Saints running backs Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram have started the drumbeat for their quarterback to be voted NFL MVP this season. And I'm right there with them.
I don't care what happens the rest of the season. Enough of this nonsense about the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and the Rams duo of Jared Goff and Todd Gurley. Call off the vote, and let's make it official today: Drew Brees must be 2018 NFL MVP — for his brilliance this season and over a first-ballot Hall of Fame career.
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The numbers the NFL career passing yards leader is putting up this season are incredible. Brees has 21 touchdown passes and just one interception for an 8-1 Saints team that’s clearly a Super Bowl contender. He has a career high and league-leading 123.8 passer rating while on a record-shattering pace of completing 77.3 percent of his passes. He also has three rushing touchdowns, including one last week when he dove over the Bengals’ defense on a quarterback sneak.
In that game, Brees threw three first-half TD passes and led the Saints’ offense to scores on their first nine drives. Afterwards, Kamara said, "Drew Brees doesn't get the respect he deserves. Every week he does amazing things."
Added Ingram: "When are they going to give this man his due? He's the G.O.A.T."
I'm not going to say Brees surpasses Tom Brady, Joe Montana or Peyton Manning in the greatest-of-all-time rankings, but he's in the conversation for best of the next tier of QBs, which includes names like Johnny Unitas, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and John Elway. And it's mind-boggling to think Brees is playing as well or better than ever at age 39.
It's even harder to believe he has never won the league MVP award over an 18-year career in which he has been selected to 11 Pro Bowls and owns a boatload of NFL passing records.
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In 2009, Brees was selected first-team All-Pro and led the Saints to a Super Bowl victory while maintaining a 109.6 passer rating. Manning beat him for MVP. The next season, Brees was named AP Male Athlete of the Year, but he lost the NFL MVP vote to Brady. In 2011, it was Rodgers winning the MVP award despite Brees throwing 46 TD passes and being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
And so it has gone.
Perhaps part of the reason Brees has been passed over is his down-to-earth personality and team-first attitude. Or his playing in a relatively small media market (although that didn't hurt Manning in Indy or Rodgers in Green Bay). Or his playing during the Brady-Manning-Rodgers years. Or his smaller-than-prototypical stature.
Or, it could be that Brees has only one Super Bowl title to his credit, which is unfair to a QB who has rarely been blessed with quality defenses in New Orleans. And let's not forget the Minneapolis Miracle last season, which perhaps robbed Brees of a second title. He threw three TD passes against the NFL's No. 1 defense in the second half of that divisional playoff game only to lose on the final play.
In the big-ego world of pro sports, Brees is a selfless player. He was happy to throw for just 120 yards when the Saints beat the Vikings in a big game three weeks ago. The following week against the then-undefeated Rams, he led his team to a 45-35 victory with 346 passing yards and 4 TD tosses, proving he still can do whatever it takes to win.
Brees' off-the-charts leadership skills can be easily observed in watching his interactions with teammates and coaches. Guys like Kamara and Ingram singing his praises reinforces that leadership, which is a huge measuring stick for any QB. The great ones have it in large quantity.
And off the field, who is a better guy? Brees has led so many charitable efforts in New Orleans. His Brees Dream Foundation has provided assistance for post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding projects along with support for cancer patients and research. He has participated in many USO tours to visit the troops. In 2010, President Obama appointed Brees to be co-chair of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. All while raising four children with wife Brittany.
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As a former team exec, Brees is exactly the kind of quarterback I wanted as my team leader. He has been a gift to the Benson family as owners of the Saints, as well as to coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis. They should be sending thank you notes every year to the Dolphins team doctors who flunked Brees on his physical as he was coming off shoulder surgery during the 2006 free-agency period.
As for this year, Mahomes is having an outstanding season with his 117.4 rating and league-leading 31 touchdown passes for the 9-1 Chiefs. But if Brees continues to play at this pace over the rest of the season, on top of having taken over as career leader in passing yards and completions, it would be a travesty if he did not finally win league MVP honors.
Jeff Diamond is a former president of the Titans and former vice president/general manager of the Vikings. He was selected NFL Executive of the Year in 1998. Diamond is currently a business and sports consultant who also does broadcast and online media work. He makes speaking appearances to corporate/civic groups and college classes on Negotiation and Sports Business/Sports Management. He is the former chairman and CEO of The Ingram Group. Follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffdiamondNFL.
