New England Patriots: Why Rob Gronkowski, Not Tom Brady, Is the Team's MVP

A few weeks ago, Rob Gronkowski gained national attention for the wild weekend he spent with porn star Bibi Jones during the Patriots' bye week. Gronkowski is now gaining attention for his record-breaking play on the field.

Last week against the Redskins, Gronkowski set the single-season record for receiving touchdowns by a tight end in just his second season.

Tom Brady has also been having a stellar season for New England. Brady, along with Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, is on pace to break the single-season passing yards record, and he has thrown 33 touchdown passes while posting a passer rating of 106.

Despite Brady’s excellent play this season, Gronkowski has passed the quarterback as the team’s most valuable player.

Although Brady has performed well this season, his play has dipped compared to last year. He has already thrown seven more interceptions than he did all of last season. In fact, Brady threw a career-high four interceptions in a loss against the Bills in late September.

Last week, Brady’s play was extremely inconsistent. He had numerous miscommunications with his receivers and made more than a few off-target passes. Brady also uncharacteristically tried to force an end-zone pass to Tiquan Underwood that cost the team a chance to seal the game.

Brady has had some difficulty closing out games this season. For example, against subpar opponents like the Colts and Redskins, he had ample opportunities to break the games open but allowed both opponents to remain in contention because of his failure to complete passes late.

Gronkowski has been a star all year long for the Pats. The second-year tight end leads the NFL in touchdown receptions with 15, and he has even added a rushing touchdown for good measure.

Gronkowski uses his rare combination of size and speed to run both through defenders and past them. Time and time again this season, Gronkowski has turned a short catch into a big gain because of his ability to get yards after the catch.

The Patriots offense is a quick-striking one that makes a living off of throwing short, high-percentage passes. Gronkowski’s ability to make big plays after the catch is extremely valuable because the Patriots rarely throw the ball downfield and can only get large chunks of yardage if players like Gronkowski can break through tacklers.

Gronkowski’s 6' 6", 265-pound frame makes him a giant target for his quarterback. It allows Brady to have a lot of room for error when throwing the ball to his tight end, and Gronkowski’s glue-like hands help him snatch off-target passes as well.

The most underrated part of Gronkowski’s game is his blocking ability. Gronkowski may be the best blocking tight end in the entire league, making him a major factor in the Patriots ground game.

Brady is one of the best, if not the best quarterback in NFL history. He has continued his elite play this season despite dropping off slightly from last season. However, Gronkowki’s tremendous play this season has for now made him the team’s most valuable player.