I know we're predisposed here at BS to being hypersensitive to perceived lack of respect for our Boilermakers. However, I think it's interesting just how under-the-radar Drew Brees is, given how spectacularly he has been playing for years now. Yes, I know he gets some ink and people who know him love him. But he doesn't get the attention or respect bestowed upon other elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Part of that could be the lack of Super Bowl wins. Okay, fine, I can buy that, but you still hear more about guys like Phil Rivers than you do about Drew Brees, and Rivers is far less successful.
As for Drew, take a look at his career statistics. Do you realize how awesome a career he is building? Let's not forget -- this is a guy who was considered undersized and had a knee injury coming out of high school. Nobody in Texas (his home state) gave him a sniff. And here he is, throwing for 4,000+ yards for four straight seasons, including 5,000+ (!!) last year.Want to compare him to Brett Favre? Crazy talk, right? (Right, Peter King?)
Drew has played, essentially, eight seasons at this point. (Not counting the one game he played in '01 -- also worth noting he only played 11 games in '03.) Comparing these eight seasons to Favre's first eight seasons (not counting the two games Favre played for the Falcons in '91), we learn that Brett Favre -- he of the all-time passing yards record -- had 30,894 after those eight seasons. Drew's total? 30,646, a mere 248 yards behind, which he clearly would have surpassed had he not missed those five games in 2003. So is that to say through this point in his career, Drew Brees is a more prolific passer than Brett Favre? It might be.
TD passes over that same period: Favre leads, but not by much, 235-201. Of course, Brett also leads in picks, 139-110. Just saying.
Am I trying to say Brees is a better quarterback? Well, not exactly. I'm simply saying he's on the right track and should already be considered in Favre's league. If Brees plays another ten years to get to the number of seasons Favre has played, and averages 3,800 passing yards a year (as he has for the past eight), he'd be at almost 69,000 passing yards. Brett Favre current passing yards: 69,329. Incredibly similar track.
Of course, Brett Favre has that one lone Super Bowl win (though it would seem he has about 15 based on the media's love for him) and Drew currently has none. However, that could all change in the next two weeks.