Tom Brady: Why He's the Best Player in the NFL Entering 2011

Year in and year out, fans will continue to argue over who the best player in the NFL is. 

Many will say it's Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning or Adrian Peterson—but they are all wrong. 

Tom Brady is the best player in the National Football League entering 2011. 

Brady may be one of the most hated players in football. It could be because fans can't stand his "arrogance," his long hair or his major success—or maybe because fans are just jealous of what he's accomplished.

Many of you will likely disagree with me, but I may change your opinion with the reasons that I have presented. 

Here is why Tom Brady is the best player in the NFL entering 2011. 

This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @ TonySantorsa.    

First Ever Unanimous Most Valuable Player

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

FOXBORO, MA - OCTOBER 31: Tom Brady #12 of New England Patriots reacts after a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings at Gillette Stadium on October 31, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

2010 will go down as one of the greatest seasons put together by a quarterback, as Tom Brady became the first player in NFL history to be unanimously chosen as the league's Most Valuable Player.

Brady's performance in 2010 was nothing short of amazing. New England's quarterback tossed a stellar 36 touchdowns while only being picked off four times. Brady also threw for a solid 3,900 yards and posted an incredible 111.0 passer rating.

Thanks to Brady's pure dominance of the league, he led the New England Patriots to a stellar 14-2 record, which was good enough to be the NFL's best.

NFL Record of Consecutive Passes Thrown Without an Interception

Rick Stewart/Getty Images

ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 26: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots readies to throw a pass against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on December 26, 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. New England won 34-3. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Imag

Many fans across the league may not have known of this record, but it is definitely significant and extremely impressive.

Brady became the current record holder of passes thrown without an interception, which currently stands at 335 pass attempts.

Brady's performance in 2010 was almost like he was tossing the ball around in his backyard—he simply dominated, as he threw only four interceptions.

TB12 knew how to protect the football, as he was only picked off 0.8 percent of the time and threw a touchdown 7.3 percent of the time—those numbers are nothing short of incredible.  

Three-Time Super Bowl Champion and Two-Time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player

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BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 3: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady hoists the Lombardi Trophy during a victory parade February 3, 2004 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Patriots celebrated their second championship in three years today with a parade through

Granted, football is a team sport, but there is no position more important than quarterback.

Tom Brady is a three-time Super Bowl champion and is the face of New England's dynasty.

Brady has something that all the other elite quarterbacks have: rings.

Critics will say that Brady has lost his winning touch, as the team hasn't won a Super Bowl since the 2003-04 season and lost in Super Bowl XLII, which is definitely notable. However, Brady's production has shown no signs of stopping, and as long as Brady and head coach Bill Belichick are together, New England will always be in contention to win a Super Bowl.

Winningest Quarterback in Modern-Day Football

Elsa/Getty Images

FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 06: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates after BenJarvus Green-Ellis #42 scored a 5-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachu

Forget Otto Graham, as he played back in the 1940s and 1950s. Tom Brady is the winningest quarterback in the Super Bowl era.

Brady has an amazing 111-32 career record, which means that he wins an incredible 78 percent of the time.

During Brady's illustrious career, he's had four seasons with at least 14 wins—two more than the great Peyton Manning, who's played two more seasons than Brady.

Led New England to a 14-2 Record with a Rebuilding Team

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PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 14: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots waits in the tunnel to lead his team onto the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 14, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Believe it or not, the New England Patriots were in a state of rebuilding despite posting a league-best 14-2 record in 2010.

Out of New England's recent draft class (2010), the Patriots accumulated the most starts out of their rookies with 57 starts, according to the The Pigskin Report. 

Granted, most of these rookies played on the defensive side of the ball, but Brady made use of his two rookie tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

His Record-Breaking 2007 Season

The 2007 New England Patriots will go down as the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl, as they became the first team to post a 16-0 regular season record thanks to the unbelievable play from quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady threw a record 50 touchdown passes as he put up an amazing 117.2 passer rating.

This was Brady's first year with All-Pro-caliber wide receivers like Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and he made it clear that he could put up huge significantly huge numbers with some of the league's best weapons.

Three Years Removed from Major Knee Surgery

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FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 7: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots is helped off the field by trainers after he sustained an injury to his left knee in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium September 7, 2008 i

2008 was a disaster for Tom Brady, as he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in just the first quarter of the first game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs. Brady was sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Following Brady's rehab and complications with infections to the surgically repaired area, Brady came back strong in 2009, as he tossed 28 touchdowns on his way to recording a 96.2 quarterback rating.

In 2010, a year when many believed Brady was 100 percent after major knee surgery, he really showed the NFL that he is nowhere close to declining.

Despite his age and having major knee surgery just a couple years ago, Brady has no shown no signs of stopping and is playing at the highest level that he possibly can.

Has Put Up Huge Numbers with and Without All-Pro Talent

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HOUSTON - FEBRUARY 1: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots, center, leads his teammates back onto the field for second half action against the Carolina Panthers during Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium on February 1, 2004 in Houston,

Tom Brady has won with lesser talented wide receivers and has won with All-Pro wide receivers. Brady has made it clear that he can make average wide receivers look great.

The year prior to acquiring Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth, Brady was paired up with lesser talented receivers with Reche Caldwell being the team's top option.

In 2006, Brady led the Patriots to an incredible 12-4 record but fell just short of the Super Bowl, as the team lost in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.

After '06, Bill Belichick went out and got Brady some real weaponry. With Moss, Welker and Stallworth, Brady's 2007 season will go down as the greatest season to be ever played as a quarterback, as he broke several offensive records, including most touchdown passes thrown in a season with 50.

Before acquiring Moss and Welker, Brady threw at least 23 touchdowns in every season that he was a full-time starter, and after acquiring top-of-the-league receivers, Brady's fewest touchdowns came in 2009, when he threw 28.

I think it's safe to say that Brady makes average receivers good, good receivers great and great receivers unbelievable.

Development with New England's Pair of Young Tight Ends

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 02: Tom Brady #12 and Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots celebrate after teaming up for a first quarter touchdown against the New York Giants on September 2, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherfo

2010 may have been a rebuilding year for New England, but Tom Brady did not let that stop him one bit.

Brady took two rookie tight ends under his belt and turned them into seasoned NFL players. 

Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez had stellar rookie seasons, as both had at least 42 receptions and scored a total of 16 touchdowns.

Both Gronkowski and Hernandez are very physically gifted tight ends, but in completely different areas. 

Gronkowski has the ideal body frame for a tight end, as he stands in at 6'6" and 285 lbs., and became the franchise's record holder for most touchdowns caught for a rookie tight end at 10.

Hernandez, on the other hand, is a defensive nightmare, as he presents so many matchup problems. Hernandez is as tall as a tight end, fast as a wide receiver and runs in open space like a running back—he is one unique physical specimen.

With Gronkowski and Hernandez entering their second year in the league, it is safe to expect huge numbers out of the two for the next several seasons.  

New England's Team Leader and Is Hungry for More Super Bowls

Without a doubt, Tom Brady is New England's leader—he defines the New England Patriots. 

Brady is always hungry for more. He wants to win every single play and demands success and perfection.

In the team's Week 10 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brady really let every single offensive player have it (see the Inside the NFL video posted).

Every game Brady is yelling and leading his teammates to success, and he will not settle for failure.

Brady and the Patriots haven't won a Super Bowl since 2004 and have lost three straight playoff games, but they are hungry for more rings.

In one of New England's Super Bowl highlight tapes, Brady reminded the fans of New England how hungry he really is:

"

"You know what my favorite ring is? The next one, that's my favorite."

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Conclusion: Watch This Video and You'll Understand Why He's the Best in the NFL

Believe it: Tom Brady is the best player in the National Football League.

If you don't think so, just watch highlights of Brady and witness his greatness.

If you don't think Brady is the best player in the league, might I challenge you to prove me wrong? Who do you think the best player is? Post a comment and give some reasons why you believe that player is and Brady isn't.

I look forward to the debate.