The Associated Press named New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady the offensive player of the year Tuesday night. The veteran quarterback received 21 votes from a panel of 50 people, beating second-place Michael Vick without a problem. Here is the breakdown of everyone who received votes:
- QB Tom Brady: 21 votes (42%)
- QB Michael Vick: 11 votes (22%)
- RB Arian Foster: 7 votes (14%)
- QB Philip Rivers: 5 votes (10%)
- QB Aaron Rodgers: 2 votes (4%)
- WR Roddy White: 2 votes (4%)
- WR DeSean Jackson: 2 votes (4%)
Brady is reportedly the favorite to win the MVP award as well. It isn't a surprise to see Brady at the top of this list; he put together an incredible season again, as he went back to going to lower-key receivers with whom he had chemistry with (Deion Branch, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez).
For the first half of the year, I thought that Rivers had a great chance to win the award. He didn't have his top receiver Vincent Jackson or his security blanket in the running game in LaDainian Tomlinson, but he worked extremely well with Antonio Gates and the rest of the remaining receivers on the roster. Heading into Week 12, Rivers had thrown 23 touchdown passes and was on pass to throw 37 touchdown passes on the season. Things didn't work out for the Chargers though, as Gates' injury held him out and Rivers' productivity went down a tiny bit, as he threw for 30 touchdowns on the season.
Michael Vick's amazing comeback story no doubt earned him some votes, but his inability to escape from the blitz late in the season might have cost him some votes.