Vick or Brady?

The NFL MVP race has come down to two quarterbacks, Mike Vick and Tom Brady. They have been unquestionably the best two players throughout the season. Both are leading their teams to the playoffs, Philadelphia 10-4; 1st in NFC East; New England 12-2; 1st in AFC East, but both have followed different paths to reach this point.

Michael Vick:

11 Games Played - 2755 yards passing, 20 TD, 5 INT; 613 yards rushing 8 TD

Tom Brady:

14 Games Played - 3561 yards passing, 31 TD, 4 INT; 17 yards rushing 1 TD


Basically it comes down to the NFL Golden Boy vs the NFL Pariah.

Tom Brady, from the moment he walked into the spotlight during the 2001 season, he has done no wrong. Super Bowls and Super Models sums up this guys last 10 years of existence.

Michael Vick also exploded into the NFL in 2001 and quickly became the sports most electrifying player. While no one would have ever confused him with Dan Marino in the pocket, he brought an added element to the game that had never been seen before.



Then of course there was that little dog fighting incident that I'm sure everyone is quite familiar with that landed him in a federal prison and out of the NFL.

It would be easy for the NFL to make the decision to give the MVP to their Golden Boy and really no one could question them for doing it.

On the other hand they could give the MVP to the man who became the face of Roger Goodell's stance against off-field behavior.

This situation could work out positive for Goodell in both situations, and as we know from previous posts, Goodell likes to look all powerful and unarguably correct in all situations.

So if Brady wins, Goodell wins. The NFL's best player is a handsome, All-American quarterback who can be viewed as a perfect role model for kids (except for that whole dumping his pregnant girlfriend and having a child out of wedlock thing). The NFL looks good, Goodell looks good, and the league doesn't have to hear the backlash from anti-Vick groups.

If Vick wins, Goodell also wins. The NFL's best player is a convicted felon, Herpes infected, dog-killing, parolee who a few summers ago was the most hated man alive outside of Bernie Madoff, Osama Bin Laden, and Mel Gibson. Vick is the antithesis of Brady. Vick is the model for the young, black, urban player that makes up the majority of the NFL rosters. He's definately not the white, handsome, aw shucks, player that would paint a better public relations picture of Goodell's league. If Vick wins, there would be a great deal of backlash for the NFL to endure. But like I said earlier, Goodell would still win. Vick was the face of Goodell's zero tolerance policy, and if he comes back and earns the ultimate individual award in the sport, it will prove that Goodell's methods have worked. Vick would be the ultimate reclaimation project, and the prize example to show that Goodell's tyranous reign is working.


The best way to decide the winner would be to look at their individual seasons and decide who has had the better year.

Brady has made New England the favorite to win this year's Super Bowl. Right now they look unstoppable. They have beaten Baltimore, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New York Jets, Chicago, and Green Bay enroute to their 12-2 record. All of those teams will likely be in the playoffs so that makes that list all the more impressive. Brady has thrown for over 3500 yards and over 30 TDs. He hasn't thrown a single interception since Week 6 and has been doing this all with players like Danny Woodhead, BenJarvis Green-Ellis, and Rob Gronkowski. I believe he is the favorite right now, because not only does he have incredible numbers but he is the leader of the league's best team. Because he doesn't have the weapons available to Vick, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, I think that makes Brady's numbers that more impressive.

Michael Vick was brought into Philly as a gimmick player last season. Once the Eagles let McNabb go to rival Washington, Vick became the back-up to future star Kevin Kolb. An injury to Kolb gave Vick the opportunity to start and since then he hasn't looked back. His story is actually quite amazing. Going from a prison yard in Kansas to the top of the league that had previously disowned him. Sure he was amazing in Atlanta, but that was because of his legs and his ability to make plays happen when nothing looked to be available. He was electrifying, sure, but he was incapable of hitting a stationary receiver with a 10-yard pass. Other than throwing a NERF ball out of a stadium, his arm was useless. That's what makes this year so dumbfounding. This was a guy who before he went to jail couldn't complete a pass to save his life, rots for 2 years in a federal prison, and somehow comes out with pinpoint accuracy. Yeah it took him a season to get his legs back, but now that he can run at the same level he once did, combined with the new aerial attack, and a plethora of speedy weapons, Vick has made the Eagles' offense the most potent in the league. 28 total TDs to only 5 INTs makes Vick once again the leagues most feared offensive weapon.

So who will be the MVP?

I think Vick will win, despite all of the critics and backlash, Goodell will have his reformation project complete and be able to provide the world a sports with a rhyme and reason for his oppressive dictatorship.