Of course the Green Bay Packers who rightfully earned the #1 seed in the NFC did not play last weekend as they rested during their bye week. They are still in the playoffs. However, the worst case scenario happened last weekend. The two NFC teams that won their playoff game- the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants- are the two teams that can have a chance at defeating Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions are good match ups for the Packers. While the Lions have the talent to beat Green Bay, Week 17's shellacking of the Lions against Matt Flynn and the Packers back ups in a game Detroit was trying in was all the proof needed to show that Detroit is still a year or two away from hanging with the big dogs. And while people may like Matt Ryan and the Falcons, there have been no evidence to suggest that Atlanta can either score with Aaron Rodgers or has the pass defense to stop Aaron Rodgers.
However, the Giants and the Saints do have the potential to defeat the Packers. If the Saints beat the San Francisco 49ers next week, the Green Bay Packers will have to face two teams that are bad match ups for them.
Why The New York Giants Are A Bad Match Up
The Giants front four and their ability to bring pressure on the quarterback is incredible. The same defensive formula that helped defeat the undefeated New England Patriots in the Superbowl in 2007 is still in place here in 2011. That 2007 Patriots looked like the best offense ever and it looked like nothing could stop them. As it turns out, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Jutsin Tuck, and Mathias Kiwanuka could stop them. Replace Straham with potential Defensive Player Of The Year Jason Pierre-Paul and you still have a dominant pass rush. The Giants have the ability to rush effectively with four to stop Aaron Rodgers. This also allows them to throw seven back into the secondary to guard against the plethora of receivers Green Bay has.
Not only can the Giants stop Aaron Rodgers but they can also score with them. Eli Manning has stepped up his game and taken it into the elite level stratosphere. Led by wide receivers Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, the Giants passing attack is explosive and they have the will and ability to score on anyone. Eli has been cool under pressure in the 4th quarter as well which does not bode well for the Packers.
The Giants lost to the Packers during the regular season back in early December where Green Bay barely scraped by with a win. Hakeem Nicks caught a touchdown pass with 58 seconds left to tie up the game and it took a Mason Crosby field goal to win the game as time expired in order for the Packers to win. Aaron Rodgers and The Pack essentially won because they had the ball last. They might not be so lucky the second time around.
Why The New Orleans Saints Are A Bad Match Up
First of all, it is no guarantee that the Saints will make it past the 49ers as the game is played in Candlestick Park, but either way, their win during Wild Card Weekend was still much worse for the Packers than if the Lions had won. However, if the Saints and the Packers do end up playing in the NFC Championship Game (which of course is now realistically possible considering New Orleans won on Wild Card weekend), the Green Bay Packers will yet again be faced with another bad match up.
While I dislike the Saints defense immensely and don't think they will be able to stop Aaron Rodgers in the slightest, I also do not believe the Packers will be able to stop Drew Brees either. Not only can Drew Brees throw the ball well (no shit, Sherlock) but they have a surprisingly good ground game as well. While their rushing offense might be split up between three running backs, the combination of Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, and Chris Ivory is a lethal one for any team.
In 2009, when Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers faced Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals during Wild Card Weekend, Rodgers and The Pack were able to score 45 points. Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Cardinals scored 51 points and won the game. There was obviously no defense whatsoever but considering the Cardinals had the ball last, they won the game. If there was ever an offense that can put up 50+ points at Lambeau it is this 2011 New Orleans Saints offense.
Again, I believe the Packers will go to the Superbowl and will defeat the Saints if they play them but it will be an offensive explosion and it will not be a guaranteed win in the slightest.
Why The Packers Will Win The NFC
Despite the Giants and the Saints being bad match ups, the Packers are also a really bad match up for those teams as well.
NEW YORK GIANTS
The Giants secondary is atrocious. It's awful and now its weak and thin as well. It gets hidden from time to time because their pass rush is so good but it is still bad. Aaron Rodgers is mobile enough to elude the pass rush and accurate enough to be able to hit receivers, even with seven guys in the secondary. Plus, if no one is open, Rodgers will just run with the ball which in turn will cause less defenders in the secondary which means Rodgers will have more open receivers to hit as the game goes on. Plus, as good as Eli has been, I just think Rodgers can go up so big so quickly on the Giants that it will not be enough.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
In a recent ESPN The Magazine article, Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders said that Drew Brees is terrible on blitzes- especially on corner blitz. The Packers have a little corner back named Charles Woodson who is fantastic at blitzing. Packers can get to Drew Brees and get to him early. Plus, the Saints are terrible outdoors and on grass. They look explosive and unbeatable at home and in domes but have a terrible track record on the road- especially in cold whether games. Just look to their loss to the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks in 2010. The Saints were by far the better team on paper but could not handle the arena in January. Even if the Saints do manage to defeat the 49ers outdoors I don't think they can win on the road twice in a row.
Showing posts with label Drew Brees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drew Brees. Show all posts
Drew Brees Does Not Deserve The MVP: Why The New Orleans QB Is Not Having As Good Of A Season As You Might Think And Why Dan Marino Is Still The Best
And How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
In Week 16 of the 2011 season, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees set the record for most passing yards in a single season- surpassing Dan Marino's record that he set in 1984. Through 15 games Brees has thrown for 5,087 yards. Through 16 games in 1984, Marino threw for 5,084.
But let's break this down further.
First, it's a lot easier to throw in today's football than it was 30 years ago. The NFL has changed drastically it's really to make it easier for wide receivers to get separation and it makes it harder for defensive backs (or any defensive player) to touch and cover their intended receiver. What Dan Marino did in 1984 is like what Babe Ruth did in 1927. Ruth hit 60 home runs when the rest of the league was hitting 12. Marino putting up the numbers he did at the time he did it in was that much more incredible.
Second, Drew Brees throws it a lot. I mean A LOT. Drew Brees currently leads the NFL in pass attempts with 622. He averages 1.2 more pass attempts per game than second place (Matthew Stafford- and the Lions have spent a lot of games down big by halftime/the 3rd quarter) and 3.067 more attempts per game than third place (Tom Brady). Brees' 2011 season currently ranks him 10th all time among passing attempts.
Having that many attempts hurts Brees tremendously. Through advanced statistics in all sports, we know now that it is not the absolute numbers you put up, but how you get to your total numbers that's most important. Leading the league in strike outs is not very impressive if you also happen to lead the league in innings pitched as well. What's more important is strikeouts per 9 innings as well as strike out to walk ratio. Keep this analogy in mind as we'll get to it later.
Drew Brees was able to set the single season passing record just because he threw it so damn much. Like K/9, the most important statistic for quarterbacks is not total passing yards but rather yards per attempt. Currently, Drew Brees ranks only SIXTH in YPA behind Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Matt Schaub, Eli Manning, and Carson Palmer. Ranking outside the top five in a single season for YPA is not very impressive in the least. This statistic alone should take Brees out of MVP discussions.
However, we're going to go further. Like K/BB ratio for pitchers, quarterbacks have TD/INT ratio. Pitchers can get away with not striking a lot of guys out if they also do not walk very many guys (see: most Minnesota Twins pitchers since Johan Santana left). Likewise, it's possible to get away with walking very many guys if you have the ability to strike guys out with batters on base. In baseball, one of the worst things a pitcher can do is walk a batter. We know know that's it's all about on base percentage (and not batting average) for hitters. Likewise for football, one of the worst things a quarterback can do is turn the ball over. Turn overs have been proven to be one of the leading factors to determine which teams wins the ball game. Also, a QB can make up for his turnovers if he's able to score a lot of touchdowns.
Through 15 games, Drew Brees currently has 13 interceptions and 41 touchdowns. This is good for a 3.15 TD/INT ratio. Anything above 2:1 is impressive so Brees has a fantastic TD/INT ratio. However, Brees currently ranks 4th in this category in 2011 behind Aaron Rodgers (7.5), Tom Brady (3.27), Tony Romo (3.22), and Alex Smith (3.20).
But wait Adam, Brees currently on pace to set the single season mark for most completions? Shouldn't that count for something?
Yes, random naysayer I just made up, yes it does. That completion percentage is another amazing accomplishment. Right now Brees has a completion percentage of 71.2%. Who's in second place? Bress and his 2009 season when he completed 70.6% of his passes (as well as Ken Anderson in 1982 when he also completed 70.6% of his passes).
However, I would be more impressed with that completion percentage if 1) It wasn't painfully obvious the percentage was a result of Sean Payton's system and 2) if New Orleans did not have three out of the top 15 receivers in terms of yards after the catch. Two of which are running backs and the third one being a tight end.
New Orleans running back Darren Sproles currently leads the league in YAC with 649, running back Pierre Thomas is 12th with 443 and tight end Jimmy Graham is 15th with 407.
What this tells me is that Drew Brees gets a lot of completions coming from dink and dumps and easy passes over the middle. While I would rather have my quarterback completing passes than not completing passes, if I'm going to say a quarterback absolutely deserves to win the MVP, he needs to not derive so much of his value from being Chad Pennington-esque.
What's even more telling about Drew Brees and his MVP chances if that he ranks 3rd in terms of DVOA (a metric that measures how valuable a player is per play), 3rd in WPA/game, and 2nd in EPA/game (WPA and EPA are metrics that takes into account not only total yards and such but time in the game, down, and distance. Think about it- a 3 yard gain is more impressive on 4th and 2 late in the 4th quarter than on 1st and 10 early in the first. WPA and EPA takes things like that into consideration).
Despite all my Drew Brees bashing that I have just done, do not get it twisted and think that I hate Drew Brees. I do not. Brees' 2011 season has been stellar and amazing and I would love for Brees and his system to be on the team that I root for. Brees absolutely deserved his Pro Bowl berth and he should get all the kudos in the world for having a great season in 2011. What I am saying is that he does not deserve to be the MVP.
That honor belongs to (ugh, this pains me to say as a Bears fan): Aaron Rodgers. First of all, there has been only two seasons where a quarterback has had a TD/INT ratio of over 6:1- Tom Brady in 2010 (9:1) and Tom Brady in 2007 (6.25:1). As mentioned earlier, Aaron Rodgers has a TD/INT ratio of 7.5:1. ESPN and the shitty hype machine that it is should be making a much bigger deal of Aaron Rodger's TD/INT ratio than of Drew Brees' single season passing record.
Rodgers currently leads the NFL in: TD/INT ratio, passing touchdowns, passer rating, QBR, Yards Per Attempt, DVOA, and EPA. That also doesn't take into account his 257 rushing yards (4.3 YPC) and 3 rushing touchdowns. Rodgers is also 2nd in DYAR (total passing value) and WPA. To add to that, Rodgers has a sub par offensive line. According to Football Outsides, the Green Bay Packers have the 23rd ranked passing O-line (In contrast, the New Orleans Saints have the 3rd best). PLUS, Rodgers passes the eye test with flying colors. Every time I see Rodgers play it looks like every ball he throws should be completed. Every pass looks right on the money and I am baffled to as how Rodgers doesn't have a 100% completion percentage.
There should be no co-MVP in 2011 and Drew Brees should not get any first place votes for MVP. This award is Aaron Rodgers' award and HE should get every single first place vote. I don't care that the Packers lost a game. If you're gonna be that petty then I'll point out Drew Brees and the Saints lost to the St. Louis Rams. THE 2-13 RAMS! (as well as two others- including Aaron Rodger's Packers). You are a very good and talented QB Drew Brees but I'm sorry, 2011 is NOT your year.
In Week 16 of the 2011 season, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees set the record for most passing yards in a single season- surpassing Dan Marino's record that he set in 1984. Through 15 games Brees has thrown for 5,087 yards. Through 16 games in 1984, Marino threw for 5,084.
But let's break this down further.
First, it's a lot easier to throw in today's football than it was 30 years ago. The NFL has changed drastically it's really to make it easier for wide receivers to get separation and it makes it harder for defensive backs (or any defensive player) to touch and cover their intended receiver. What Dan Marino did in 1984 is like what Babe Ruth did in 1927. Ruth hit 60 home runs when the rest of the league was hitting 12. Marino putting up the numbers he did at the time he did it in was that much more incredible.
Second, Drew Brees throws it a lot. I mean A LOT. Drew Brees currently leads the NFL in pass attempts with 622. He averages 1.2 more pass attempts per game than second place (Matthew Stafford- and the Lions have spent a lot of games down big by halftime/the 3rd quarter) and 3.067 more attempts per game than third place (Tom Brady). Brees' 2011 season currently ranks him 10th all time among passing attempts.
Having that many attempts hurts Brees tremendously. Through advanced statistics in all sports, we know now that it is not the absolute numbers you put up, but how you get to your total numbers that's most important. Leading the league in strike outs is not very impressive if you also happen to lead the league in innings pitched as well. What's more important is strikeouts per 9 innings as well as strike out to walk ratio. Keep this analogy in mind as we'll get to it later.
Drew Brees was able to set the single season passing record just because he threw it so damn much. Like K/9, the most important statistic for quarterbacks is not total passing yards but rather yards per attempt. Currently, Drew Brees ranks only SIXTH in YPA behind Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Matt Schaub, Eli Manning, and Carson Palmer. Ranking outside the top five in a single season for YPA is not very impressive in the least. This statistic alone should take Brees out of MVP discussions.
However, we're going to go further. Like K/BB ratio for pitchers, quarterbacks have TD/INT ratio. Pitchers can get away with not striking a lot of guys out if they also do not walk very many guys (see: most Minnesota Twins pitchers since Johan Santana left). Likewise, it's possible to get away with walking very many guys if you have the ability to strike guys out with batters on base. In baseball, one of the worst things a pitcher can do is walk a batter. We know know that's it's all about on base percentage (and not batting average) for hitters. Likewise for football, one of the worst things a quarterback can do is turn the ball over. Turn overs have been proven to be one of the leading factors to determine which teams wins the ball game. Also, a QB can make up for his turnovers if he's able to score a lot of touchdowns.
Wow! This analogy is perfect *pats himself on the back*
Through 15 games, Drew Brees currently has 13 interceptions and 41 touchdowns. This is good for a 3.15 TD/INT ratio. Anything above 2:1 is impressive so Brees has a fantastic TD/INT ratio. However, Brees currently ranks 4th in this category in 2011 behind Aaron Rodgers (7.5), Tom Brady (3.27), Tony Romo (3.22), and Alex Smith (3.20).
But wait Adam, Brees currently on pace to set the single season mark for most completions? Shouldn't that count for something?
Yes, random naysayer I just made up, yes it does. That completion percentage is another amazing accomplishment. Right now Brees has a completion percentage of 71.2%. Who's in second place? Bress and his 2009 season when he completed 70.6% of his passes (as well as Ken Anderson in 1982 when he also completed 70.6% of his passes).
However, I would be more impressed with that completion percentage if 1) It wasn't painfully obvious the percentage was a result of Sean Payton's system and 2) if New Orleans did not have three out of the top 15 receivers in terms of yards after the catch. Two of which are running backs and the third one being a tight end.
New Orleans running back Darren Sproles currently leads the league in YAC with 649, running back Pierre Thomas is 12th with 443 and tight end Jimmy Graham is 15th with 407.
What this tells me is that Drew Brees gets a lot of completions coming from dink and dumps and easy passes over the middle. While I would rather have my quarterback completing passes than not completing passes, if I'm going to say a quarterback absolutely deserves to win the MVP, he needs to not derive so much of his value from being Chad Pennington-esque.
What's even more telling about Drew Brees and his MVP chances if that he ranks 3rd in terms of DVOA (a metric that measures how valuable a player is per play), 3rd in WPA/game, and 2nd in EPA/game (WPA and EPA are metrics that takes into account not only total yards and such but time in the game, down, and distance. Think about it- a 3 yard gain is more impressive on 4th and 2 late in the 4th quarter than on 1st and 10 early in the first. WPA and EPA takes things like that into consideration).
Despite all my Drew Brees bashing that I have just done, do not get it twisted and think that I hate Drew Brees. I do not. Brees' 2011 season has been stellar and amazing and I would love for Brees and his system to be on the team that I root for. Brees absolutely deserved his Pro Bowl berth and he should get all the kudos in the world for having a great season in 2011. What I am saying is that he does not deserve to be the MVP.
That honor belongs to (ugh, this pains me to say as a Bears fan): Aaron Rodgers. First of all, there has been only two seasons where a quarterback has had a TD/INT ratio of over 6:1- Tom Brady in 2010 (9:1) and Tom Brady in 2007 (6.25:1). As mentioned earlier, Aaron Rodgers has a TD/INT ratio of 7.5:1. ESPN and the shitty hype machine that it is should be making a much bigger deal of Aaron Rodger's TD/INT ratio than of Drew Brees' single season passing record.
Rodgers currently leads the NFL in: TD/INT ratio, passing touchdowns, passer rating, QBR, Yards Per Attempt, DVOA, and EPA. That also doesn't take into account his 257 rushing yards (4.3 YPC) and 3 rushing touchdowns. Rodgers is also 2nd in DYAR (total passing value) and WPA. To add to that, Rodgers has a sub par offensive line. According to Football Outsides, the Green Bay Packers have the 23rd ranked passing O-line (In contrast, the New Orleans Saints have the 3rd best). PLUS, Rodgers passes the eye test with flying colors. Every time I see Rodgers play it looks like every ball he throws should be completed. Every pass looks right on the money and I am baffled to as how Rodgers doesn't have a 100% completion percentage.
There should be no co-MVP in 2011 and Drew Brees should not get any first place votes for MVP. This award is Aaron Rodgers' award and HE should get every single first place vote. I don't care that the Packers lost a game. If you're gonna be that petty then I'll point out Drew Brees and the Saints lost to the St. Louis Rams. THE 2-13 RAMS! (as well as two others- including Aaron Rodger's Packers). You are a very good and talented QB Drew Brees but I'm sorry, 2011 is NOT your year.
Rivers or Brees: Did the Chargers Make The Right Choice?
Drew Brees has always been a really good QB throughout his entire career. But in 2006, the San Diego Chargers had a choice to make: Do they attempt to re-sign their pretty good QB in Brees, or do they let him go into free agency and stick with their young “#1 overall” draft pick Philip Rivers? Well, I think we all know how that decision turned out. Three seasons later and Philip Rivers is a top five QB in the league and Drew Brees just won the city of New Orleans a Superbowl. The Chargers could have easily traded away their young prospect and stick with what they know what works, but they didn’t. So, did they make the right choice?
It’s obviously really hard to make a full, objective comparison because both QBs play in different systems with different receivers had different running games and whatnot. A ten yard throw on a out rout to Vincent Jackson might get caught but essentially the same exact throw to Marques Colston might get dropped- thus looking different on each QBs stats. However, both QBs are elite guys and the statistical comparisons can still be pretty accurate.
I think the best place to start looking to see if the Chargers made the right choice is to look at the contracts each QB received. If Brees is slightly better than Rivers statistically but is getting paid 5 million more per year, then it’s still worth it for the team to play Rivers over Brees because it’s most cost-efficient for them. In 2004, when Rivers first came on to the team, he signed a six year, $40.5 million contract. In 2006, Drew Brees signed a six year $60 million dollar deal. Maybe the Chargers would have been able to get a “home town discount” to resign Brees, but if Brees and the choice to get paid less to play for the team that drafted him, I highly doubt he would have taken it. Because Rivers was still yet unproven, the team was able to get their younger player for less money.
Now on to the statistics:
2009
Philip Rivers: 3rd in DYAR, 1st in DVOA
Drew Brees: 4th in DYAR, 3rd in DVOA
2008
Philip Rivers: 3rd in DYAR, 2nd in DVOA
Drew Brees: 1st in DYAR, 3rd in DVOA
2007
Philip Rivers: 16th in DYAR, 20th in DVOA
Drew Brees: 5th in DYAR, 12th in DVOA
2006
Philip Rivers: 6th in DYAR, 7th in DVOA
Drew Brees: 2nd in DYAR, 2nd in DVOA
*For a better understand of DVOA or DYAR, click here*
For the first two years after Brees left San Diego, Brees was the better QB- but that was to be expected. Rivers was young and he needed to develop. And four years later Rivers has developed. And he has developed into a better QB than Drew Brees has become. Yes, Brees has put up flashy numbers- more yards and TDs and whatnot. But Brees has also made more attempts. In fact, for the past two years, Rivers has led the league in YPA, but outside the top ten in passing attempts (in Brees’ record setting year last year- he led the league with 635 attempts!).
When trying to decide who the better QB is, you need to look at it in as much as a vacuum as possible. An ever better way of looking at it is- if Drew Brees were still in San Diego, would he have been better than Philip Rivers? The answer is “no” because when you subtract the extra attempts Brees has gotten from playing in New Orleans, his numbers would look inferior to Rivers’ numbers over the past two years (DVOA and DYAR helps equalize numbers as well).
Here's some more stats for you:
Rivers is 3rd among active QBs in TD% (Brees is 9th), 3rd among all QBs all time in passer rating (Brees is 9th), 3rd among active QBs in Yards per Pass Completion (Brees in 24th), and t-4th among active QBs in YPA (Brees is 9th). Drew Brees is t-4th among active QBs in completion % (Rivers is 11th).
Now you can always make the argument that maybe the Chargers would have won a Superbowl during the first two years since Brees left because the Chargers had an amazing defense, and a healthy and awesome LT. And maybe aliens would have come down to Earth and killed us all had Brees not left for New Orleans. While it's certainly plausible, you just never know and speculating won't do you any good. Maybe Brees would have done amazing in those playoff games or maybe he throws two pick sixes. During an individual game, anything is plausible.
So did the Chargers make the correct choice? Well they got the better, younger, and cheaper QB so yes, yes they did.
And while we're on the subject, if Rivers were on the Giants or Steelers, he also would have won a Superbowl so don't give me any shit that Manning or Roethlisberger is the better of those three- Rivers is by the far the better QB.
It’s obviously really hard to make a full, objective comparison because both QBs play in different systems with different receivers had different running games and whatnot. A ten yard throw on a out rout to Vincent Jackson might get caught but essentially the same exact throw to Marques Colston might get dropped- thus looking different on each QBs stats. However, both QBs are elite guys and the statistical comparisons can still be pretty accurate.
I think the best place to start looking to see if the Chargers made the right choice is to look at the contracts each QB received. If Brees is slightly better than Rivers statistically but is getting paid 5 million more per year, then it’s still worth it for the team to play Rivers over Brees because it’s most cost-efficient for them. In 2004, when Rivers first came on to the team, he signed a six year, $40.5 million contract. In 2006, Drew Brees signed a six year $60 million dollar deal. Maybe the Chargers would have been able to get a “home town discount” to resign Brees, but if Brees and the choice to get paid less to play for the team that drafted him, I highly doubt he would have taken it. Because Rivers was still yet unproven, the team was able to get their younger player for less money.
Now on to the statistics:
2009
Philip Rivers: 3rd in DYAR, 1st in DVOA
Drew Brees: 4th in DYAR, 3rd in DVOA
2008
Philip Rivers: 3rd in DYAR, 2nd in DVOA
Drew Brees: 1st in DYAR, 3rd in DVOA
2007
Philip Rivers: 16th in DYAR, 20th in DVOA
Drew Brees: 5th in DYAR, 12th in DVOA
2006
Philip Rivers: 6th in DYAR, 7th in DVOA
Drew Brees: 2nd in DYAR, 2nd in DVOA
*For a better understand of DVOA or DYAR, click here*
For the first two years after Brees left San Diego, Brees was the better QB- but that was to be expected. Rivers was young and he needed to develop. And four years later Rivers has developed. And he has developed into a better QB than Drew Brees has become. Yes, Brees has put up flashy numbers- more yards and TDs and whatnot. But Brees has also made more attempts. In fact, for the past two years, Rivers has led the league in YPA, but outside the top ten in passing attempts (in Brees’ record setting year last year- he led the league with 635 attempts!).
When trying to decide who the better QB is, you need to look at it in as much as a vacuum as possible. An ever better way of looking at it is- if Drew Brees were still in San Diego, would he have been better than Philip Rivers? The answer is “no” because when you subtract the extra attempts Brees has gotten from playing in New Orleans, his numbers would look inferior to Rivers’ numbers over the past two years (DVOA and DYAR helps equalize numbers as well).
Here's some more stats for you:
Rivers is 3rd among active QBs in TD% (Brees is 9th), 3rd among all QBs all time in passer rating (Brees is 9th), 3rd among active QBs in Yards per Pass Completion (Brees in 24th), and t-4th among active QBs in YPA (Brees is 9th). Drew Brees is t-4th among active QBs in completion % (Rivers is 11th).
Now you can always make the argument that maybe the Chargers would have won a Superbowl during the first two years since Brees left because the Chargers had an amazing defense, and a healthy and awesome LT. And maybe aliens would have come down to Earth and killed us all had Brees not left for New Orleans. While it's certainly plausible, you just never know and speculating won't do you any good. Maybe Brees would have done amazing in those playoff games or maybe he throws two pick sixes. During an individual game, anything is plausible.
So did the Chargers make the correct choice? Well they got the better, younger, and cheaper QB so yes, yes they did.
And while we're on the subject, if Rivers were on the Giants or Steelers, he also would have won a Superbowl so don't give me any shit that Manning or Roethlisberger is the better of those three- Rivers is by the far the better QB.
Drew Brees With His Son. Awwwwwwwww!
I don't care how manly you are, the pictures and videos of Drew Brees with his kid after the Saints won the Superbowl are just adorable
Shawn Springs thinks Hurricane Katrina is hilarious *UPDATE*
Shawn Springs, the veteran cornerback for the New England Patriots, was a guest on First Take today on ESPN2. He was given some softball questions about the Super Bowl and was expected to give some softball answers. I mean it's not like they know how to do anything else on ESPN. Well Shawn obviously had other things in mind. When asked which team he would rather not face in the Super Bowl, he responded "Well if it was me, I would hope a hurricane comes through". Nice choice of natural disasters Shawn Springs. I think you are looking for the word tornado. Tornado. It would have been more politically correct if you wanted Manning and Brees to simply get struck by lightning or get foot poisoning. Do you also wish there would be more unemployment in Detroit and a larger financial crisis on wall street?
I may have video evidence for you loyal readers later tonight, but no promises
*UPDATE* As promised I got you the video. I never disappoint, unless you're of the female gender, in which case it's 50-50
I may have video evidence for you loyal readers later tonight, but no promises
*UPDATE* As promised I got you the video. I never disappoint, unless you're of the female gender, in which case it's 50-50
Drew Brees on Sports Science
Has anyone ever heard of Sport Science show before? I just stumbled across it.
