NFL 2011: Why I'd Choose Michael Vick of 2011 over Tom Brady of 2007 (50 TDs)

Michael Vick had an MVP-like season in 2010, but was awarded no cigar after starting only 12 games last year.  Vick was his usual self on the ground last season, rushing for 676 yards and scoring nine touchdowns, but it was his arm and maturity that raised eyebrows in 2010.

Vick is no longer the wild-armed, running quarterback with a 53.7 percent completion percentage and who threw a pick once every 33.3 attempts with the Falcons.  Vick's completion percentage in 2011 was 62.6 percent, and he almost doubled the number of passing attempts per interception, averaging 62 last season, while throwing an impressive six interceptions.

But one great season, or even one phenomenal season, does not make Vick on par with Tom Brady.  What sets Brady apart from all other quarterbacks is not his arm or his physical ability, but his mind.  

Brady is the most intelligent quarterback in the game.  His leadership skills are second to none. He's one of the best on-the-field generals we've ever seen direct an offense.  Brady led his Patriots' teams to unbelievable come-from-behind victories in big games all throughout the early and mid-2000s. When Brady wanted to win, he won, no matter what. And it is winning, not completion percentages or quarterback ratings, that determine the greatness of a quarterback.

The difference between the Brady of 2007 and the Brady who won Super Bowls was, in fact, his phenomenal, even historical, statistics that season. His 4,806-yard, 50-touchdown performance was unlike anything we'd ever seen from Brady. He posted numbers comparable to Dan Marino and Peyton Manning, two of the greatest statistical quarterbacks of all-time.  

Believe it or not, his unrivaled success was his downfall in 2007.  Throughout his career, Brady had to earn his wins the hard way, fighting until the final whistle, and using his instincts and heart and guts to pull out wins.  

Throughout the regular seasons and playoffs, he had to lead his teams to fourth quarter comebacks regularly, but that wasn't the case in 2007.  His team was too good.  So, when they fell behind, they didn't know how to come back, and Brady's skills as a comeback quarterback were rustier than they'd ever been after success had come so easy to him all year.  Winning had become so easy that he forgot what to do when he wasn't winning.

Vick's stats in 2010 may not be anywhere near as impressive as Brady's were in '07, but his determination in '10 was second to none in the league.  He was hungry.  He's got a name to restore.  He has a chip on his shoulder and something to prove to the world, and you can bet he stayed up every night in prison thinking about about one thing: winning football games.

It's no surprise that his passing numbers went through the roof in 2010, even after taking years off.  My guess is that he's worked harder than any other player in the league over the past five seasons.  Just as we saw a different Brady in '07, we saw a different Vick in '10, and I'd take that Vick over the '07 Brady any day, because in February, it's not the stats that matter, it's who wanted it more, and no player in the NFL wants the Lombardi Trophy more than Michael Vick.