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Drew Brees said he wants to take this season one day, one week, one game at a time -- and he wants to save the career reflections for sometime down the road.

But the New Orleans Saints quarterback knows he won't be able to escape the attention as he approaches the NFL's career passing yardage record, which he should eclipse at some point in October.



"Well, there's a reason they put Week 5 on Monday night," Brees said of the Saints' Oct. 8 home date with the Washington Redskins. "I don't think any of us are dummies."

Brees needs 1,496 passing yards to break Peyton Manning's record of 71,940, which means he'll have to average 299.2 yards over the first five games to achieve that feat in front of a prime-time national audience.

That's entirely possible considering that Brees, 39, has averaged 305.8 yards per game over the past 12 years in New Orleans. But he averaged only 270.9 yards per game last year while the Saints' offense showed more balance. So we could have some mathematical drama heading into Week 5.

Ultimately, though, Manning's record is going to crumble. And since Brees has talked about believing he can play at a high level until he is 45 years old, he might wind up shattering it.

Brees is still 51 touchdown passes shy of Manning's mark of 539. So he'll have to play at least two more years to break that one ... assuming that 40-year-old Tom Brady, who is tied with Brees for third place at 488 touchdown passes, doesn't play even longer.

"I try not to think about that," Brees said last week of his record pace. "I'm just trying to think about obviously taking care of business one day at a time. Then when the season rolls around, you take it one week, one game at a time. Eventually those things add up, they stack up, then there you are in a position to do it.

"But there's so many people that are a part of that. There's so many things that come into play with that. I'd rather reflect on that stuff down the road."

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Papa Voodoo

He worked through the Unitas drama well; this should be less for him.

Rugby Saint II

Somewhere I have a picture of Drew and the caption reads I don't always break records but when I do they are usually my own. Too funny!