For the ages?

A few days ago a record in the NFL was broken. This is not that rare, as there are so many records out there that one loses track of them. But what happened on Monday night was rather special: Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints broke the single season passing yardage record previously held by Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins, retired). The record now stands at 5087, 3 yards more than the mark Marino set in 1984.

Records. While they are just a statistical byproduct in European sports, they are big in US sports. They are an important element in all major US sports. There are team records, career records, season records, individual game records, and individual play records. Every other game some record is broken. In the case of Drew Brees' new record it took some time. During this time the game of professional Football certainly has changed. the tactics have changed, the level of athleticism has changed, the business side of the game has changed and even the rules have changed.

All the aforementioned changed caused some sports writers to question the new record and some even suggested to put an asterisk next to Brees' name in the record books. They argued that Marino set his record at a time when defensive players were allowed to do much more to defend receivers and dangerous hits were still a legal part of the game. Well, this might be true. But they neglect all the other elements of the game that have change since then. Defenders got faster on average (just compare the videos), more athletic and NFL Defenses certainly look faster and more athletic than in the mid 80s. It is often argued that the NFL has become a passing league. While that might be true, it still took more than 25 years to break the single season passing record. And it was broken at a point of time when defenses knew that they had to focus on defending the passing game. At a time when Linebackers are able to run as fast as Cornerbacks 20 years ago. Putting an asterisk next to know cheaters in ML Baseball is fair, but Drew Brees deserves to stand on top on the list of the most prolific passers in a single season.

Statistics are important. Especially for sports economists. They measure how individuals or teams perform. Records are one way to evaluate these performances. Still, they have to be interpreted with caution. So many factors can influence how performances can be rated. Often the best performances are not the record setting ones. If one wants to evaluate a QBs performance one has to account for the quality of the opposing teams, the ability of his team mates, the strategy of the coaches, the weather conditions and countless other factors. Career records are always difficult to evaluate, as they are often results of overly long careers (ask Brett Farve how his 71+k yards came by).

Anyway, Drew Brees definitely set a fantastic record and he should go to the Hall of Fame once he decides to call it a career. Congratulations! Let's see how long the record he will complete next weekend will hold...