NEW YORK — Tom Brady, already named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, added The Associated Press 2007 Offensive Player of the Year award to his honors Tuesday, outdistancing his main weapon on the unbeaten New England Patriots, wide receiver Randy Moss.
Of the four players who received votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL, three were Patriots.
“We set out a bunch of goals early in the season,” Brady said, “and I think I said the best part about playing quarterback here is I just have to do my job, show up every day and work hard just like everybody else. I think my job description is just a bit different than everybody else’s, but there’s a lot of satisfaction knowing that I can just come out there and worry about myself and expect that everybody else is going to do their job.
“It’s been a fun season. There’s no doubt about it.”
And it’s been a rewarding season for Brady, the first New England player to be chosen MVP and now the first Patriot to win Offensive Player of the Year. He collected 35½ votes to 12½ for Moss. Wes Welker, the Patriots’ other starting receiver, got one, as did Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre.
Brady, an eight-year veteran who’s already a winner of three Super Bowls, threw for 50 touchdowns, beating Peyton Manning’s league mark by one. He also threw 23 of those TD passes to Moss, lifting the receiver past Jerry Rice’s record of 22.
New England scored 589 points and 75 TDs, both records. Brady’s precision — a 68.9 completion percentage, 117.2 passer rating, just eight interceptions — and yards passing (4,806, 383 more than runner-up Drew Brees of New Orleans) made him a natural choice for his second award in less than a week.
“Individual awards haven’t been as important to me as the team goals, and I’ve said that for a long time,” Brady said. “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 and I hope that translates into a win this week.”
The Patriots (16-0) play Jacksonville on Saturday in the second round of the AFC playoffs. The Pats are seeking the second perfect season in league history; only Miami, 17-0 in 1972, has gone through the regular schedule and the postseason unbeaten.
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