Has there ever been an athlete in any sport who is more deserving of a record than Drew Brees?

The New Orleans Saints quarterback became the NFL’s career passing leader Monday in style with a 62-yard touchdown pass to someone named Tre’Quan Smith.

Tre’Quan Smith. Of course he threw the record-breaking pass to Tre-Quan Smith. He’s made so many ordinary wide receivers into really good ones, he might as well add one more.

Brees also broke the record at home in the Superdome. Of course he did. Considering all that Brees has done for New Orleans since arriving there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, how was he going to do it anywhere else?

He also broke the record on nationally televised Monday Night Football. Of course he did. It’s only fitting that he did it on a night when all the football world could watch, rather than just a quick highlight cutaway during the middle of a Bengals game.

Nobody is saying that Brees is the greatest quarterback of all time just because he has the yardage record. He’s probably not even in the Top 5. But that’s not the point. For a undersized quarterback who overcame a potentially career-ending injury and landed in New Orleans basically by accident (Miami passed on him), this is more of a story than it is a record.

“Hey boys, how about Dad?! I love you guys so much,” Brees told his kids during the sideline ceremony. “You can accomplish anything in life you’re willing to work for, right?”

They should already know that answer.