Drew Brees Breaks Dan Marino's Yardage Record, Earns Place Among All-Time Greats

Drew Brees entered Monday night's contest against the Atlanta Falcons needing 305 passing yards to break Dan Marino's single-season passing record of 5,084 yards.

With a nine-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles in the fourth quarter, Brees bumped his nightly total to 307 yards. 

So yes, it is official. We have ourselves a new record holder.

Brees had been on a pace to break Marino's record since the very first night of the season when he threw for 419 yards against the Green Bay Packers. Throwing for over 300 yards became routine for him, and it became apparent a couple of weeks ago that he was going to break Marino's record.

Remarkably, Brees still has one more game to add to his total. Those who would break his record in the future may very well have to top 5,500 yards.

I have no doubt that pundits and fans alike are going to try to cheapen Brees' record. They could point out that the Saints' offensive attack called for Brees to pile up passing attempts, so it's therefore no surprise that he has piled up so many yards. To boot, defense has been down across the league this year, an upshot of a lockout that left teams with just a couple of weeks to come together.

As fair as these points may be, they should not overshadow just how good Brees has been this season. To break Marino's record, he's needed more than just circumstance and luck.

For example, a lucky quarterback doesn't attempt as many passes as Brees and completes better than 70 percent of them. That is the work of a truly skilled quarterback, and one who has totally mastered the schemes and plays that he has been given.

Of course, Brees mastered the Saints offense several seasons ago. That his production has climbed to such lofty heights should not come as a surprise. In fact, we should all take a step back and realize that Brees has been building towards this moment.

Brees has thrown for over 4,300 yards every year he's been a member of the Saints, topping out at 5,069 in 2008. This year's spike in production is far from a fluke.

Considering this, Brees has broken Marino's record fair and square, and he should get the credit he deserves for having one of the greatest seasons of all time. His 2011 season should definitely be placed alongside Marino's 1984 season, and it's right up there with Peyton Manning's 2004 season and Tom Brady's 2007 season.

Brees didn't need to break Marino's record to validate himself as one of the best quarterbacks of his day and age. But because he's had to share the spotlight with Manning, Brady and now Aaron Rodgers, he's been somewhat overlooked.

Brees is front and center now—make no mistake about that—and now he has a single-season record to call his own. Add that to the accomplishments he already has under his belt and it's apparent that there's really not much left for him to do.

However, I'm sure he would be just fine with a second Super Bowl victory.

Whatever you do, don't doubt his ability to get it.