Tom Brady: Where Does His 2010 Rank Among the All-Time Great QB Seasons?

In the history of the NFL, quite a few quarterbacks have attempted to throw the ball to their receivers. Tom Brady is just one of those quarterbacks, but he's been one of the best of all time. 

This year, Brady set the record for most consecutive passes without an interception and led his team to the best record in the NFL. In the process, he threw the ball well enough to justify a spot in the top 10 seasons by a quarterback in the history of our nation's real national pastime. 

I recently created a new statistic for measuring a quarterback's performance in the passing game. The statistic is called Passer Score and is a much better yardstick for evaluation. I've used this statistic to come up with the definitive list of the best statistical seasons by quarterbacks. 

If you're not familiar with Passer Score, I would highly recommend that you read the following article, which explains the rationale for and derivation of the statistic: NFL Passer Score: A New and Improved Statistic for Measuring QB Play.

Notice that the statistic is called Passer Score. It does take the quarterback's legs out of the equation, so keep that in mind. 

Enjoy looking through the great performances of NFL history. 

10. Kurt Warner in 1999: Passer Score Of 52.08

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 7: Quarterback Kurt Warner #13 of the St. Louis Rams throws a pass against the New York Giants during the game at the Giants Stadium on September 7, 2003 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Rams 23-13.

After Trent Green tore his ACL in the preseason, the unheralded backup named Kurt Warner took over and never looked back.

Warner got off to a quick start, becoming the first quarterback to ever throw three touchdown passes in each of his first three starts. 

He eventually led the Rams and the Greatest Show on Turf to a Super Bowl title, winning the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards in the process. 

The quarterback completed 325 of his 499 passes throughout the season, good for a completion percentage of 65.1 percent. His throws went for 4,353 yards, 41 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. 

He earned himself a Passer Score of 52.08. 

9. Steve Young in 1992: Passer Score of 52.08

Rick Stewart/Getty Images

4 Oct 1998: Quarterback Steve Young #8 of the San Francisco 49ers in action during a game against the Buffalo Bills at the Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills defeated the 49ers 26-21.

Steve Young's 1992 season was just barely better than Kurt Warner's 1999. While Warner earned a Passer Score of 52.0793, Young's was 52.0795. 

At the beginning of the 1992 regular season, Young was almost traded to the Los Angeles Raiders, but San Francisco decided to keep him and his tenuous hold on the starting job in their part of California. 

Young got off to a rough start when he was knocked out of the opening game with a concussion, but he overcame the injury to dominate throughout the season. He won the NFL MVP Award but couldn't advance any farther than the NFC Championship, where the 49ers were knocked out by the Dallas Cowboys. 

The quarterback completed 268 of his 402 passes for 3,465 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

8. Brett Favre in 2009: Passer Score Of 54.27

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MINNEAPOLIS - JANUARY 17: Quarterback Brett Favre #4 of the Minnesota Vikings looks to pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on January 17, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/G

After watching Brett Favre struggle and waste away on the Vikings bench in 2010, it's hard to believe that he put together one of the most dominant seasons of all time in 2009. 

Favre, who many didn't even think would play at all in 2009, returned to the NFL for Minnesota and overcame injuries and old age throughout the year. Inexplicably, he had the best season of his career and was just one bad pass away from a Super Bowl appearance. 

The quarterback even had arguably the single best play of his career, hitting Greg Lewis for a 32-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to go up on the San Francisco 49ers 27-24 with just two seconds left. The pass would later win the 2010 ESPY for Best Play. 

No. 4 completed 363 of his 531 passes for 4,202 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Those numbers gave him a Passer Score of 54.27. 

7. Tom Brady in 2010: Passer Score Of 56.97

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FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 19: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks tso pass against the Green Bay Packers in the third quarter of the game at Gillette Stadium on December 19, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Image

Maybe Tom Brady's golden locks are like Samson's in the biblical story of Samson and Delilah. Samson had insurmountable strength until his hair was tragically cut, and Brady has been unstoppable ever since Gisele convinced him to grow his hair out. 

As of this writing, the Patriots, behind Brady's magnificent arm, had earned themselves the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the 2010 NFL Playoffs. 

Brady couldn't make a mistake for much of the season. In a 34-3 win over the Buffalo Bills, he passed Bernie Kosar for the all-time record for most consecutive passes without an interception. Kosar had 308 back in the 1990-1991 season, but Brady's is more and still growing. 

In the 2010 regular season, Brady completed 324 of his 492 passes for 3,900 yards, 36 touchdowns and just four interceptions. 

New England's star quarterback had a Passer Score of 56.97 in 2010. 

6. Drew Brees in 2009: Passer Score of 58.53

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 12: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints looks to throw the ball during the game against the St. Louis Rams at the Louisiana Superdome on December 12, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The Purdue graduate bookended the 2009-2010 season with great performances. 

In the first week, he completed 26 of his 34 passes for 358 yards and a career-high six touchdown passes. In his final game, he led his team to a Super Bowl victory and was named the game's MVP. 

Between those two games, Brees was unbelievable. 

He set the NFL record for completion percentage, completing 70.62 percent of his throws. Brees' 363 completions in 514 attempts went for 4,388 yards, 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. 

As a result, he earned a Passer Score of 58.53. 

5. Daunte Culpepper in 2004: Passer Score of 58.86

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 12: Daunte Culpepper of the Minnesota Vikings passes against the Dallas Cowboys on September 12, 2004 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Cowboys 35-17. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Ge

After the 2004 season, Daunte Culpepper said, "I feel like a Jedi Knight," implying that the game had seemingly slowed down for him significantly. 

Despite the fact that his Minnesota Vikings went just 8-8, they still made the playoffs thanks to Culpepper's wonderful season. 

Culpepper ran for over 400 yards and once those are taken out, he still had one of the most productive passing seasons of all time. 

The dual-threat quarterback completed 379 of his 548 passes for 4,717 yards, 39 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. It all added up to a Passer Score of 58.86. 

4. Joe Montana in 1989: Passer Score Of 61.79

Rick Stewart/Getty Images

22 Jan 1989: Quarterback Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers throws the ball during Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida. The 49ers won the game, 20-16. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport

After winning the Super Bowl the previous year, Montana would be satisfied with nothing less than a repeat in the 1989-1990 season. 

He led the San Francisco 49ers to a 14-2 record, losing two games by a combined process. Then they just rolled right through the playoffs with nary a challenge. 

Montana was the Super Bowl XXIV MVP after throwing for 297 yards and five touchdowns. His regular season was no less impressive. 

The quarterback completed 271 of his 386 passes en route to the NFL MVP Award. His passes went for 3,521 yards, 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. The stats gave him a Passer Score of 61.79. 

3. Steve Young in 1994: Passer Score of 61.96

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

15 Dec 1996: Quarterback Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass the ball during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 49ers won the game, 25-15. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Stockman

From one 49er to another we go. This time, let's take a look at Steve Young's second entry on this list. 

The first of four games with four touchdown passes by Young came in the season's opening week, a 44-14 victory against the Los Angeles Raiders. 

Young and the 49ers were so dominant for the second half of the season that the quarterback would often sit during large portions of the fourth quarter. Eventually, he would throw six touchdown passes in an MVP performance against San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. 

He won the NFL MVP Award by completing 324 of his 461 passes for 3,969 yards, 35 passes and 10 interceptions. 

2. Tom Brady in 2007: Passer Score of 66.73

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 06: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots throws a pass in the first half against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Tom Brady's greatest season (so far at least) came in 2007. 

He led the New England Patriots to a 16-0 regular season record, thanks to one of the most dominant offenses in NFL history. The Patriots in fact averaged 37 points a game. 

The amount of records that he set during the year is staggering. There are too many to list here. 

All in all, Brady completed 398 of his 578 yards for 4,806 yards, an NFL-record 50 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. 

Needless to say, he won the NFL MVP Award. Brady also had the second highest single-season Passer Score of all time with his 66.73 mark. 

1. Peyton Manning in 2004: Passer Score of 69.73

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INDIANAPOLIS - JANUARY 02: Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts throws a pass during NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 2, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

And now we've come to the greatest statistical passing season by a quarterback in the history of the NFL. 

Peyton Manning was named the MVP in 2004 but couldn't get past the New England Patriots in the playoffs. His regular season however was fantastic. 

Three of his receivers caught 10 touchdown passes and had 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in NFL history. Obviously their quarterback had to be pretty decent. 

Manning also set an NFL record with his 49 touchdown passes, although that mark would be broken by Tom Brady in 2007. 

He completed a remarkable 336 of his 497 passes in 2004. They went for 4,557 yards, 49 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. 

With those stats, Peyton Manning laid claim to the best single-season Passer Score of all time: 69.73.