Bruce Arians says it would be a sham if Tom Brady doesn’t win MVP

Brady will face Aaron Rodgers on the vote; for Arians the situation should not even be at odds

TAMPA, Fla. – Immediately following a three-pass performance by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady in a 41-17 win over the Carolina Panthers, which ended with chanting from the fans. Inside Raymond James Stadium, “MVP!”, coach Bruce Arians made a strong case for his 44-year-old quarterback to win the award.

“I think if he doesn’t make it, it would be a sham,” Arians emphasized Monday as his team prepares to host the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC wild-card round this weekend. “Most completions in history, 5,000 yards, touchdowns. To me, it’s not even close.”

Brady finished the 2021 regular season with 719 pass attempts, 485 completions, 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes, all the best in the league, making him the third quarterback alongside Drew Brees (2018). and Peyton Manning (2013) in leading the league in the top four statistical categories since 1991.

Brady’s 485 completions set an NFL record for a single season, surpassing Brees’ 471 completions in 2016. Brady joined Brees as the only two players in NFL history with multiple 5,000-yard seasons.

Brady broke Brees’ mark for the most passing yards in his career in a Week 4 win over the New England Patriots. He then broke Brees’ record for completions by throwing his 700th touchdown pass in a 33-27 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills.

“It just shows what his work ethic is, how dedicated he is to football and how talented he is,” tight end Rob Gronkowski noted of Brady’s record. “His determination week after week, it’s just unbelievable. And it’s just surreal how he’s pulling it off at 44, and he’s coming here like he’s still 20 years old, blowing the ball, throwing it where it belongs, making fantastic shots week after week. ”.

Brady’s 5,316 passing yards this year were the third-most in NFL history behind Manning (5,477 in 2013) and Brees (5,476), and surpassed his own personal-high of 5,235 passing yards from 2011. Even without counting the Game 17 this year … and Brady leaving his Week 18 game with 6:39 left in the fourth quarter: Brady’s 4,990 passing yards in his first 16 games would have placed him 14th out of all time.

Brady has been voted League MVP three times in his career: 2007, 2010 and most recently in 2017. He was also voted NFL Offensive Player of the Year twice, in 2007 and 2010. In the postseason, he has been awarded five Super Bowl MVP honors: XXXVI, XXXVIII, XLIX, LI and LV.

“Tom is the MVP of every year,” Gronkowski said. “The way he adapts on the fly, trying to put the ball in the hands of the best player or whoever has the best chances on the play, he’s always ready to play no matter what the situation is. He’s the MVP of every year”.

He faces his toughest competition against Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who also won the award three times in his career, in 2011, 2014 and 2020, and was named Super Bowl XLV MVP. The MVP award is chosen by a pool of 50 writers prior to the postseason. Rodgers was a -400 favorite on Caesars Sportsbook entering NFL Week 18 games, while Brady was +550.

Rodgers played one game less than Brady because he tested positive for COVID-19, but Brady’s 312.71 yards per game still surpasses Rodgers’ 257.19. Brady also averaged 2.53 touchdowns per game compared to Rodgers’ 2.31.

Rodgers, however, posted a staggering 9.25 touchdown-to-interception ratio, the seventh-best in the league for a single season in the past 20 years, compared to Brady’s 2.53. Rodgers also posted a 68.9% completion rate compared to Brady’s 67.2%, and his Total QBR 68.7 compared favorably to Brady’s 68.5.

While Brady led the Bucs to a 13-4 mark, the same as Rodgers’ Packers, and the No. 2 seed in the NFC, the Packers secured No. 1 because their 9-3 conference record surpassed to the Bucs. The Packers also led for much of the season, which may help the Rodgers case further, although one voter, Hub Arkush, called Rodgers “the biggest jerk in the league” and noted that he would not vote for him due to outside situations. from the field. Rodgers came under scrutiny when it was revealed that he was not vaccinated despite informing reporters that he was “immunized.”

The two quarterbacks could end up meeting in Green Bay for the NFC Championship Game, as some have predicted; what would be a rematch of last year’s conference title game. ESPN Analytics currently gives the Packers a 68.1% chance of reaching the conference championship, with the Bucs right behind them at 52.3%; The Packers have a 37.5% chance of reaching the Super Bowl and the Bucs 29.8%.

But the Bucs need to be complete first. Arians said running back Leonard Fournette and outside linebackers Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul should return this week.

“Leonard looks great. He’s been working well. He should be back. Shaq and JPP should be back. Lavonte [David], he will be the most doubtful, but he is starting to move quite well, so we will wait and see. I’m still waiting to know about [el esquinero] Jamel Dean. It is who worries me. But those guys that are on the disabled list that have been out, I hope they all come back. Maybe Lavonte couldn’t. “