NFL QB Rankings: Top 10 signal-callers of 2014
By Will Osgood
5. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
It’s true, Drew Brees struggled at times in 2014. But he also had some wonderful games. One could summarize Brees’ season by saying he was either on fire or cold as ice with no in-between.
One positive, you might say, is that 2014 smashed the narrative that Brees could not play effectively outdoors. In the six games Brees played either outdoors or in a retractable roof stadium, he was more effective than the 10 he played indoors (eight home games and road games at Atlanta and Detroit).
He threw 14 touchdowns to just six interceptions in those six games on well over 70 percent passing, with much greater yards per attempted and adjusted yards per attempt. And remember Brees played mostly great football despite Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston playing like corpses for much of the year.
Brees had worse weapons overall than Brady did this year, and still led the league in yards per game and completed just shy of 70 percent of his passes overall.
Oh and believe me, he had a terrible offensive line. The most underrated part of Brees’ game is his ability to work within the pocket to avoid pressure and create throwing lanes. He continued to do that well in 2014 even at the advanced age of 35.
Next: Another black and gold QB