The Pewter Plank
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Buccaneers NFC South Position Rankings: Quarterback

By Michael Horan

TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 18: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers controls the offense during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons on December 18, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 18: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers controls the offense during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons on December 18, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JANUARY 14: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints drops back to pass the ball in the first quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings on January 14, 2018 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JANUARY 14: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints drops back to pass the ball in the first quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings on January 14, 2018 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Drew Brees

It really hurts when one of your favorite quarterbacks plays for a division rival. Despite roasting the Buccaneers regularly since 2006, Drew Brees has been one of my favorite players in the NFL to watch every Sunday. Brees inspired hope in short quarterbacks everywhere, and much more importantly, gave the city of New Orleans something to root for after Hurricane Katrina. Though he hasn’t won an MVP award, he’s won a Super Bowl and the game’s MVP, as well as comeback player of the year, and twice the offensive player of the year.

Drew Brees is a statisticians delight. “Off the charts” is used a lot but Brees really does have chart-breaking stats that a human brain almost can’t comprehend. His accuracy, yardage, and touchdowns each deserve their own spotlight, so where do we start? I’ll save accuracy for last, and flip a coin with heads for touchdowns and tails for yards.

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So yeah, about the yards. Can we talk about the yards? Let’s talk about the yards. Drew Brees has thrown for 5000 yards on FIVE separate occasions, including as recently as 2016, when he threw for 5208 yards. His highest total was an astonishing 5476 back in 2011. His five times hitting that ridiculous 5K mark is more than Peyton Manning (1), Tom Brady (1), Aaron Rodgers (0), and, uhh, literally every quarterback ever. Brees is the only guy to do it more than once.

Brees is third all time in career passing yards with 70,445, and by the time he retires he’ll be safely in first; he had 4334 last season, and seem like a lock to finish near that until he retires. It’s an accomplishment alone that would vault him into the hall of fame, but there’s more.

The touchdowns. Like the yards, Brees is tied for third most in NFL history, with 488, which is exactly tied with Tom Brady. The two of them will duke it out over the next few seasons in their pursuit for most all time, held by Peyton Manning with 539. How much more needs to be said? He throws a metric ton of touchdowns and makes it look easy.

Finally, the accuracy. Drew does a lot of great things as a quarterback but they all start with his pinpoint accuracy. He throws receivers open and hits them mid-stride, and has a strong enough arm to push the ball downfield and test small windows. The numbers reflect it, as Brees has finished a season with a +70 completion percentage four times, including the last two years. The cerebral aspect of Brees’ game bleeds into this as well, as he almost always spots the open guy and delivers an on time pass.

In all, Brees is a terrific quarterback and a future hall-of-famer (hopefully sooner rather than later, for the Buccaneers’ sake). Even at age 39 he’s still an elite quarterback, and the obvious top guy in the NFC South.

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