By Matt Sohn
Jan. 17, 2008

Tom Brady had been in the spotlight before. He had thrived in the spotlight before. Heck, in his very first foray onto the grandest of stages, he bested a two-touchdown-favorite Rams squad by marching his team down the field in as flawless an execution of the two-minute drill as you’ll ever see. We should have known then — when, in spite of John Madden informing the television-watching world that he should take a knee to force overtime, Brady connected on his lunge for the jugular — that he was a breed apart.

In nearly each ensuing challenge, Brady remained cool and collected. It didn’t seem to matter that his celebrity rose in step with his stature in the football world. In addition to Brady being inundated with questions about his decision to throw into double coverage, people began scrutinizing his audacity for wearing a Yankees baseball hat while walking down the street. Through it all, he simply went about his business, showcasing quintessential quarterbacking. If there was ever a set of chinkless armor, he wore it.

Patriots QB Tom Brady

But last offseason, Pioli and the rest of the Patriots’ brass upped the stakes. It had been two years since the Lombardi Trophy resided in Foxborough, Mass., and the Colts had encroached on the Patriots’ perch atop the NFL pecking order. So the front office opened up its checkbook to bring in a trio of top-flight wide receivers in Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donté Stallworth. Greatness wasn’t just expected of Brady, it was demanded.

No. 12 delivered. As if there was any doubt.

“There are two types of players in the league,” said teammate and fellow future Hall of Famer Junior Seau. “One that wants to be great and one that needs to be great. Tommy positions himself every day to be great for every game. It is no surprise that he performs the way he does.”

Throwing an NFL-record 50 touchdown passes in guiding the Pats to an unblemished 16-0 regular season, Brady can now add Most Valuable Player honors from Pro Football Weekly and the Professional Football Writers of America to his list of accolades.

As proficient at deflecting praise as he is evading a weak-side blitz, Brady was appreciative but underwhelmed when speaking about receiving The Associated Press’ version of the award early in the week leading up to New England’s playoff game against the Jaguars.

“We have a bunch of goals every year, and I think myself, as a player, I’m just hoping to be the best quarterback that I can be for this team,” Brady said. “I’m glad that’s led up to 16 wins. Individual awards haven’t been as important to me as the team goals, and I’ve said that for a long time. While I’m very flattered to be honored in that way, I understand that my greatest satisfaction comes from winning games and being the leader of this football team. I take that job very seriously.”

Brady’s understated reaction didn’t surprise his teammates, who’ve grown accustomed to his team-first mentality.

“He is definitely the most humble superstar I have ever met, and there is no one more deserving than him,” said FB Heath Evans. “(He covers) every detail. No stone left unturned. Constantly preparing himself and everyone around him, and that is what makes a true champion.”

The man Brady helped to become the 2007 NFL receptions leader concurred.

“It is something Tom totally deserves,” Welker said. “He has worked hard to get to this point. He is not a guy who puts a lot of emphasis on something like this, and it is certainly not his goal to go out and win (MVP honors), but I am sure it is something that he will look back on and be very proud of.”

Evans’ assertion is grounded in fact. Every year since being drafted, Brady has won the Patriots’ offseason workout award. Needing to develop a kinship with his new receivers, the organized team activities (OTAs) took on an even greater importance leading up to the ’07 campaign than in seasons past.

Brady and his targets clearly made the most of it. Even with Moss sitting out the full slate of preseason games with a hamstring ailment, the quarterback-receiver cohesion was evident immediately.

Starting in Week One against the Jets, Brady became the first player in league history to toss at least three touchdown strikes in 10 consecutive games. Three times in that span he threw at least five.

Just as was the case with last season’s MVP, Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson, those awe-inspiring — not to mention record-breaking — numbers are impossible to ignore. But especially in the sport of football, where an individual player’s statistics are largely dependent upon his supporting cast, it’s incumbent upon observers to look beyond the box score in gauging a player’s value.

Perhaps just as impressive as his statistically overwhelming feats, such as throwing 11 touchdowns in back-to-back games vs. the Cowboys and Dolphins in Weeks Six and Seven, were gut-check road wins vs. the Colts, Ravens and Giants. At the RCA Dome and the Meadowlands, Brady overcame a pair of late, double-digit deficits to emerge victorious. In besting Ray Lewis and the Ravens, he was required to direct a 73-yard touchdown drive with 3:30 remaining on the clock.

“When the rubber meets the road, he delivers,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, two days after the Pats’ triumph over the Ravens and four days before Brady would throw for a season-high 399 yards in a 34-13 romp over Tomlin’s bunch. “I think that’s what probably separates great players from good players. And he’s a great player.”

With the name “Tom Brady” now synonymous with NFL greatness, it’s easy to forget just how far Brady has progressed. Unlike some quarterbacks, such as Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer, Brady wasn’t a super blue-chip prep passer who made a pit stop as a college stud en route to NFL stardom. Go back nearly a decade ago, and Brady was hardly “big man on campus” in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Rather, he was the skinny, cerebral guy, taking just half the snaps under center while giving way to ordained golden boy Drew Henson. Suffice to say, things don’t always play out according to script.

As far as the Patriots and their newly minted MVP are concerned, that reality suits them just fine.

All-time winners

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Links to 2007 PFW/PFWA awards