Vick or Brady for MVP

The ongoing debate on talk radio right now is whether Michael Vick or Tom Brady is the NFL MVP at this point. I am a fan of Michael Vick, the football player. I was a fan long before he went to prison and felt that he was undervalued and underappreciated as a quarterback. The guy flat out won football games even before he understood the QB position. I often said give me that guy as my quarterback and I can build an offense around his unique talents. He was doing just fine winning football games pre-incarceration and he has taken his game to a whole new level this year.

I also understand his story of redemption and that everyone deserves a second chance. I have fought with my wife over this (she absolutely despises Vick, as do most women and non football fans it seems). To me, he seems to be genuine in his remorse and his actions to make amends. On the football field, Vick has taken his game to a whole new level. Working with a great offensive mind like Andy Reid and Vick’s newfound focus in life has allowed him to take his game to a place we have not seen before. All of that does not make Michael Vick the MVP, however.

The MVP is the guy that adds the most value both around the league and to his team and this year it is unquestionably Tom Brady. Both Brady and Vick are putting up phenomenal stats. Brady is completing over two-thirds of his passes, is on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards, has thrown 31 TDs against only 4 interceptions and has the league’s best passer rating. Oh, did I mention he has done this while winning 12 games despite the Patriots trading what many believed to be their best playmaker midseason. Vick, meanwhile, is completing over 63% of his passes (he had never completed more than 56% before this season), is third in the NFL in passer rating behind only Brady and Philip Rivers, has 20 TD passes against only 5 interceptions and has thrown in another 613 yards and 8 TDs on the ground. There is one monumental stat missing from those numbers, however, and that is games played.

Vick has missed three games and a good part of another. People try to use this to endorse his case but that notion is ridiculous. There is no more value than in actually playing. The Eagles were actually 2-1 in the three games Vick missed and averaged nearly 26 points per game in those three, including a victory over the NFC leading Atlanta Falcons. That does not take away from Vick’s accomplishments, nor does it diminish his value to the Eagles season, but it does severely limit his value when compared with Tom Brady who has started every game, led his team to 12 victories, and has only missed a snap when his team was ahead by about six touchdowns. By many advanced metrics, including Football Outsiders offensive efficiency, this Patriots offense is better than the 2007 version that seemed almost unstoppable until the Super Bowl. The reason is pretty simple, Tom Brady.

I listened to Derrick Brooks, yes the former Buccaneer linebacker, talk yesterday about the three reasons he thinks Michael Vick should be MVP over Tom Brady. His reasons were 1.) Vick’s story of redemption; 2.) That Brady was having a great year but not his greatest year; and 3.) That Brady’s supporting cast was almost as good as Vick’s supporting cast. After I got over the fact that Brooks has that job despite making moronic arguments like the one above (he also just got done saying that the Bears are a top five team), I thought about how I would counter that line of thinking if he was on my show. So to answer Mr. Brooks: 1.) Vick’s story has nothing to do with his value on the field. If you want to give him the Comeback Player of the Year, or MVS (Most Valuable Story), be my guest; 2.) What does this have to do with this year’s MVP...Just because Brady played slightly better in 2007, and I am not sure that is even the case, it still does not mean he hasn’t been the best player and most valuable player in the league this year; and 3.) So you are making an argument for Vick by arguing that his supporting cast is slightly better? Ok then…But to that point, both do have outstanding supporting casts. The two teams and styles are completely different but both quarterbacks are surrounded by fantastic players in their respective roles. The one difference between the two in my opinion would be DeSean Jackson, who very well could be the Eagles MVP and not Michael Vick.

Look, Michael Vick has been fantastic this year. He deserves all the glory and praise he is getting for his on-field performance and all the respect and appreciation he is getting for trying to turn his life around off the field. That does not make him the NFL MVP. Tom Brady has been the league’s best player, on the league’s best team, leading a historical offense, creating the most value for his team and around the league. That is the NFL's Most Valuable Player.