Tom Brady. <-- That is what the MVP discussion should look like. There is no reason for anybody else to be in that sentence. Yes, Michael Vick is playing out of his mind this season, but we can't let our hometown bias cloud our judgement in the matter. As much as a Philadelphia fan may hate Brady for the ring on his finger, or because he dates supermodels, or just because he plays in Boston, there is no argument that would give the MVP to another player this season, including Vick.
Vick is greatly exceding any expectations placed upon him this year, primarily because he wasn't even going to be the starter this season. A two year stint in Leavenworth Prison did nothing to rust his skills, and frankly, he's better than ever. Paired with the arm strength he showed for many years an Atlanta, a newfound accuracy and patience have shredded defenses who must account for the possibility of scrambling on each play. He is currently quarterbacking a team that cannot have lower than the 3rd playoff spot, and could possibly have the #1 overall NFC seed. It is very likely that he will have had thousand yard receivers in Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin (890 yds with 2 games left) at the end of the season. Vick will lead the NFC in the Pro-Bowl in Hawaii as the starting QB and the top vote getter. All of those accolades and he can't even hold Brady's jockstrap in this MVP race.
Think about the streak that Brady is currently building. He hasn't thrown an interception in 9 games. The streak is actually longer by a few pass attempts starting 10 games ago. These aren't games where Bill Belichick is calling mostly running plays either. Brady is averaging 30 pass attempts per game over that time. What this means is Brady is running a successful offense in a very hard conference without making his defense work harder than needed. This team is more often than not winning the field position battle every game. Simply put, Brady is a machine. He has already clinched the #1 seed and has this team looking like the AFC champions already. And he's doing it with two rookie tight ends, two undrafted running backs, and an undrafted WR that tore his ACL one calendar year ago. He lost a HOF receiver in Randy Moss early in the season, but he hasn't slowed stride one bit.
One argument that proponents for Vick are using is that he has played fewer games than Brady. My counter-argument is: Brady is better at keeping himself healthy. The most exciting aspect of Vick's game is his ability to break it down field at any point. But it was exactly a play like that which ended in the unceremonious separation of rib from sternum. The reward is great with Vick, but the risk is much too high. Brady scrambles out of bounds, releases the ball very quickly, and generally seems like he is in complete control of every play. He just doesn't ever put his team in a bad spot. I guarantee that if you asked any coach in the NFL who their first pick would be if they could re-draft quarterbacks, 31.5 out of 32 say Brady. He has won multiple championships for a reason, and this is one of his best seasons yet. I'd almost go so far as to say that he is playing better this season than he did in 2007 when he threw 50 touchdowns.
The funny thing about this argument is that there are no bad answers, just one good one and one really really good one. Brady will win MVP and there is practically nothing Vick can do in the last two games to change it.
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I posted this before Tuesday night's game. My argument has been solidified.
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