Tom Brady, you just won the NFL's MVP Award. What do you want to talk about now?
The Jacksonville Jaguars, that's what.
The Pats QB, who addressed the media Monday for the first time since winning the honor, was grateful for the award, but more concerned about his next opponent.
"I always try to go out and do the best I can do," he said. "I hope that's good enough this week. . . . The MVP and all that is wonderful. I’m sure some day I’ll look back on that and be very proud of the fact that it's something you accomplished, but it doesn't mean anything this week."
Brady's selection was a nearly unanimous vote. Only one person chose not to vote for Brady, veteran sports journalist Frank Cooney. He chose Packers QB Brett Favre.
"Favre was the quarterback and unquestioned leader of the youngest team in the NFL, one that was expected to win only five games," Cooney wrote in part to defend his vote. "He led that team to 13 wins. I think that was a more valuable individual achievement than what Brady managed with his great team."
Meanwhile, as the Patriots prepare for the Jaguars, there's a special connection between their QB, David Garrard, and Patriots TE Kyle Brady, who played several seasons in Jacksonville.
"We talked all year long and we often said, 'How cool would it be if we met in the playoffs?' " Garrard told the Florida Times-Union.
"Looking back on all my years of playing football, there's one guy from college [Penn State] that I'm still close with to this day, and two or three guys from my NFL years," the 35-year-old Brady said.
"Even if you don't talk for six months, you get on the phone and it's as if you just talked yesterday. You just know you'll always be friends. That's how David and I will be."
QUICK HITS
A Maine newspaper offers a feature on the productive play of New England's offensive line this season.
How much would you pay for a Patriots license plate? One man paid a bundle, then gave it away. That story's in The Providence Journal today.
