 Tom Brady has two league MVPs under his belt but is deserving of the 2012 award. (FILE:Icon/SMI) |
Many football fans have Aaron Rodgers' name already engraved on the league's MVP trophy. If not Rodgers, Drew Brees probably tops their list. But don't forget about Tom Brady. After all, he was named the AFC Player of the Month for December/January.
That's back to back months for Brady. He was also awarded the honor for November, and he was named the AFC Player of the Week three times this season (Weeks 1, 2 and 16). He's the only AFC quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards and has consistently lead this team to winning seasons. Take the 17 point halftime deficit to Miami, the 21 point first quarter deficit last week, or the tight finish against Dallas. It seems as though there's no gap Brady can't close.
So how does he get the attention he deserves? We saw in Green Bay last week that the Packers offense is pretty stacked. Backup quarterback Matt Flynn was able to throw six touchdowns against Detroit. His TDs and 480 passing yards broke team records. Almost every time Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer comes in, he hands it off and then takes a knee. Sure Matt Cassel was able to lead the team to an 11-5 record but that was one season after a Super Bowl appearance with a talented group of players.
As for Brees, there's no denying he is a high powered quarterback. He was the first to break Dan Marino's record for passing yards in a season. He leads the league with 5,476 yards this season followed by Brady (5,235 yards). He has a multitude of weapons including Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston. I think the Saints are on a crash course for a NFC Championship game against the Packers. The NFC overall was more impressive this season than the AFC. But does that make Brees worthy of a MVP nod?
There are clear arguments for Brady when it comes to the top player in the AFC. But as far as the league goes, I think a lot of voters could bypass his remarkable season. For the third time in his career he has a passer rating over 100 (105.6 this season). He's thrown 39 touchdowns this year which is by far more than any other QB in the AFC, good enough for fourth in the league.
MVP stands for most valuable player and there's no denying Brady is the backbone of the Patriots. When he struggles, the team struggles. Rodgers and Brees have the stats over Brady but they don't have the impact. Brady's name should be thrown into the mix and don't count him out when the ballots are due.
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