Tom Brady is probably going to win the NFL Most Valuable Player Award with some great numbers, a winning record and some fantastic throws.
Tom Brady is having a great season, but he’s not the NFL MVP
If Brady is MVP, Belichick must be Coach of the Year.
Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
But he probably shouldn’t.
Offensive Player of the Year? Absolutely. Most VALUABLE? How can a player be that valuable when his newbie backup put up similar — in fact, slightly better — numbers than he did, and did it starting the first two games of his career?
No doubt Tom Brady is having a really good season. Even a great season. Jimmy Garoppolo, his understudy for three seasons, is too.
Numbers never lie:
Quarterback rating: Garoppolo +3.5
Garoppolo 117.1,
Brady 113.6
ESPN’s QBR: Garoppolo +2.6
Garoppolo 91.6,
Brady 89.0
Winning percentage: Garoppolo +11%
Garoppolo 2-0,
Brady 8-1
Garoppolo did his damage against two top-10 passing defenses in the league, including one of them — the Arizona Cardinals (No. 2) — on the road. He also never had the luxury of throwing to Rob Gronkowski, who missed both of Garoppolo’s starts.
Even rookie Jacoby Brissett, thrown into the Patriots lineup in the middle of the game in Week 2 and starting the next two games, put up decent numbers for the Patriots. He beat the No. 5 passing defense in the league (Houston). His quarterback rating of 83.9 is ahead of last year’s NFL MVP, Cam Newton, this season.
Interestingly, neither Garoppolo nor Brissett threw an interception in their combined four games.
Brady will probably win the league MVP award. He’s had a very good season, and the voters love him. For his offensive production, he’s quieted the doubters.
Yet it’s hard to say a player is the “most valuable” when his replacement, who had never started a game in his career, put up nearly identical numbers with the same team.
Anyone who votes for Brady as MVP would have to vote for Bill Belichick as Coach of the Year, and Josh McDaniels as coordinator. Those two men have kept the offense humming and the wins coming no matter who was taking the snaps.
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