...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.

Just can't accept any comparison of Drew Brees as a game manager. I'll agree that Trent Dilfer was the all time great 'game manager'. This is not Drew Brees.

Or, aren't all QBs game managers? It can only matter then which is the best of the managers, and I'd rank Drew Brees as high on that list as I would have in 2009. Today.

But if you consider a 'game manager' to be some sort of 'lesser' abled QB, which is how I would use the term, then we will just have to agree to disagree.

NFL is not moneyball, so just looking at stats holds less validity than it does in a sport like baseball.

Box scores tell quite a limited story of the events that unfold in the game itself.

There are quite a few teams looking for a leader, who would drown Brees in cash if he would be available.

I don't see anything in Brees' performances, which would warrant a change in that position. He is still top 5 in his position in the league, and would be extremely difficult to replace without taking a hit to the overall effectiveness of the offense.

The Saints are financially in an ok place, and with the ever increasing salary budget - re-signing Brees is a no-brainer IMO.

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.

Peyton Manning was a broken down shell of himself, and got benched. There is being a game manager, and being bad. Peyton was bad by that point. They won a super bowl with defense.

Same way the 2000 Ravens won with Trent Dilfer and an all time great defense.

Drew proved to be a pretty good game manager this year. But is that worth elite money? I'd argue that no, it isn't. But I have no doubt that is what he'll get.

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.

I realize and agree that just plain stats don't always tell the story. But I am aware from reading summaries and seeing what games the running game was there, or wasn't there (including the first two games that I DID watch, before I began boycotting), that Brees didn't really step up when he was called upon to carry the offense. So how impressive was his season, really? I am not thoroughly impressed.

I think there is a lot of bias on this board because of what Brees has done over his career. I expect the reactions I get. But I stopped being so biased about players, even when I was supporting the team, long ago. The guy is going on 40. It's ok to do what he's doing at his age. Is it elite? I've given my answer numerous times. You folks disagree with me. That's fine. I'm not one to say things for the sake of saying it, or stirring up controversy. I'm calling it as I see it.