Drew Brees - 5,087 Passing Yards

Is this record something to marvel at? Or was it made too easy by the pass-friendly rules of today's NFL?

Was it more impressive when Marino passed for 5,084 yards in 1984? If so, what must a QB do today for people to say his feat was greater than Marino's?

if he wins the superbowl this year, then his record would surely be more impressive, that being said, the saints have to go through the niners so that won't happen:)

I never got the chance to watch Marino or the NFL back in the 80's so i can't really say.

But what I will say is that you can only beat what is put in front of you and Brees has done that. With the rules, opponent defenses and the 5084 yard record.

So surely its is just as good.

It's still an impressive feat, though if Marino was playing with the same pass-friendly rules that exist today, who knows what his total would have been.

The maxim used to be that you have to run to win in the NFL, but that's not true anymore as it has become a pass-first league because of how the game is called now -- DBs can no longer be as aggressive as they were down the field or out comes a pass interference call or defensive holding.

Look at the 2011 draft -- the best running back in the draft, Mark Ingram, wasn't selected till the end of the first round. What was the big move in the draft? Atlanta giving up a boatload to move up to take a receiver.

Excellent points...

Besides the rules changes, I think another big component of Brees' impressive stats is his coach. Sean Payton thinks of creative ways to utilize his QB's strengths and aggressively calls passing plays that others might not try.

Would Brees be as successful in a different scheme with a different coach?

Its true that it is a passing league but if you look at the weapons he has, his options are so much greater than most qb's. I don't think where ingram was selected reflects that a back is less important, just that the 2011 draft was the worst for running backs in years. Brees has the best options in the league, colston is an elite wideout, lance moore is the prototype slot receiver, threy have their blazer in henderson, a possession receiver in meachem and a modern tight end who's sort didn't exist even 10 years ago.

I'd be interested to see how many of Brees' yard were yards after the catch and also yards after contact. I believe that alot of the reason for these monster yardage seasons are poor secondarys and poor tackling, particularly in the NFC, which have really helped out offenses as much as if not more so than the rule changes.

Its always tricky comparing different eras, but it would be churlish not too congratulate Brees, pass-friendly rules or not, no one else has done it (so far!).

I'm just glad i bagged him in the fantasy draft

It's a remarkable feat, which deserves congratulations. As someone above said - you can only play what is put in front of you.

As one who was watching when Marino and Montana were playing, and indeed at their peak, I would say that the records are comparable. The Phins of the time were very much a pass dependent team. The Marks brothers gave Marino 2 great wide outs to throw to, and Shula had geared up an offense that took advantage of all his skill positions, just like the Packers and Saints today.

I will say Montana was the better QB, if not the best I've ever seen, but Marino was still fantastic. Like then, I see Brees and Rodgers as the new Marino and Montana. The records all 4 set and will set are all special in their own context, but I think the records are very much comparable as they shows off the skills needed at the position, regardless of era.