be like if Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was stuck on The Power Rangers. He has been so consistently good, we see his 5,000 yards and we collectively sigh, “meh”, it’s Brees. Like he is some how given 5000 yards every season by the football gods and it should go without note. I say we take the time to look at his season compared to the odds on favorite for MVP.
Drew Brees vs. Matt Ryan
Take a look at Drew Bree’s numbers and compare them to MVP favorite Matt Ryan’s and you won’t see a stark difference. People are heralding Matt Ryan’s season epic. So, let’s compare the two. Touchdowns? Matt Ryan threw for 38 and Drew Brees threw for 37. Yards? Drew Brees threw for 5,208 averaging 314 yards per game. Matt Ryan threw for 4,944 averaging 7.7 yards. Sacks? Matt Ryan was sacked 37 times and Drew Brees only 27. Interceptions? Matt Ryan threw for 7 interceptions with a int% 1.3, while Brees threw for 15 with a int% of 2.2. Their ratings were 117.1 to 101.7 for Matt Ryan. It should be noted, Drew Brees was the whole team.
Their numbers aren’t that different, but their seasons were the difference between The Godfather and Mickey Blue Eyes. Brees went 7-9 while Matt Ryan finished 11-5 on his way to his first Super Bowl. The Saints have good coaching, a top quarterback, consistency in the organization, and still can’t put together a winning season. They are 31st in the league in points allowed per game. Not even Brady could drag his team in the post season with that defense. (He really would though, but then again he is the g.o.a.t for a reason)
Something needs to change, or Brees needs to get out of town and go to a team in contention that lacks a quarterback. This leads us to the Texans, the Broncos, or even the Chiefs. Those teams need a quarterback and Brees would make them contenders immediately. I am sure contractually it isn’t an option, but the NFL would be better off if that happened. Seeing, Brock Osweiler, Alex Smith’s 16 points and Matt Moore in the playoffs isn’t good for anyone.
Brees last 3 years have been wasted on a terrible team. I feel for the aging statistician. He deserves more than a defense built like the French. So take a moment and mourn Brees last 3 seasons today before we completely lock onto the Super Bowl.