Why Drew Brees is the most under-appreciated player in NFL history

If you just listened to how Drew Brees is discussed in NFL circles, you may have no idea how much he's accomplished.

The New Orleans Saints' franchise quarterback has been one of the most consistent, efficient, prolific players the NFL has even seen, but his trophy case is rather empty and his reputation is good, but not great.

Stacking up his accomplishments next to his recognition, it's clear that Brees is the most under-appreciated player in NFL history.

All-time passer

To date, only two men in the history of the NFL have passed for more yards or more touchdowns than Brees in their career - Peyton Manning and Brett Favre, both of whom played at least two more seasons than what the Saints quarterback has under his belt.

Rank	QB	Yards	TDs
1	Peyton Manning	71940	539
2	Brett Favre	71838	508
3	Drew Brees	66111	465
4	Tom Brady	61582	456
5	Dan Marino	61361	420

Many have discounted Brees' numbers due to the era he plays in and the high number of attempts he's made, averaging the third-most per game in NFL history (37.6) behind Matthew Stafford and Andrew Luck. While those are not factors he can control as he does call his own plays, Brees has made the most of situations by setting a league record for highest career completion percentage (66.7).

If he sticks anywhere close to his current pace, Brees will become the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards by mid-2018. As the 39-year-old has been adamant he plans to play well into his 40s, Brees will very likely retire as the NFL's passing leader with better year-to-year efficiency than the game has ever seen.

Single-season success

The modern era of football has been very kind to quarterbacks, especially Brees.

Since joining the Saints in 2006, Brees has led the league in passing seven times, throwing for over 5,000 yards five times. No other quarterback in NFL history has eclipsed that mark in more than one season.

Rank	QB	Team	Yards	Year
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	5477	2013
2	Drew Brees	NO	5476	2011
3	Tom Brady	NE	5235	2011
4	Drew Brees	NO	5208	2016
5	Drew Brees	NO	5177	2016
6	Drew Brees	NO	5162	2013
7	Dan Marino	MIA	5084	1984
8	Drew Brees	NO	5069	2008

Brees' trend of passing for more yards than any one else year in and year out has seemingly become normal and has allowed him to morph the identity of the organization he saved from infinite mediocrity.

Changing a franchise

The city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana is forever in debt to Brees and Sean Payton for the hope they provided in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2006.

The Saints had one playoff appearance in the 13 years prior to signing Brees and had long been defined as the 'Aints, a team whose fans hid their faces under paper bags.

Before Brees (1967-2005):
Team record 237-354-5 - five playoff appearances, one playoff win

After Brees (2006- Present):
Team record 101-75 (Brees inactive for two losses) - five playoff appearances, six playoff wins, one Super Bowl

While the Saints' faithful and the local community has adored Breesus for over a decade, the rest of the league has plenty of catching up to do.

Individual accolades

Being caught in the league's greatest era of passers along with Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers, Brees has been cast as "really good, but not the best" seemingly every season.

QB	Yards	TDs	MVPs	OPY	PB	All-Pro	SBs
Peyton Manning	71940	539	5	2	14	7	2
Brett Favre	71838	508	3	1	11	3	1
Drew Brees	66111	465	0	2	10	1	1
Tom Brady	61582	456	2	2	12	2	5
Dan Marino	61361	420	1	1	9	3	0
John Elway	51475	300	1	0	9	1	2
Joe Montana	40551	273	2	1	8	3	4
Aaron Rodgers	36827	297	2	0	6	2	1

OPY = Offensive Player of the Year, PB = Pro Bowls, All-Pro = 1st-team All-Pro

Most undervalued player

The most appalling of all the snubs in Brees' career has been his lack of an MVP award and the overall lack of simple consideration.

While we've all agreed quarterback is the premium position in football and that Brees is one of the absolute elite, his prolific passing seasons have never brought him close to winning the title of the league's most valuable player

Year	Winner (Votes)	Brees (Votes)
2006	LaDainian Tomlinson (44)	2nd Place (4)
2007	Tom Brady (49)	NA (0)
2008	Peyton Manning (32)	NA (0)
2009	Peyton Manning (39.5)	2nd Place (7.5)
2010	Tom Brady (50)	NA (0)
2011	Aaron Rodgers (48)	2nd Place (2)
2012	Adrian Peterson (30.5)	NA (0)
2013	Peyton Manning (49)	NA (0)
2014	Aaron Rodgers (31)	NA (0)
2015	Cam Newton (48)	NA (0)
2016	Matt Ryan (25)	NA (0)

Four times, Brees had MVP-worthy seasons, but was left out to dry by voters when another candidate had a slightly worthier campaign.

In 2006, Brees took the 3-13 Saints all the way to the NFC Championship game in his first year in New Orleans, leading the league in passing on the way. However, his old teammate LaDainian Tomlinson broke the NFL record for rushing touchdowns and ran for 1,815 yards.

In 2008, Brees became the first player since Marino to break 5,000 yards passing and also led the league in passing scores. The Saints, however, missed the playoffs with an 8-8 record and Manning's 4,002-yard, 27-touchdown campaign was deemed good enough coupled with a 12-4 record.

In 2009, Brees brought the Saints all the way to the Super Bowl which garnered the AP's Athlete of the Year and SI's Sportsman of the Year Award, but Manning's similar statistics and slightly better record took 32 more votes.

In 2011, Brees broke the passing yards and completion percentage records, produced a 13-3 season, and led the Saints to the most yards in a single season. But Aaron Rodgers threw 45 touchdowns and six interceptions in a 15-1 season that was as close to perfect as possible.

The growing realization that Brees may retire as the all-time leading passer with no MVP awards to his name is a tragedy.

He could conceivably still win the award - maybe even this season - but with his age and the strengthening of the rushing game, the Saints look to be taking something off Brees' shoulders. He's certainly earned the opportunity after carrying the Saints the past 11 years, but it's truly a shame that he has not received the appreciation he deserves.

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