This award was a bit of a shock to some. Many thought Michael Vick would take home the AP NFL Offensive Player Of The Year award, which has traditionally been the runner-up award for league Most Valuable Player. But, this year, they gave the award to Tom Brady, who will also likely take home the 2011 NFL MVP award.
Why did Brady win? Simple: He didn't throw interceptions.
At one point Brady threw 355 passes without an interception, leading the Pats to an NFL-best 14-2 record. He led the league in touchdowns while protecting the ball as well as any quarterback ever has, all despite playing in an offense that was supposed to slump without WR Randy Moss. So much for that.
He was also the AFC’s highest Pro Bowl vote-getter and the only unanimous AP All-Pro.
I personally think it's a little gratuitous to give Brady both the OPotY award and the MVP. Vick scored 30 total touchdowns and threw just 6 INTs in 2010 playing in twelve games. Why not reward that? There's no question Brady was 2010's MVP, which is an award solely for the regular season.
But both?
In the end, it doesn't really matter. I just think giving Vick the OPotY award would have been a nice tribute to his stellar year.
Interesting note: Peyton Manning threw 33 TDs and 16 INTs in 2009, and won the NFL MVP award running away. In 2010, he threw 33 TDs and 17 INTs while also throwing 109 more passes than he did in '09. He also spent much of the season without Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, a running game, a defense, consistent coaching, etc. Despite this, Peyton didn't get a single vote of OPotY.
Oh well.