A Super Bowl Win is Drew Brees' Ticket to the Elite Quarterback Club

There are many NFL fans who would argue that Drew Brees is an elite quarterback.  

"He threw for over 5,000 yards last year!"

"He turned the Saints' entire franchise around and turned New Orleans around after Katrina!"

"He came back from a horrible shoulder injury to become an All-Pro!"

"He once flashed everyone at a Mardi Gras parade!"

Okay, maybe I made that last one up, but the three others—all true—are just an example of the reasoning people would give as to why they consider Brees to be elite.

I, on the other hand, don't think I'm there quite yet.

Is Drew Brees great?  Absolutely.

Is Drew Brees the smartest quarterback in the league this side of that one guy in Indianapolis? Certainly.

Is Brees an all-around good guy and one of the most likable players in the league? Definitely.

Is Brees elite?  Not in my book—at least not yet.

Now, before you close out of this article (if you do, at least I already got the "read"), at least give me a chance to explain myself.

First, let me openly state that I am a Drew Brees fan.  

As I said before, I know there are many who would argue that final question and answer, and they may even be right, but I tend to fall on the conservative side when handing out the term "elite."

Too often in today's society a term is coined, becomes hip, becomes annoying, and then is overused within a matter of months.  

I'm taking a stance with "elite." I can't control other's uses of the word, but I can be sure that in my mind and when I write it, it still holds some weight and still means something.

While I think we can all agree that Brees has all the talent, drive, intelligence, and personality necessary to even sniff the "elite" title (things that 95 percent of quarterbacks ever to play the game don't have), the one thing holding the Saints' leader back in my mind is the one thing he now has the opportunity to change—the championship, or lack thereof.

There are only three quarterbacks in today's game I would put in the elite category, and two of them are still playing in the 2009 playoffs.  In my mind, it's Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, and then everyone else.  

So, you must be asking, "Well then, Saints-hater and evil man, what defines an 'elite' quarterback to you?"

In my book, there are four criteria:

Statistics

There is no denying that Brees measures up statistically with any of the great quarterbacks in history, including the three currently "elite" ones mentioned above.

The career numbers aren't necessarily there yet, but with the way Brees' has performed in Sean Payton's offense (who's not going anywhere anytime soon) and considering his age, I fully expect Brees to be near the top of the lists when he decides to hang 'em up.

Statistically, Brees is elite.  I'll admit to that, we don't need to go over all the numbers.  

Suffice it to say that over the past four seasons, as long as Brees has been a Saint, only Manning and Brady have equaled him in stuffing the box scores. 

Personality

Drew Brees is two things if nothing else—likable and intense.

I don't think I've ever met someone who has actually said to me, "Nick, I don't like Drew Brees."  

It's completely unheard of to even mention it. Everyone roots for the guy, and rightfully so.  

Brees always has a smile on his face before and after games, never shows up teammates or foes, isn't a camera hog, doesn't make outrageous comments to the media, and gives ton of money and time to charity and community alike.  

But there's also that other side of Brees that makes him even more personable.  The intense pregame huddles, the firing up of teammates and crowds, the leader that you see on the field as he meticulously picks apart defenses.  That's the part that makes Brees meet this criteria in my book.

Manning, Favre, and Brady all have this measure down pat as well.  Whether it is admiration or anger coming down on these three, there's no denying they possess distinct and noticeable personalities.

The Quirk or Side-Story

This may seem like an odd criteria to have to meet in order to earn the title of "elite," but to me, it is completely necessary.

Every quarterback that would've been considered "elite" has a "thing" that you think of when talking about them.

Manning's got the hand signals, the ultra-competitiveness, and the "smartest QB ever" aura.

Farve's got the normal guy personality, the "just having fun out there" mentality, and, on the downside, the pain-killer addiction and the family stories with his wife's breast cancer and his father's passing.

Brady's got SpyGate and the fallout from that incident, the almost 19-0 story, the single-season touchdown record, the knee injury, the out-of-wedlock baby, and the sixth-round-backup-turned-hero angle.

Even past those three, you find this to be true.  Elway had the comebacks.  Marino could never quite win one.  Montana had the Notre Dame connection and the "golden boy" feel.

In this third category, Brees meets the standard as well.

Brees has the shoulder injury and the 2004 comeback player of the year award.  He has the "city on his back" sympathy for carrying the city of New Orleans through a horrible disaster and subsequent revival.  He even has the quirky and brand-new spread offense that wasn't supposed to work in a league where you have to run and stop the run to win games.

So, if I ended the measurements here, you'd see that Brees passes the "elite" test with flying colors.  Unfortunately for Drew, there's just one more to go...

Championships

It's simple, really.

Win a championship, get respect.

Brady has three, so it's pretty clear that he takes the cake here.

Favre has one and has been to another Super Bowl and lost, so he makes the cut here as well.

Manning finally broke through and got his in '06, and I don't expect he's done yet for his career.

Brees has a chance to finally earn the respect he deserves if he can get New Orleans past Minnesota in Sunday's NFC championship game and beat the AFC representative in South Florida two weeks later.

If Brees really does want into the "elite" club (and let's be honest, who doesn't?), this season represents his best chance to complete that goal with a Super Bowl win.

With all the weapons Brees has at hand, with the way the Saints' receivers have displayed a refreshing amount of unselfishness in allowing their quarterback to spread the ball around, and with the way Reggie Bush has contributed, this Saints' team that struggled down the stretch of the regular season losing their last three games looks like a force to be reckoned with.

If Brees finally brings the city of New Orleans its first Lombardi Trophy, I'd have no choice but to finally dole out the "elite" tag that I reserve for only the best of the best.

Welcome to the club, Drew. Ticket please?