Dan Pompei

He doesn't have Brett Favre's flair for the dramatic.

Peyton Manning has more command of his offense.

Carson Palmer is considerably more talented.

He does not sell tickets like Tony Romo.

Ben Roethlisberger is bigger, stronger and sturdier, and plays with more swagger.

He is not as professionally and personally perfect as Tom Brady.

From a lying position, JaMarcus Russell probably could throw the ball farther than him.

Yet Drew Brees is one of the most consistent, productive and efficient quarterbacks in today's NFL. And he also may be the most underappreciated.

After a quarter of the NFL season, Brees is leading the league in passing yards and completion percentage. He is second in the league in average yards per attempt (Philip Rivers, the player who replaced him in San Diego, is first) and third in passer rating behind the Jets' Brett Favre and Rivers. Brees' numbers are more impressive when considering he has been without his No. 1 receiver, Marques Colston, for much of the year and hasn't had the benefit of a consistent run game.

Now that Manning is struggling (by his remarkable standards) and Brady is injured, Brees might claim the title of the NFL's Most Reliable Quarterback.

Since establishing himself in 2004, Brees has had five straight above-average seasons. And he could still be improving. At 29, he is at the peak of his abilities. Given his work ethic, his understanding of his offense and how defenses play him will continue to grow.

All he does is read defenses well, make good decisions, deliver the ball accurately and manage the game. He is more of a coach's dream than a fan's dream.

Or a scout's dream. When scouts look at Brees, they see a player who doesn't quite measure up to all they want a quarterback to be even though the results of his play are exactly what they want from a quarterback.

I went back to my notes from 2001 when Brees was coming out of Purdue. Only one of the five scouts I spoke with that year was very excited about Brees. They knocked him for having "very average arm strength," for being too small at 6-foot, and for being a system quarterback who needs to be in the right scheme.

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He fell to the 32nd pick (at the time that was a second-round selection), where the Chargers took him. But even the Chargers never seemed to be completely sold on Brees.

They wanted to replace him in 2004 and acquired Rivers in a draft-day trade with the Giants. When Rivers held out of camp, Brees took off. He played so well for the next two years that the Chargers couldn't think about benching him.

But eventually Rivers had to play. So when Brees became a free agent after the 2005 season, the Chargers let him go to New Orleans rather than make him one of the highest-paid passers in the game. It was the right move for San Diego, given their investment in Rivers. And the right move for New Orleans. He has been one of the best free-agent acquisitions ever.

Brees is on track for a third consecutive 4,000-yard passing season. Only four other quarterbacks have had as many as three straight 4,000-yard seasons — Peyton Manning (he had six), Dan Fouts, Trent Green and Dan Marino.

What's more, he is on a pace to throw for 5,372 yards — which would be an NFL record.

At least Brees is appreciated in New Orleans. Saints receiver David Patten, who played in New England with Brady, had this to say about comparisons between the quarterbacks: "I couldn't choose which one is better," Patten told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "If we win a Super Bowl, then Drew will be considered just as good as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning."

Respect always has been more elusive than production for Brees.

Q: Last year I wrote asking about [Michael] Strahan. It looked like he had less power than the past years. Jason Tuck seems to be playing better than Strahan has the last couple of years. He doesn't take himself out of the play with upfield rushes and has more power to the inside. Do you think there is any drop off at end with Strahan retirement?
— Joe, Richmond, Va.
A: Tuck is a fine player who has room to improve. At this point of his career, he probably is as good or better than Strahan would have been at 36 years old. But I have a lot of respect for Strahan. I think he was one of the best defensive ends of his generation. And there is no doubt the Giants are a lesser team without him. They miss him if for no other reason than Tuck can no longer fill the role he filled last year — now he has to try to fill Strahan's role.

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