Sports

Pats’ Brady only viable MVP suitor

Posted on Dec. 09, 2010, at 2:07 a.m.

Just in time for the first joyful snowfall of the year, New England Patriots fans enjoyed their own winter wonderland as Foxborough witnessed a bestowing of pure domination upon a New York Jets team who looked as if they were playing Pop Warner league football Monday night.

In a Monday Night Football matchup coined the “Game of the Year,” New England demolished New York 45-3, sending a message to the entire league about who this year’s team to beat is. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady put on an absolute clinic, throwing four touchdowns while connecting on 21 passes for 326 yards to eight different receivers.

With the future division title and potential home-field advantage on the line, head coach Bill Belichick and his five-time Pro Bowl quarterback carried out a well-executed victory to improve New England’s record to 10-2.

The last time the Patriots had 10 wins within the first 13 games of the season was back in 2007 when they rode an undefeated record all the way to the Super Bowl. Brady received the league’s MVP award that year, seizing all but one of the 50 votes cast to become the first Patriot in team history to ever win the award.

If the 2010 season is in any way similar to New England’s 2007 year of near perfection, it’s that Brady remains uncontested at the very top of his game. During Monday night’s victory, Brady completed career touchdown numbers 249 through 252, moving past former mentor Drew Bledsoe to 13th on the all-time list. The two-time Super Bowl MVP leads the league in passer rating and touchdowns with 109.5 and 27, respectively.

Within the last four games, Brady has thrown 16 touchdowns along with a team record of 228 consecutive passes without giving up an interception.

Quarterbacks Michael Vick and Philip Rivers will remain as Brady’s main competition in taking home league MVP honors, but as the season begins to conclude, Brady has begun to separate himself from the pack. Peyton Manning, who is often compared to Brady, is in a sliding stupor after throwing 11 interceptions in the last three games.

Brady is surely back in pristine form and continues to make use of a wide array of receiving targets. The evidence from Monday night’s game highlights show — if you give the quarterback an opening in coverage, he’ll find it.

Just ask Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.

“You can’t make mistakes on Tom Brady,” Revis said. “That’s just one thing you can’t do.”

The league should listen to Revis’ advice. Tom Brady: the frontrunner for the 2010 NFL MVP.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 9th, 2010, 2:07 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.