Opinion Why Drew Brees never won MVP (2 Viewers)

[44slayer]

The problem I have with it is the incessant flip-flopping on the criteria the voters use to decide who "wins" the MVP depending on who the current media darling is and who's in the running for any given year.

In 2011, Rodgers had a remarkable season and nobody can debate that. However, he trailed Brees in nearly every worthwhile passing category, only holding an edge on interceptions (6 to Brees' 14), QB rating (122.5 to Brees' 110.6) and the overall team record (14-1 to 13-3).

• 1st in QB rating (122.5, NFL record) - Brees was 2nd
• t-2nd in fewest interceptions thrown with (6) - Alex Smith was 1st with 5 and played all 16 games, Brees t-17th
• 5th in passing yards (4,643) - Brees was 1st
• 2nd in pass TD's (45) - Brees was 1st
• 2nd in completion % (68.3) - Brees was 1st
• 10th in completions (343) - Brees was 1st

Meanwhile in addition to Brees leading the league in the majority of the categories above that Rodgers finished 2nd or lower in (passing yards, passing TD's, and completion % which is also referred to as the QB Triple Crown), he also led the league in completions and not only broke, but shattered multiple longstanding NFL records.

• 5,476 passing yards (NFL record) - 27 year old record previously deemed unbreakable
• 342.3 passing ypg (NFL record) - 29 year old record held by Dan Fouts for the 1982 strike-shortened season
• 71.2 completion % (NFL record) - another strike season record that he already tied in 2009 and finally broke
• 7,474 offensive scrimmage yards (NFL record) - 11 year old record set by the "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams

So 1 NFL record and a bunch of 2nd place finishes vs. 4 NFL records and stat leader in the majority of passing categories. And as another poster previously stated, the MVP went to the guy who's back-up would play in Week 17 that year in his absence and would only go on to only throw for 480 yards, 6 TD’s, and a 136.4 QB rating, setting 2 Packers franchise records for passing yards and passing TD's in that single game. That alone showed Rodgers didn’t deserve MVP.

Fast forward to 2018. Mahomes in his first season as a starter has an impeccable season while leading the league or finishing in the top-5 of multiple passing categories (1st in TD's, 5th in completions, 2nd in yards, 2nd in QB rating).

For Brees, although they aren't on par with his previous MVP caliber seasons (due to the offense shifting its identity), Brees still bested Mahomes in every category Rodgers bested him in previously that won him the MVP in 2011, and he also led the league in completion % while breaking his own NFL record from the previous year for a 3rd time.

• Mahomes threw 12 interceptions to Brees' 5, only behind Rodgers' 2
• Mahomes was 2nd in QB rating, Brees was 1st (NFL record)
• Mahomes was 12-4 as a starter, Brees was 13-2 also 1st

That's without having to mention Mahomes went 3-4 against teams with a winning record that year while Brees went 5-1. Mahomes posted 2 4th quarter comebacks and 2 game winning drives while Brees had 6 4th quarter comebacks and 7 game winning drives.

So the criteria the league voted on literally flip flopped. If Rodgers deserved the MVP in 2011 then Brees deserved it in 2018. If Brees didn't deserve it in 2011 then Mahomes didn't deserve it in 2018. Full stop.

Brees should have 2 MVP's (arguably even 3) to his name at minimum.

This is all, a reach. Rodgers played at Lambeau. Brees in a dome. You can say that doesnt matter, but look at Brees' stats indoors vs outdoors. They are WILDLY different. Indoor on top, outdoor on bottom. Just 9 more games indoors and 99 more TD vs outdoors. He would have to average 11 TDs per game in 9 more outdoor games to even it out. And he would also need to average 926 yards per game in those 9 outdoor games to catch up to his indoor yardage averages. 4% higher completions. 10 Thousand more yards...in just NINE games.

G​	W​	L​	Cmp​	Att​	Inc​	Cmp%​	Yds​	TD​	Int​	Rate​
141​	89​	52​	3731​	5348​	1617	69.76	43212	323	121	104.6
132​	76​	56​	3024​	4629​	1605	65.33	33025	224	110	92.5

Also Rodgers sat out the last game of the season as they had the division and 1 seed locked up. Brees had 1 more TD and 8 more INTs. 122 to 110 qb rating. You just arent going to find anyone that knows anything about football outside of NOLA and the sunshine pumpers club that will realistically argue Brees over Rodgers in 2011.

Any other season in NFL history, Brees probably wins the MVP with his 11 numbers. That season, Rodgers won, and deserved the MVP.

 

[tinman]

Not sure if people saw this from a few years ago:


I reference to the Rodgers v Brees. The votes are usually cemented before the halfway point. Brees blew him out, but it was too late.
The stat you never hear about is how many 4th Q comebacks Drew had that were flushed by the D giving up last minute scores. He's miles ahead of anybody that is considered "better"!

 

[Alan12]

This is all, a reach. Rodgers played at Lambeau. Brees in a dome. You can say that doesnt matter, but look at Brees' stats indoors vs outdoors. They are WILDLY different. Indoor on top, outdoor on bottom. Just 9 more games indoors and 99 more TD vs outdoors. He would have to average 11 TDs per game in 9 more outdoor games to even it out. And he would also need to average 926 yards per game in those 9 outdoor games to catch up to his indoor yardage averages. 4% higher completions. 10 Thousand more yards...in just NINE games.

Career stats are irrelevant, we're talking solely about the 2011 season. Players can only play the game wherever it's scheduled. Outdoors, dome, rain, snow, or on the Moon, it's out of their control.

Peyton Manning won 4 of his 5 MVP's playing from a dome in 9 games minimum every one of those years, just like Brees did while he was in New Orleans. Hell, Kurt Warner even won his 2 MVP's in 1999 and 2001 playing a minimum of 10 games in a dome (due to the old NFC West alignment where they had 8 games at home then 2 additional dome road games in Atlanta and against us). Didn't matter then, why does it matter now?

If players' performances are actually penalized just for where their home games occur then the MVP is an even bigger farce than it already appears to be.

Also Rodgers sat out the last game of the season as they had the division and 1 seed locked up. Brees had 1 more TD and 8 more INTs. 122 to 110 qb rating.

Yeah, Rodgers did sit out Week 17. And his backup broke 2 Packers franchise single game records (that Rodgers didn't possess at the time or ever surpassed) while absolutely torching a 10-6 Lions team that made the playoffs. All with the same cast Rodgers had. If Brees sat Week 17 in the same situation, zero shot Chase Daniel comes in and looks anywhere near as good against the Panthers as Flynn looked against the Lions, and the Panthers were a much worse team.

And speaking of QB rating, Brees was always labeled as a stat hound for throwing TD's "while the game was in hand" when we won and "racking up garbage time yards" when we lost yet nobody wants to talk about how Rodgers deliberately takes sacks instead of throwing the ball away just to protect his precious QB rating (since sacks aren't counted in the formula).

Instead of throwing an incompletion by grounding the ball on a play that's clearly dead, Rodgers willingly takes the sack and the loss of yards. It's also another reason his interception totals are generally low, he's choosing to put his team in a worse situation by now having an even longer distance to cover for a conversion (and simultaneously putting the ball at risk for a fumble) while taking an unneeded hit. All to save an incompletion for his stat line. As annoyed as I would be seeing Brees have to ground a ball at the RB's feet due to pressure in the pocket or a savvy defender sniffing out a screen, it was a necessity for the benefit of the team, even at the expense of his completion %. If Brees took meaningless sacks just to inflate his stats, his passer rating too would look like Rodgers' and his completion % would look even more otherworldly than it already does.

You just arent going to find anyone that knows anything about football outside of NOLA and the sunshine pumpers club that will realistically argue Brees over Rodgers in 2011.

Any other season in NFL history, Brees probably wins the MVP with his 11 numbers. That season, Rodgers won, and deserved the MVP.

Put up all the stats, accolades, records set, and the tell the whole story of both seasons and simply take away the names/teams and you still think Rodgers wins it without any bias? Clearly I feel Brees had done enough just to edge out Rodgers as-is, but if it's a blind study, I'd wager Brees wins in a landslide.

I know I already mentioned it earlier, but it's really glossed over exactly how hard it is for a NFL QB to pull off the "Triple Crown" (leading the league in passing TD's, passing yards, and completion % all in the same year) like Brees did in 2011. In the modern era of the NFL (since the merger), it's only been accomplished thrice:

• Kurt Warner (2001): 4,830 passing yards, 36 TD, 68.7% completion - won MVP (43% of the vote)
• Tom Brady (2007): 4,806 passing yards, 50 TD, 68.9% completion - won MVP (98% of the vote)
• Drew Brees (2011): 5,476 passing yards, 46 TD, 71.2% completion - 2nd place (4% of the vote)

Brees was the last one to pull it off (with two of the 3 being new NFL records and the highest totals for a Triple Crown winner ever) and it hasn't been done again in 12 seasons since.

Even more hilarious, of the last 5 QB's that got close to pulling it off, 3 of them won the MVP that year:

• Brees (2012): 1st in yards and TD's, 10th in completion % - not even on ballot
• Manning (2013): 1st in yards and TD's, 3rd in completion % - won MVP (98% of the vote)
• Rodgers (2020): 1st in TD's and completion %, 7th in yards - won MVP (88% of the vote)
• Brady (2021): 1st in yards and TD's, 9th in completion % - 2nd place (20% of the vote)
• Mahomes (2022): 1st in yards and TD's, 7th in completion % - won MVP (98% of vote)

No consistency except inconsistency in that award.

 

[bobad]

I think the false perception that Drew was a "system QB" as opposed to a gun slinger did him in. A coach that is perceived as brilliant can get more credit than he deserves for great QB play. The small market surely didn't help either.

 

[sfidc3]

I still say the main factor for Brees not getting an MVP is he wasn't 6'3" and 220 with a rocket arm.....moronic but so are the MVP deciders....IMO.....