Marino Watch, Week 17: Drew Brees Goes Down Throwing Haymakers

Going Deep

In the end, the only person who could hold Brees back from breaking the single-season passing yardage record was Panthers punter Jason Baker.

Down by six late in the fourth and with Brees 61 yards away from Marino's mark, the Saints forced the Panthers to punt from their own 24. But Baker shanked the punt, sending it only 20 yards and giving the Saints the ball at Carolina's 45-yard line. Obviously, you can't throw for 61 yards from 45 yards out. Brees picked up all 45 of those yards in the air, finishing it with a touchdown to Lance Moore, but the Saints never got the ball back with a chance to pick up the spare.

Even if the Panthers had given the Saints a longer field to score on with that punt, there would be no guarantees that Brees would have gotten those remaining 16 yards. But with the way he and his receivers were clicking at that point in the game, it seems pretty likely that it would have happened.

So Marino's record stands for another year, but Brees gave those anticipating a new record an exciting second half, while at the same time almost satiating die-hard Saints fans who thought the team's mindset should have been "win first, record second."

After a dreadful first half, the Saints began to show signs of life on offense in the second half, and ratcheted it up with a 21-point fourth quarter that saw Brees air it out for 153 yards and three touchdowns when it appeared as if he'd be lucky to sniff 5,000 yards on the season, let alone Marino's 5,084.

But he did reach 5,000, becoming just the second player ever to do that, and his 10 300-yard games this year ties Rich Gannon's league record. That he did it while giving the team a late lead (which its secondary would proceed to blow) was even sweeter. Last week's air attack on the Lions seemed gratuitous, an acknowledgment from the Saints that they'd try to get Brees the record come hell or high water.

But this week wasn't about padding stats in garbage time, it was Brees playing the role of leader and carrying the team on his back when he had to. With every subsequent complete pass in the Saints' comeback attempt, you could see Brees' confidence grow, the team feed off it, and a distinct buzz in the crowd build.

It was the type of performance that reminds you why Brees is so valuable to the team. By all intents and purposes the team's season was over, and at halftime it wouldn't be unheard of if they chose to roll over and mail in the season's last two quarters. But Brees wouldn't allow that to happen -- he wanted the record, and the win.

And while 2008 wasn't his year by just a hair, don't count him out of this record in the future. Since arriving in New Orleans, Brees has posted two 4,400-yard campaigns and this year's 5,068-yard performance. He's got a pass-happy coach with whom he feels a deep connection and a great group of young receivers, and he's only now entering the prime of his career. Assuming he stays healthy, 2008 might have been Brees' warning jab, with the knockout punch yet to come.