Drew Brees: A Saint to His Receivers

Tight spirals release from his hand as the oblong pigskin falls gently into the waiting arms of his receivers. His style is fluid and graceful on a field of barbarians seeking to destroy.

All poetry aside, Drew Brees has been immaculate in 2008.

The victories—the three wins the New Orleans Saints have recorded—have come through the goodness and grace of Brees's efficiency. And despite the Saints' three losses, Brees has done all he could to put his team in a position to win.

Brees is on pace to obliterate the career highs he's previously established, and he's doing it the same way he always has—with an unexpected supporting cast.

A Quick History Lesson

NFL fans fail to realize that Brees has made a career of working with what he's been given.

When Brees was with the San Diego Chargers, the knock on the team rested with the lack of legitimate receiving threats. But the point was never stressed extensively with LaDainian Tomlinson running the way he does.

In Brees's final season with the Bolts, he only had one target who managed to record over 1,000 receiving yards. That was tight end Antonio Gates.

His other top receivers included the aging Keenan McCardell and Eric Parker, neither of which are still with the team.

After Brees's departure in 2006, the only target to have surpassed the receiving totals he helped them achieve was LaDainian Tomlinson. But the wide receiver production remains the same: San Diego lacks a consistent wide receiver.

Needless to say, the Chargers aren't bordering depression with Philip Rivers emerging as a top NFL quarterback, but it's safe to assume that the Chargers would have been just as effective if Brees remained with the team.

Nonetheless, the assumption in San Diego after Brees's shoulder injury was that he'd never play the same again.

He followed up by throwing for a then-career high of 4,418 yards in 2007 with New Orleans, and he's only improved since.

Refusing to Regress

When the injury bug infected New Orleans from the onset, the initial outlook was grim.

How would Brees fair without Marques Colston?

And when the newly-acquired Jeremy Shockey was sidelined, how could Brees possibly make his passing game even more dynamic?

The answers came in the form of players no one ever expected.

The explosive Devery Henderson and consistent Lance Moore emerged as the new go-to receivers while Marques Colston and veteran David Patten fight to make it back to the field.

With Reggie Bush finally settling into a role as a receiving threat from anywhere on the field, life in the Big Easy has become a little easier.

Earning His Wings

Through six games, Brees has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards.

If he continues at his pace, Brees will reach 4,000 yards by Week 12 and could ultimately threaten Dan Marino's passing record set nearly 25 years ago.

When the Saints' top receivers return to the field, Brees could be in a position to put on a passing clinic. The rapport he's established with third and fourth-string receivers should be a cause for concern with every opposing defense.

A relationship between a quarterback and his receivers revolves around trust.

Now that Brees knows he can trust Moore and Henderson to stretch the field, the return of Marques Colston and the attention he commands should allow Brees to exploit the inevitable mismatches.

Teams have to account for Bush from out of the backfield, Shockey in the soft-spot of zone coverages, Henderson on streaks and deep-post routes, and Colston from—well— everywhere.

It can be too much with Brees calling the shots. There is imminent danger against every defense.

Brees is talented enough to make the open man look like the best player on the field. There isn't enough speed on the other team to effectively rush the passer or cover all of his targets.

In the end, Drew Brees is the mismatch.