Los Angeles Rams Robert Quinn could reach a milestone Sunday

Just over a year ago the Louisiana-based Nola. com/The Times-Picayune attracted my attention with an online article listing the top sack leaders of their local NFL legend, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who is the Week 12 opponent of the Los Angeles Rams. The piece no doubt inspired by the team’s upcoming Week 9 game against  the San Francisco 49ers.

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Since I’d always been an admirer (of Brees, not the Niners), it piqued my interest enough to click and read. As a lifelong Los Angeles Rams fan, I was pleasantly surprised as the article’s list reads like this:

MOST SACKS OF DREW BREES BY A DEFENSIVE PLAYER SINCE 2006

1. Ahmad Brooks (San Francisco 49ers), 5.5 sacks
2. DeMarcus Ware (then Dallas Cowboys), 5 sacks
3. Charles Johnson (Carolina Panthers), 4.5 sacks
4. Chris Long (St. Louis Rams), 4 sacks, Greg Hardy (Carolina Panthers), 4 sacks, John Abraham (Atlanta Falcons) 4 sacks, Julius Peppers (Caroline Panthers / Green Bay Packers), 4 sacks

I would imagine ― and I’d bet, correctly ― being amongst the leaders of those with the most sacks on any legendary NFL quarterback is something cherished by defensive players. Former Ram and current Philadelphia Eagle, Chris Long, was the Los Angeles Rams franchise holder of bragging rights in this category. A position he held alone for just three more weeks.

In Week 12 of 2016 versus the Saints, then defensive end Robert Quinn added one sack to his Brees-sack total. It was just his third game facing the future Hall of Famer and moved him into a two-way tie with Long. Ironically, in 2011 it was Quinn’s first sack and the pressure he and James Laurinaitis (1 sack) provided that afternoon during his rookie season that aided in Chris Long’s 3-sack day of Brees. His second game, Week 15-2013, was his best on Brees with a pair.

Of course, at Drew Brees’ current age (38), the names on the list above are a bit long in the tooth as well by NFL standards. Things have changed considerably.

The list’s lead dawg, Ahmad Brooks, has since been released by the 49ers and joined the Packers. He was inactive last month when his team faced the Saints, therefore adding nothing to his total. Long is on the Eagles roster which does not play New Orleans ― at least in the regular season. The Panthers’ Charles Johnson and Julius Peppers recorded zero sacks in their first of two division match-ups. The two teams play again next week. Greg Hardy (HARDY HAR HAR!) is good for a laugh these days. DeMarcus Ware and John Abraham are no longer in the NFL.

Next: 3 predictions for Rams vs. Saints Week 12

Week 12, Robert Quinn needs one sack to put him atop leaders of Rams who have sacked Drew Brees. Fine of course, and highly possible since Quinn has had a sack in every game in which Brees was the opposing quarterback. But why stop there when multiple sacks has him replacing Brooks as top dawg across the league?

But in case he needs the extra motivation, there’s the following. In that very game a year ago when he became co-leader amongst Rams alongside Chris Long, some relatively young stud named Aaron Donald got his first Brees sack. At the twilight of this HOFer’s career, chances are slimming for upstarts to get in on the action. But I hear this kid’s capable of a multi-sack type performance on any given Sunday.