The NFL's Mount Passmore

Brady, Rodgers, Brees—and Manning—Are Poised to Topple an Inviolable Passing Record

By SCOTT CACCIOLA

While all eyes are trained on Denver and the magic feet of quarterback Tim Tebow, the NFL is quietly having an historic season through the air. It's not that there's one quarterback threatening to smoke Dan Marino's 27-year-old single-season passing record. There are three.

Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, who's averaging 336 passing yards per game, and Tom Brady of New England, who's at 329, are both on pace to surpass Marino's mark of 5,084 yards. Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, who's arguably having the best season by a quarterback in NFL history, is projected to come within eight yards.

This flowering of passing carries the residue of design: Starting in 1978, the NFL tried to open up the skies by enacting a rule that prohibited defensive players from making contact with receivers more than five yards downfield. The rule sent passing totals soaring over the next five seasons, culminating in 1982 when San Diego's Dan Fouts averaged 321 yards passing per game—another record that's in jeopardy. Defenses have caught up at various points, but later rules tweaks (many of them designed to protect quarterbacks and wide receivers) continue to make passing better. The way the rules are, says Fouts, now a CBS analyst, defense may never regain the advantage.

Still, the performances of this season's three virtuosos can also be traced to something many NFL coaches and players are too haughty to mention: the powerful shaping influence of the college game.

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