There was no suspense on Thursday when Sporting News released it's postseason NFL awards.
In fact, the Offensive Player of the Year award given to New England QB Tom Brady could've been handed out weeks ago.
Brady has been unreal this year and has forced many "experts" to say this year was even better for the record-setting QB than his 2007 season when he broke the record for TD passes in a season and led the Patriots to an undefeated regular season.
Brady completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,900 yards, 36 touchdowns and a mere FOUR interceptions, good for a league-best 111.0 quarterback rating. Brady had 335 consecutive pass attempts without throwing a pick, which is a new NFL record, and that streak has continued into the postseason. Simply unbelievable.
On the defensive side of the ball, Packers linebacker Clay Matthews earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in his second NFL season. Matthews, the son of former Browns linebacker Clay Matthews and nephew of longtime Oilers offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, has turned into one of the most dominant players in the league, drawing comparisons to a Tasmanian Devil, amongst other creatures.
Matthews had 13 1/2 sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown this season.
In other awards, Sporting News named Eagles QB Michael Vick the Comeback Player of the Year after he returned to greatness after sitting in a jail cell for a year and a half. Rookie of the Year was given to Lions DT Ndamukong Suh, and Falcons head coach Mike Smith was named the Coach of the Year after leading Atlanta to the best record in the NFC. Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was named the Coordinator of the Year.
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The sports publication collected votes from 609 NFL players, coaches and executives.
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