Tom Brady vs. Michael Vick: Who's MVP Front Runner After Week 15 Wins?
We are now down to two games remaining in the NFL regular season, and as a result, the MVP picture is becoming clear. There are three names being thrown about in the race; Tom Brady, Philip Rivers and Michael Vick. After their definitive victories this past week, however, Brady and Vick seem to be in a head-to-head matchup for the award.
Both quarterbacks are leading their teams to division crowns in the AFC East and NFC East, and are putting up great stats while going so. Who will end up winning the award? Here's a comparison of the two candidates and who seems to have the edge, though it will go down to the final couple games.
Vick 5: Consistency
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If there's one thing you can say about Michael Vick, it's that he actually hasn't had a bad game this season. His worst one was a win against the Giants in which he threw no touchdowns and had a QB rating of 83.0. Brady, meanwhile, has had two games with a QB rating under 75, both of those with multiple interceptions.
Brady 5: Thanksgiving
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An MVP candidate needs that great game in a season to show their worth. Vick's is, of course, coming later, but Brady's is the Thanksgiving game against the Lions. Down at halftime, Brady rallied the Patriots to a 45-24 win, earning a perfect QB rating in the process.
Vick 4: Has Not Won The MVP
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Tom Brady has won the MVP once before, in 2007, following his 50-touchdown season. Needless to say, he can't duplicate that this season. Vick, meanwhile, is easily having his best season this year and is looking to win his first MVP award. Football is a sport where they tend to spread the wealth (only Favre and Manning have won the award three/four times), which means that Vick could very well win the award.
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Brady 4: Best Record
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Football is a game of wins, and as a result the MVP Award often goes to the team that's won the most, whether it's justified or not. The Patriots' 12-2 record compared to the Eagles' 10-4 gives the advantage to Brady inherently, since voters naturally like to see a QB win games.
Vick 3: Comeback
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Whether or not you forgive Vick for his past actions, it is nonetheless an amazing story. To go from being a glorified running back, perhaps overrated quarterback (at least to myself), then to go to prison, then to not only revive his career after years out of football, but to become a far better player now than he was before... those kind of stories very rarely happen anywhere.
Brady 3: Fewer Weapons
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As great as Michael Vick has been, he has LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin to help him out. Are BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Wes Welker and Deion Branch as good as those three? I'd say no. Keep in mind that without Brady, Deion Branch has struggled elsewhere. Brady seems to make stars out of pretty much anyone (wherever did Reche Caldwell go?), and that's an MVP in a nutshell.
Maybe fewer weapons isn't the best title, but still, Jackson, Maclin and McCoy would still be effective without Vick; I can't say the same for who's on the Patriots.
Vick 2: Rushing
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Vick has always had one advantage Brady and most other quarterbacks don't have: he can make plays with his legs as well as his arm. You won't see Tom Brady rushing for 250 yards in a season, let alone 1,000. Adding that dimension into his game makes Vick that much more dangerous. The fact that he's rushing and throwing smarter this year just makes him look that much better as an MVP candidate.
Brady 2: QB Rating
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At the end of the day, a quarterback is looked at through his QB rating. At 103.6, Vick has a very good one, third in the league. Brady, however, leads the league with a 109.9 rating. It's easily his best rating since 2007, and he's had a rating of at least 110 in the past six games, so it can continue to increase.
Vick 1: Miracle at The New Meadowlands
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Your team is down by 21 with eight minutes to go. Name a quarterback that you would trust to mount a comeback without going into overtime?
After yesterday, I can name one. Michael Vick was the star of the greatest game this season, and with how good the Patriots have been lately, he needed this kind of win to stay toe-to-toe with Brady.
When it comes to lore this year, Vick has the huge advantage over Brady, no question.
Brady 1: Best Stats
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Vick has the advantage on lore, while Brady has the advantage with statistics. He holds the advantage over Vick on nearly everything. He bests him in completion percentage (66.6-percent to 63.2-percent), touchdowns (31 to 20), interceptions (4 to 5), yards (3,561 to 2,755) and fumbles (3 to 9).
Yes, many of the stats can be justified by Vick missing three games and most of a fourth, but at the same time, when does a player who missed nearly a fourth of the season win the MVP award? They'd have to have a very special season to pull off something like that.
Conclusion
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Had this been asked last week, I would say Brady has the advantage. With the question being asked on the heels of the "Miracle at the New Meadowlands," it's very tempting to say that Vick has the advantage. Nonetheless, if I had to pick who's the better quarterback this year, Brady is still slightly ahead.
This, of course, doesn't mean Brady will certainly win; with two more statement wins, Vick can also become the frontrunner in the past couple weeks. Nonetheless, there's something else at stake depending on who wins.
Baseball had stats vs. wins in voting earlier this year, and football will have lore vs. stats. Will stats again win out, or will lore slip past? Vick winning the MVP would certainly be a stronger story than Brady winning it, and it will be a statement no matter who wins it in the end.
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