You don't often hear the term "game manager" and 4000 yard season in the same sentence.

And nobody's ever heard of 8+ yards per attempt at a game managing completion percentage 72%.

Game managing GOAT.

So far as weapons, Brees has plenty; just because he doesn't have Graham doesn't mean he doesn't have enough weapons around him...

The big question mark is where is Willie Snead as he was the guy who always seem to come through on those 3rd downs we're no longer converting...

Drew could manage this team for several more years and I'm willing to pay top dollar fr it. He is the face of the franchise. You simply don't let that guy go!

...But I see game managers around the league that I could get for a lot less...

In American football, a game manager is a quarterback who, despite relatively poor individual statistics such as passing yards and touchdowns, performs well enough to win games. Game managers often benefit from strong defense and rushing offense on their teams.
Game manager - Wikipedia

In 2017...
Highest accuracy (in NFL history) - 72%
Highest yards per attempt - 8.09
Most completions - 386
2nd highest passer rating - 103.9
4th highest total passing yards - 4,334
5th highest 1st down %

These are not "relatively poor individual statistics", therefore, Brees doesn't fit the definition of "game manager."



Drew Brees 2017 salary is 5th in the NFL at $24.25m/year. Brees is a good deal by comparison to other quarterbacks. You could pay less but you're gonna get less of a quarterback.

A game manager to me is someone who plays a more conservative style and relies on shirt passing and running game, and who is not someone who puts the team on his shoulders when the running game and defense aren't there.

That would seem to describe Drew, this year. He had Kamara make a lot of short plays turn into big gains, and he had a running game finally. But when you he needed to step up and win a game when the running game wasn't there, he didn't seem to do so well. Being a game manager doesn't mean you are poor, it means you are conservative. The Saints employ shirt passing as an extension of the running game, and that allows for Brees to easily get his 4,000 yards. He only had 22 touchdowns and, again, was the beneficiary of an explosive RB on screen plays.

I gave you the comparison to Alex Smith, whom everyone has labeled as a game manager. Very similar stats all across the board and also averaged 8 yards per pass.

If you can keep Drew at 24 million a year, fine. We're talking about the next contract, and I've heard numerous people saying he's easily worth 30 million. To which, I disagree.

Well you are certainly entitled to that opinion. But I see game managers around the league that I could get for a lot less. If I were to pay top dollar for a player, I expect top notch results, regardless of what his name is, or what the perception of him is.

It's a business, and I don't believe in paying for sentimental reasons. I might be in the minority on this board, but I've always been more of the type to look at production, and I don't get attached to players very much.

That's not to say Drew isn't capable. But I am firmly of the belief that players diminish at this age, not matter what they try to say about their nutrition. Nutrition might help your ticker, but it won't save you from bone crushing hits over a long career. But I guess none of this is really my problem anymore. It'll be what it'll be.