New England Patriots: 6 most valuable players

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

2. Tom Brady

You’re probably surprised to see Tommy boy at No. 2. The explanation for him not taking the cake as the Patriots’ MVP is further detailed in the next slide; for now, I’m going to talk about just how important he is to the Patriots right now.

Look, the guy is 38. It’s easy to take for granted the fact Brady is still so freakishly good, but the truth is that not many quarterbacks on the wrong side of 35 can do what Brady is doing.

The main reason I have Brady at No. 2 here involves Deflategate. I seriously think that the Patriots will go 3-1 in the first month should Brady’s suspension not be lifted, as they will have had plenty of time to prepare Jimmy G for the starting job.

I would put Brady at No. 1 in a heartbeat if I felt that the Patriots weren’t going to fare well without him. But since they will escape out of those first four games with a winning record, I do not view him as the MVP of the team. If a player’s absence translates into losses for his team, then he is the unquestioned MVP; that is the case with the next guy on our list.

Next: 1. Gronk