When it comes to most professional sports, the debate surrounding who they consider to be the greatest athlete to grace their respective fields have long since been decided by the majorities. In basketball, we find Michael Jordan (while some continue fighting for LeBron James to be elevated above him.) In baseball, most have yielded to consider Babe Ruth to have been the greatest to step onto a baseball field. Then, there is little debate in Hockey that Wayne Gretzky is truly “The Great One.”

The fact of the matter is that in most major sports fields, the arguments over who truly is the greatest of all time has been decided, or at least narrowed down to a select few. Then, we have professional football. In football, there is no clear leader in the eyes of all fans in the race to be the best. Many football fans in the 21^st century have narrowed the argument down to two potential players: Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Meanwhile, past generations still argue that superstars from past generations like Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, along with a few others should not be left out of the conversation. However, I feel that everyone involved in these discussions is leaving out a player that has produced an incredible career full of accolades and success: Drew Brees.

While his career may not have produced quite as many Super Bowl appearances or deep playoff runs as the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, etc., it is plain to see that this is due more to the quality of teams that these other superstars have had the privilege to be a part of. The New England Patriots have easily established themselves as the most dominant team of the 21^st Century, earning constant playoff berths and an incredible number of Super Bowl Appearances since the turn of the century.

While Tom Brady has been a part of these dominant runs, I would argue that they are not entirely due to his play at quarterback. Rather, I believe that most of the credit belongs to coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ front office management. During the 2008-09 season, Brady sustained a season-ending knee injury during the first game, and the Patriots still managed to go 10-6 with Matt Cassel as their starter, who has repeatedly proven that he cannot be a solid starter in the NFL. The fact that Cassel could still lead the Patriots to a 10-6 record speaks to the fact that New England’s success is due more to coaching and management than it is due to Tom Brady.

Likewise, I believe that Peyton Manning, while he is arguably the best field general and defense-reader in the history of football, still owes much of his success to the teams that he had the opportunity to play on. In his four Super Bowl appearances with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, he was teamed up with top level players like Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Demaryus Thomas, along with others who are top notch performers at their positions. Manning’s teams have also mostly had effective running games to complement and aid the passing game.

Not to mention, the defenses on these teams were exceptional, and played a major role in them reaching these Super Bowls. Additionally, like Tom Brady, Manning had the privilege to play under a magnificent coach in Tony Dungee through much of his career. It is also worth mentioning that the Colts were reduced to a record of 2-14 during the 2011-12 season, when Manning was sidelined with an injury, proving that he was definitely more valuable to the Colts than Brady is to the Patriots.

Now we have Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. Brees began his professional career with the San Diego Chargers and was an above average quarterback, but it was after he later became a member of the New Orleans Saints that his incredible skills as a professional quarterback truly began to shine. Since joining the Saints, he has turned them from a perennial bottom of the league team into an actual contender. He won the Super Bowl with the team in 2010, and later broke the record for most passing yards in a single season (5,476) in 2011. Even this past week, he jumped over Peyton Manning for 2^nd place on the list for completed passes in a career with 6,127. He has consistently proven himself to be one of the most prolific field generals in the game. His pinpoint accuracy and improvisational skills have given defensive coordinators headaches since he entered the league.

What I believe begins to level the playing field between Brees and the likes of Manning, Brady and others is the supporting casts. The Saints defense has continually ranked near the bottom of the league, and up until this year, their running game has always been sub-par. Lastly, compare the receiving corps that each quarterback had to work with, and it’s easy to see that Brees is responsible for most of his own success. While Manning and Brady were able to work with the likes of Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Wes Welker, the best receivers that Brees has been able to play alongside during his time in New Orleans are players like Marques Colston and Brandin Cooks (both quality players, but not nearly to the all-pro levels of the others). Because of this, the Saints have not always been a Super Bowl contender, even during Brees’s best seasons.

I believe that this season is evidence of Brees’ dominance. Finally, he has a supporting cast capable of helping him elevate the Saints to another level. New Orleans’s defense is playing at a higher level than what has been normal for them, and with the combination of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, their running game has also become one of the best in the league. Their receiving group is similar to what it has been in recent years, with young receivers like Michael Thomas and Willie Snead leading the way.

No matter what, a single player cannot lead a team to championships by themselves. They need support from their coaches and teammates, and now that Drew Brees has his, the Saints have once again become one of the league’s top teams with a 9-3 record through 12 games. After years of being the only lifeblood on the Saints’ roster, Brees finally has the talent around him on both sides of the ball to make his team a championship contender.

It may seem like a longshot to many football fans to hold this position, but I do not think that it is all that far-fetched. Giving fair consideration to the teams that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and many of the other NFL greats have been able to be a part of, I don’t think that we should be so quick to leave Drew Brees out of the debate for the greatest quarterbacks of all time.