Drew Brees Breaks Dan Marino’s Passing Yards Record
Drew Brees came up just short three years ago, finishing only 15 yards short of Dan Marino’s single season passing yards record of 5,084 passing yards. He took care of business with a game to spare tonight, as he threw a touchdown pass to Darren Sproles in the fourth quarter, passing Dan Marino with 307 yards for the game, and 5,087 for the season.
Brees got off to a hot start and looked like he would easily surpass the mark, but then the second half saw him stagnate, as the Saints slowed, and New Orleans also got a defensive score. With just over 5 minutes left, New Orleans got the ball at the Atlanta 33, up 38-16, and with Brees needing 30 to get the record. Sean Payton and Brees went for it, running only once for one yard, as Brees marched down the field with (likely) his final opportunity of the game.
Congratulations to Drew Brees, the new single season passing yardage leader. Of course, he can’t just rest if he wants to keep the record. Tom Brady is only 190 yards behind entering the final week.
[photo via Getty]
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30 Responses to “Drew Brees Breaks Dan Marino’s Passing Yards Record”
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December 27th, 2011 at 12:30 AM
weak. i know they wanted him to get it at home (i hope that was why he was still in), but he should have been sitting at that point. there’s a whole week to get it
December 27th, 2011 at 12:31 AM
Congrats to Drew Brees; what he has done is impressive, but we also have to remember what type of league he is playing in. Brady’s probably next; two or more guys breaking a 27-year old record probably says alot about the league.
http://theresastatforthat.blogspot.com/2011/12/drew-brees-how-impressive-is-his-new.html
December 27th, 2011 at 2:03 AM
weak. i know they wanted him to get it at home (i hope that was why he was still in), but he should have been sitting at that point. there’s a whole week to get it
Next week’s season finale is at home too. Against Carolina.
Congrats to Drew Brees; what he has done is impressive, but we also have to remember what type of league he is playing in. Brady’s probably next; two or more guys breaking a 27-year old record probably says alot about the league.
Games change. That’s their nature. Homers become more common — so 50+ HR seasons are less striking. That’s why stats matter. They’re how you can measure the ebbs and flows of changing seasons.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:17 AM
You need some work on your graphing and the ability to effectively transmit data in the most efficient manner without excess clutter.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:38 AM
I actually found the graph informative and useful.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:44 AM
i found the graph crude and offensive.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:46 AM
I went back a few to the Patriots one… good idea, but just didn’t convey the point very well.
On another note… this
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/zealand-truck-driver-steven-mccormack-pops-air-hose-lodged-buttocks-article-1.142891
is one of the worst things I’ve ever heard. I’m still cringing.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:48 AM
That was via the ESPN Page 2 quotes of the year. I forget how moronic the people are, that we spend so much time discussing.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:48 AM
Guaranteed longest week of my life. No one on TBL, no work to do but still have to be here 10 hours a day.
Read Hunger Games this past weekend. Anyone familiar with the book?
December 27th, 2011 at 8:50 AM
we should’ve brought a cooler boat if we’re gonna be stuck in it.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:51 AM
Records will fall. This was an impressive record by Marino, however, in that it took 27 years for it to topple. And, the era is much more passer friendly than even Marino’s. What Marino did in ’84 relative to previous years, still stands as arguably the most prolific season. His 48 TD’s shattered the prior record (36) by a 33% increase! And to combine that with the yardage – just spectacular. I suspect Brees’ record, unless the rules change, will not hold up as long as Marino’s.
But, congrats to Drew Brees. A class act and a hall of fame QB. Underrated.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:52 AM
I’m confused by that story. The hose went into his butt cheek not his actual butt hole right? I don’t understand how he could burp or fart out the air if the air went in through the skin.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:53 AM
Ray Finkle is celebrating the downfall of Marino.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:53 AM
Clueless is on E! Where the hell did Alicia Silverstone go?
December 27th, 2011 at 8:54 AM
the current league averages 2 more attempts and 0.4 more ypa when comparing 1984 to today. lets not give marino’s era too much credit.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:54 AM
@WWos
What was clutter? I tried to make it as simple as possible. What specifically did you not like about the graph? There is always room for improvement.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:55 AM
sorry…that was the net gained yards per attempt. hit the wrong box.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:55 AM
I saw a recent pic of her in Us Weekly after she had her baby. She looked really pretty.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:55 AM
the bait, you has it.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:58 AM
Excess air is absorbed systemically, then will extrude from blood/tissues, into organ systems that can expel gas. It sounds absolutely horrific. I don’t know how long it takes for blood/tissue to absorb that much air, and then release it again, but it makes me want to vomit.
I went back a few… I liked the idea, but not the two colors (which usually mean two variable in a stacked bar graph. I realized I came across more critical than I meant to. I’m interested to see what you do in the future, as I’m very appreciative of good statistics here, as it lacks usually.
December 27th, 2011 at 9:01 AM
@spencer
I almost take that as a compliment, I strive to make my graphs just as simple as possible while still conveying the intended message. I guess sometimes I cross the line between simple and crude; nobody’s perfect. The graph was made simply to convey a message, not to impress with an overload of fancy graphics.
December 27th, 2011 at 9:02 AM
@statforthat
You also included too many data points, and obscured the ability to readily assess which seasons were the ones in question. Your title is “Brees vs. Marino, but I look and see a bunch of Fouts and Brady.
In presenting data, the title needs to tell the reader what to be looking for, and that information need to be clear and readily discernable by looking at the graph. Figures aren’t meant to include as much data as possible, but rather the least amount of ink/data possible to convey whatever point you are trying to make.
December 27th, 2011 at 9:04 AM
It seems like the air could go back out through the hole in the guy’s ass or through all the pores in the skin. You would know better than I would, obviously.
December 27th, 2011 at 9:04 AM
@BFFredo
Your point is well-taken, but I’m not trying to make a judgment on whether 1984 was better than 2011. I absolutely agree with you that times change and leagues progress, and what Brees has done is impressive in any era.
December 27th, 2011 at 9:06 AM
@wwos
Thanks, what you said makes sense.
December 27th, 2011 at 9:07 AM
I gotta be honest… I’m not 100% sure on it. Pores aren’t realistic, because they just don’t communicate with fat space very well. My guess is that a lot of air could/did come back out the puncture, but that lots of it just got trapped in bubbles.
The best comparison I can come up with is SCUBA diving, where if you surface too quickly, bubbles of air will come out of your blood and then you have to wait for them to reabsorb. Either way, it just sounds horrible.
December 27th, 2011 at 9:10 AM
FWIW, they had a stat toward the end of the game that showed in Marino’s ’84 season, he averaged 90 more yards per game than the league average and Brees is close to 100 more per game than average.
December 27th, 2011 at 9:13 AM
Indeed, that’s pretty much the point of the graph. That despite it being a passing era, Brees had one of the best seasons compared to the league average, even still… though not the best ever.
If you get bored, take a look at 2011 Brees vs. the rest of the top 10 in pass yards, versus other (top 10 maybe) season passing yard leaders. I’d worry that Brees in 2011 is actually inflated by being compared to guys like Tebow. You also might consider using team passing yards per game as the comparison, since so many teams have sqitched QBs (though I have no idea if it’s more or less than 1984 or any other year).
I guess my point is that when Marino broke the record, did he have anyone who could potentially pass him the very next week? Brees did great, but there are 3 other 2011 QBs that will be above 4800 yards.
December 27th, 2011 at 9:15 AM
I want to see versus top 10. I’m not throwing Brees a cookie for being the best because he threw 100 yards more than Josh McCown, Tarvaris Jackson and Rex Grossman. Let’s see which QB did the best compared to other good QBs
December 27th, 2011 at 9:26 AM
@wwos
I did use team pass yards per game.
I actually thought about comparing him to the top ten, but I thought comparing him to the entire league would present a more accurate picture. But you may be on to something, rules that benefit offense and QB’s may help the great QBs more than the mediocre ones. If that is true (I haven’t studied it), then your suggested approach is absolutely correct.