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Today, as the second part of our Patriots pre-season prediction series, we look at who may be the Patriots "Most Valuable Player" in the 2010 season. To do this, we gave each writer on the Pats Pulpit staff three votes. Each first place vote was worth three points, each second place vote worth two, and each third place vote worth one. So, lets get started:
Name |
1st Place |
2nd Place |
3rd Place |
Marima |
Tom Brady |
Randy Moss |
Jerod Mayo |
Richard Hill |
Randy Moss |
Tom Brady |
Jerod Mayo |
Mike Dussault |
Tom Brady |
Jerod Mayo |
Patrick Chung |
Comedic.Sans |
Tom Brady |
Sebastian Vollmer |
Vince Wilfork |
Stephen Verman |
Randy Moss |
Tom Brady |
Jerod Mayo |
Greg Knopping |
Tom Brady |
Randy Moss |
Vince Wilfork |
Some explanations of how the staff voted (including me after the jump)!
Richard Hill:
Randy Moss: Moss comes back with a vengeance, in a contract year, to silence his naysayers. Hampered by an injury in 2009, Moss will run rampant in 2010. With other receivers drawing more attention than Joey Galloway (hah!), Moss will be able to create many more plays for himself and, if not for himself, for others.
Tom Brady: With Welker out for the first couple weeks of the season, I believe that Brady will pick up the slack and help the younger receivers come along as professionals. Brady has a strong season, by his standards, with 30 TDs and 13 INTs, while 9 different players score a receiving TD, just like the old days.
Jerod Mayo: Mayo emerges as a young leader of a strong defense. While Wilfork is the wise leader, Mayo is the heart of the defense. He takes big strides, bringing the linebacking core with him.
Comedic.Sans:
Tom Brady: He's Tom Brady. I could be more eloquent, but is that really necessary for this guy?
Sebastian Vollmer: He's likely the best LT and the best RT on the team, and if Mankins isn't resigned, he's the best O-linemen by default. Given it was an O-line failure that arguably cost the Pats a Superbowl in 2007, the O-line that cost the team Tom Brady in 2008, and was the root of several issues in 2009, Vollmer takes on a whole new level of importance - he keeps Brady upright.
Vince Wilfork: Despite playing In a position that's universally underappreciated, his performance over the last few years effectively forced the Pats (even with their reputation for notorious stinginess) to give top dollar to the guy. In the offseason he has committed to being a leader and teacher, a force on the field and in the locker-room. He's the heart, soul, and fire of the defence, and with the exception of the Warrens, the most experienced. He won't be racking up stats, sacks, fumbles or the like, but he's the glue in the D-line that allows the Mayos, Spikes', and Banta-Cains of the world to rack up tackles at will.
Stephen Verman:
Randy Moss: Hard not to pick Brady here, but we all know what happened last time Moss was in a contract year - fireworks. I think a lot more of the deep bombs his way connect this season, as we see "basketball player Randy" grabbing TDs like rebounds and playing for fun. Sure he will be double-teamed, but he's used to that. The attention paid to him will provide valuable opportunities over the middle for the Patriots young receivers and tight ends.
Tom Brady: If Moss has a good season, by default Brady will have a good season. I like the blend of age and youth in his targets. The Patriots offense should be much less predictable, as Tom has more options and keeps defenses guessing. I'm not expecting 2007, but this will be the season Brady ends the talk of his window of opportunity closing, and begins the talk of a second dynasty.
Jerod Mayo: I think Mayo will make the jump to "playmaker" status this season, and help inspire the defense. I expect Brandon Spikes to emerge as his partner on the inside and take care of much of the heavy lifting while Mayo flies around the field causing havoc. I see 120+ tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and a TD.
Mike Dussault:
Brady spreads the ball around in 2010 and returns to making plays in the clutch. Mayo rarely leaves the field and Chung becomes the heart and soul of the secondary.
Marima:
Tom Brady is a driven man. Stats-wise, he had the second best season of his career in 2009 and he did it with three cracked ribs, a broken finger and after a year out of football with his torn-up knee. Contract schmontract, Brady will out-do himself this year, all healed up and with a strong, new crop of targets to look forward to.
Greg Knopping:
Tom Brady: It would be really tough for me not to put Tom Brady at the top spot. Despite the reported "contract issues," I think Brady will get as close to 2007 form as he ever will in 2010. Now two years removed from knee surgery, Brady will bounce back with a 35 touchdown/10 interception season this year.
Randy Moss: I don't feel that I need to provide much of an explanation for voting Randy Moss being second on my list, he's just that valuable to the passing attack. With Welker recovering from his torn ACL, I think Moss will step up big, and will have a 1,300 yard, 15 touchdown season in 2010.
Vince Wilfork: I had a hard time deciding between Wilfork and Jerod Mayo for this spot. Ultimately, I went with Wilfork. If Wilfork has a big year clogging up gaps and man-handling offensive lineman, that will translate directly to Jerod Mayo's impact as a linebacker. I also believe that Wilfork will be an invaluable leader to the Patriots' defense.
FINAL VOTING TALLY:
1. Tom Brady (16 points)
2. Randy Moss (10 points)
3. Jerod Mayo (5 points)
Other Players Receiving Votes: Vince Wilfork (2 points), Sebastian Vollmer (2 points), Patrick Chung (1 point).
So there you have it, Tom Brady is the Pats Pulpit pre-season MVP, to nobody's surprise. A few interesting notes on how the voting went down:
- A couple of players who surprisingly did not receive any votes: Wes Welker and Brandon Meriweather.
- Jerod Mayo was tied with Randy Moss having been listed on four ballots, but only tallied 5 total points, while Moss received two first place votes.
- Tom Brady was first or second on every voters ballot.
- Richard Hill and Stephen Verman predicted the same finish (Moss, Brady, Mayo).
So, what three players would you predict to win the Patriots MVP in 2010?
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