Peyton chimes in on Drew Brees' career as quarterback inches closer to Manning record
Records are made to be broken, especially when the rules of the game change.
The NFL continues to tweak things in favor of its quarterbacks, so there really aren’t many milestones that won’t be passed.
Peyton Manning is the all-time leader in passing yardage with 71,940.
If the Saints’ Drew Brees stays healthy, however, that mark will be history five or six weeks into the 2018 season.
Friday night, Manning told The New Orleans Time-Picayune that’s just fine with him.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of if (Brees breaks the record), it’s just a matter of when,” Manning said. “He deserves it. He’s been a great player for a long time.”
Manning isn’t the type to tell a bunch of teenagers “Get off my lawn!” but a quick dig into the statistics shows how the yardage mark has been cheapened.
Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton retired in 1978 with 47,003 yards.
The former Vikings great now stands 11th on the all-time list.
Dan Marino retired in 1999 with a then-incredible 61,361 yards.
There are now four players ahead of him; Manning, Brett Favre, Brees and Tom Brady.
Manning met Brees in 1998 when the latter was attending Purdue and the former was the Colts’ quarterback.
He says that like him, Brees is more concerned about his team’s success than record-setting numbers.
“I know Drew feels the same way — you never play for individual records,” Manning said. “Drew has been the ultimate team player. It’s all about helping your team win. I know when he breaks any of these records, it’s not going to mean as much to him if the Saints don’t win the game that day.”
Incidentally, another Manning record — most touchdowns — will likely evaporate in the next two seasons as well.
The former Colt and Bronco seemingly put the mark out of reach with 539, but Brees and Brady are now tied at 488. If both quarterbacks throw 21 touchdown passes this year, they will pass Favre for second place.
Whether they’ll be able to hang around long enough to pass Manning is anyone’s guess. Brees will be 39 at the start of the season, while Brady will be 41.
Brady might not end up being the career leader in yardage or touchdown passes, but Patriots fans will point out he’s the runaway leader in Super Bowl championships with five (Manning has two, while Favre and Brees have one apiece).
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