NFL – Drew Brees Could Be the Next Dan Marino

Every one loves piling on the hype train behind the New Orleans Saints, and there’s no reason that you shouldn’t. But when I compared Favre to Brees in a “who ya get” special report, the one thing that stood out about Brees is his staggering inability to push his team over the hump. Could he be the next Dan Marino?

*waiting for all of the New Orleans Saints fans to calm down…*

I’m actually kind of serious about this. Marino had a contract that hamstrung the Miami Dolphins during his tenure, but his numbers were staggering during his career. At the time, he had the most attempts and completions, the most passing yards (61,361), most touchdown passes (420), most yards in a season (5,084) along with countless other records. Most of his important records have been surpassed by Brett Favre and Peyton Manning recently but it’s not numbers that Marino is now remembered for. It’s the fact that he never won a Super Bowl that haunts Marino.

It’s not like Marino didn’t have chances during his 17 year career. In his rookie year alone, the Dolphins were upset by Seattle 27-20 in a game where Marino looked off kilter due to a combination of ankle and knee injuries. In his second year as a starter, he led the Dolphins to Super Bowl XIX, but lost to the Niners 16-38. Marino put up an MVP worthy season that year shattering records and thundering to the front of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.

Between 1985 and 1999, Marino would push the Dolphins in to the post season eight times, getting to the AFC Championship game twice and losing to the Bills and Patriots. As he accumulated numbers, the monkey on his back got fatter and more daunting and Marino never saw the spotlight of the Super Bowl ever again. He retired in 2000 with numerous records and startling statistics.

You know who else has incredible numbers in the modern NFL? Drew Brees. Look at the break down of his last four seasons with the Saints:

2009 – 4388 yards (6th), 34 touchdowns (1st)
2008 – 5069 yards (1st), 32 touchdowns (1st)
2007 – 4423 yards (2nd), 28 touchdowns (6th)
2006 – 4418 yards (1st), 26 touchdowns (3rd)

Not only that, but look at how good the Saints have been during the regular season in the past four years:

2009 – 31.9 points per game (1st)
2008 – 28.9 points per game (1st)
2007 – 23.7 points per game (12th)
2006 – 25.8 points per game (5th) (lost Conference Championships)

Brees doesn’t have the records that Marino does, but his aptitude for playoff football is on par with Marino’s. Brees has been a starter in the league for the past eight years, but has been in the playoffs three times losing in the wild card to the Jets in 2004 as a Charger before being traded to the Saints where they lost to the Bears in the NFC Championship game against Chicago. His third playoff season is underway, and facing a legend like Brett Favre, and one of the best defenses in the league is going to be no easy task.

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Yet that’s the mark that separates great quarterbacks from becoming legendary quarterbacks. Guys like Favre, Manning, Brady and Warner have challenged Brees’ out-worldly numbers, but they’ve also been able to win championships. Guys like Trent Dilfer, Ben Roethlisberger and Brad Johnson certainly can’t compare numbers wise to Brees, but they’ve all led their teams to championships.

There’s already enough pressure when it comes to NFC Championship betting. The city of New Orleans is counting on Drew to be the emotional commander of the Saints and take this city to the promised land. The Saints themselves are comprised of mostly young talent, and Brees is considered an elder statesman compared to the rest of the roster, and he’s just 31 years old.

The weight of a city’s dreams and the hopes of an entire franchise rest on the shoulders of Brees’ ability to produce this Sunday in the NFC Championship as NFL playoff betting favorites against Favre’s Vikings. However, the personal burden of becoming the “next Dan Marino” might be the greatest challenge for Drew Brees this Sunday.

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