ProShop Matt Light Equipment Replica Jersey Other Products Tom Brady 8 inch Bobblehead Ty Warren Equipment Replica Jersey Wes Welker Replica Jersey Belichick Hood - Charcoal

ST. LOUIS - Sporting News calls Tom Brady the "perfect pick" for Sportsman of the Year.

"Tom Brady has given us one of the greatest seasons in NFL history," said Sporting News Sr. Vice President/Editorial Director, John Rawlings.  "You can't help but admire what he has accomplished - even if much of the NFL world has suddenly turned anti-Patriots."

The Patriots wouldn't be the Patriots - and the NFL wouldn't be the NFL - without Tom Brady. 
He had a full season's worth of statistics by the halfway point; since then, he has just kept adding to his amazing totals. With two weeks to go, here are Brady's stats and his league ranking in each.

Attempts     503 4th
Completions     348 2nd
Completion percentage  69.2 1st
Passing yards     4,235 1st
Passing yards/attempt   8.42 1st
Passing yards/game   302.5 1st
Touchdown passes    45 1st
Passer rating     119.7 1st
Passes for first downs   210 1st

Others around the NFL agree with our pick.

"He has poise. You never see him rattled. He is almost expressionless a lot of times in games. He is very smart, and it is very difficult to rattle him."
-Titans DE Kyle Vanden Bosch

"Tom, mentally, is the toughest quarterback in the league."         
-Steelers DE Aaron Smith

"You know he's going to make the right read, the right adjustments, give us the right signals and things like that. With a quarterback like Tom Brady, you always have confidence that things are going to work out for the best."
-Patriots WR Randy Moss

Sportsman of the Year will be featured in the December 24th issue of Sporting News, on sale December 19th.  Sporting News' Year in Review and Year in Preview also appear in the same issue.  More on all of these features can be found on the website www.SportingNews.com.

Some of the other names Sporting News considered for 2007 Sportsman of the Year: Peyton Manning, a perennial candidate for our highest award, he led the Colts to the Super Bowl championship last February; Brett Favre, who has amazed us with a season that few thought possible; Matt Holliday, the Rockies' left fielder was the team leader of a great feel-good story; and Joakim Noah and Darren McFadden, two college players who drew considerable attention as well.

PREVIOUS SPORTING NEWS "SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR"

2006 LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
2005 Matt Leinart, USC football
2004 Tom Brady, New England Patriots
2003 Dick Vermeil, Kansas City Chiefs, and Jack McKeon, Florida Marlins
2002 Tyrone Willingham, Notre Dame football
2001 Curt Schilling, Arizona Diamondbacks
2000 Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams
1999 New York Yankees
1998 Mark McGwire, St. Louis Cardinals, and Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs
1997 Mark McGwire, St. Louis Cardinals
1996 Joe Torre, New York Yankees
1995 Cal Ripken, Baltimore Orioles
1994 Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys
1993 Cito Gaston and Pat Gillick, Toronto Blue Jays
1992 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke basketball
1991 Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
1990 Nolan Ryan, Texas Rangers
1989 Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers
1988 Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympics
1987 None
1986 Larry Bird, Boston Celtics
1985 Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds
1984 Peter Ueberroth, Olympics organizer
1983 Bowie Kuhn, MLB commissioner
1982 Whitey Herzog, St. Louis Cardinals
1981 Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
1980 George Brett, Kansas City Royals
1979 Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh Pirates
1978 Ron Guidry, New York Yankees
1977 Steve Cauthen, horse racing
1976 Larry O'Brien, NBA commissioner
1975 Archie Griffin, Ohio State football
1974 Lou Brock, St. Louis Cardinals
1973 O.J. Simpson, Buffalo Bills
1972 Charlie Finley, Oakland A's
1971 Lee Trevino, golf
1970 John Wooden, UCLA basketball
1969 Tom Seaver, New York Mets
1968 Denny McLain, Detroit Tigers

Sporting News, a division of American City Business Journals, Inc., is a multi-media sports company catering to passionate sports fans. Its content is available through a weekly publication, Sporting News Magazine; a national radio network, Sporting News Radio; and a leading community-based website, SportingNews.com. Sporting News also is a leading publisher of sports yearbooks, and is engaged in various wireless and iTV initiatives. Founded in 1886, Sporting News is the nation's first weekly sports publication.