Drew Brees

It may not be one according to the passer rating formula, but I can’t think of a more perfect performance than the one Drew Brees put on tonight. He was masterful as ever in breaking the all-time passing record, and he makes it look almost routine. It might be easy to take for granted what Brees does out there week in and week out, but what he did tonight was simply incredible.

As we’ve come to expect from Brees, the ball barely touched the ground tonight. Brees threw all of three incompletions on his way to 363 yards and three touchdowns. Had he thrown a fourth, he would have become only the fourth quarterback in NFL history with 500 career touchdown passes. Hitting that mark may be the only thing he could have done tonight to make the performance better. It was a display that we’ve come to expect from Brees.

I’ve been following Brees since the early days of his career. I don’t go back to his high school days, but I remember him vividly from his days at Purdue. There was something special in him even back then. You could just feel it. I always had a feeling that, if he got a fair chance, we would see his name in the record books before he was done.

The Chargers squandered their chance, though Philip Rivers has been no slouch. The Miami Dolphins missed their chance. Twice. The New Orleans Saints took a chance on an under-sized quarterback with a bum shoulder. And tonight was the culmination of that chance. Congrats, Drew. You’ve earned it.