Breesing Into the Record Books

On Monday night, the Atlanta Falcons traveled to the Superdome for a game against their division rival, the New Orleans Saints and star quarterback Drew Brees. This night was one to remember for Brees, coach Payton, the rest of the Saints squad, and of course all of the Who Dat Nation.

In 1984, Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins set a new single season record for passing yards with 5,084 yards. This record has stood for over 25 years and in past seasons has looked unbreakable. In 2010, the year the Saints won the superbowl, Brees came as close as anyone had before him by throwing for 5,063 yards that season, the second most by a quarterback in NFL history. After that season many thought that Marino's record would not be touched anytime soon. But this year, with one game still remaining on the calendar Brees finally bested Marino's mark. Brees now stands at 5,087 passing yards with one game remaining.

Above is Drew Brees, Quarterback of the New Orleans Saints

This season in the NFL is what I like to call 'The Year of the Quarterback.' Not only has his record been broken with 1 game remaining, but there is also the possibility of 2 more quarterbacks accomplishing the feat. Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers are the two other quarterbacks who have a shot at beating Marino's mark.

After 15 games, Brady has 4,897 yards, meaning he needs only 187 yards to pass Marino. Over the season, Brady has averaged nearly 300 yards per game making the possibility of him surpassing Marino very likely.

On the other hand, there is Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is having an MVP caliber season with his 45 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions. After 15 games, Rodgers has 4,643 yards, meaning he needs 441 yards to surpass Marino's mark. Rodgers has averaged well over 300 yards per game, however not only does 441 yards seem like a push, with a first round bye and home-field advantage already locked up for his Packers, the possibility of him completing the game is very unlikely. Brady looks like he will surpass Marino's mark while Rodgers is an extreme long-shot.

Drew Brees (left), Tom Brady (Center) and Aaron Rodgers (right) are three premier quarterbacks in the game today

It is quite amazing to think about how the record was broken this year. After lasting 27 years the record will most likely be broken by not one, but two quarterbacks. Brees broke the record after 15 games. Brady is under 200 yards away. With one game remaining, this record will not only be broken, but it will be shattered by hundreds of yards.

So everyone give a round of applause to Drew Brees for breaking a record that seemed untouchable. He is a great quarterback and if you watched ESPN after the game, he made a speech that only depicted his confidence, but also assured fans how amazing of a human being he really is. So on behalf of the Mile High Jungle Blog, and the rest of NFL fans around the world, congratulations Drew Brees.