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Tom Brady Cites NFL History to Prove Point He’s Not Concerned at All About MVP

FOXBORO, Mass. —If Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had his choice in the matter, he’d permanently withdraw his name from any and all MVP races.

Brady said Wednesday he doesn’t give much thought to his MVP campaign in 2007, likely due to the way that season ended. Now immersed in another race with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, among others, Brady would prefer to punt on the hype.

Most notably, the award goes against everything Brady has built his reputation upon in the last decade. It’s an individual thing that represents regular-season success, but it has no weight on the postseason.

Considering the fact that only 10 of the 44 MVP winners (during the Super Bowl era) have also hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, Brady has a real point.

“I know coach [Bill Belichick] gave us some stats this summer about MVP’s in all the various sports, and it’s been a long time since an MVP’s team has won the Super Bowl,” Brady said.

Here is the listed of those 10 players:

1966: Packers quarterback Bart Starr
1978: Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw
1982: Redskins kicker Mark Moseley
1986: Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor
1989: 49ers quarterback Joe Montana
1993: Cowboys quarterback Emmitt Smith
1994: 49ers quarterback Steve Young
1996: Packers quarterback Brett Favre
1998: Broncos running back Terrell Davis
1999: Rams quarterback Kurt Warner

A few things stick out about that list. First of all, Montana, who is Brady’s childhood idol, is an obvious name that jumps off the list. And even though Brady isn’t one to talk much about legacy, there seems to be little doubt he’d love to be in the same company as Montana in that regard. Of course, Brady would like to equal Montana’s total of four Super Bowls, too.

Second, Belichick was Taylor’s defensive coordinator in 1986, so he’s played a direct role there. Also, five of the 10 players who have doubled up on the MVP/Lombardi list did it within a seven-season stretch in the 1990s.

And, like Brady said, no one has held both trophies in the same season during this millennium. That’s why Brady prefers to set his sights on the ceremony that takes place in February, not January.

“For one reason or another, [the MVP award] has never really translated into team success,” Brady said. “I think, ultimately, that’s what this game is about. When you subscribe to a team game, you subscribe to the team goals, and that’s trying to win a Super Bowl.”