First Quarter NFL MVP

We are now finished with the first four games of the NFL Season, which makes that the 1st Quarter. Now, it is time to look at the players who have had the most outstanding seasons within that timespan.

Tom Brady:

Completions: 96

Attempts: 133

Percentage: 72.2%

Passing Yards: 1,112

Touchdowns: 9

Interceptions: 0

QB Rating: 119.6

Tom Brady has the New England Patriots riding high as usual, leading the AFC East at 3-0. Tom has been absolutely brilliant in these first 4 games of the season, completing 72% of his passes for more than 1,000 yards, 9 TD's and 0 INT's. If the suspension was still approved, Brady would have fallen behind obviously along with his team. If anything, that has fueled his competitive fire to do what he has done for his whole 15-year career, silence the critics. The Patriots have enjoyed a Bye Week, but they look to continue their momentum. After all, there are still 12-13 more games in the season but for now, Tom has played at MVP level in the early stages.

Aaron Rodgers:

Completions: 89

Attempts: 123

Percentage: 72.4%

Passing Yards: 995

Touchdowns: 11

Interceptions: 0

QB Rating: 125.9

Perennial MVP Candidate Aaron Rodgers continues to lead his team while destroying defenses with his combination of passing and mobility. Rodgers is one of the ultimate double threats at Quarterback. The Packers continue to throw deep passes even without go-to WR Jordy Nelson. Still, nothing has slowed Aaron down from raising the game of his other receivers. Three of Green Bay's first four games were won in convincing fashion. Aaron's QB Rating is another indication of how dangerously precise he really is.

Julio Jones:

Receptions: 38

Receiving Yards: 478

Average YPC: 12.6

Touchdowns: 4

Julio Jones has certainly been the MVP for the Atlanta Falcons with his dominance over the secondary. His physical presence creates nightmares for opposing Defensive Backs while standing at 6'3" 220 lbs. Julio leads the NFL in Receptions (38) along with Receiving Yards (478) as well as yards per game (119.5). He ranks 2nd in Touchdown receptions with 4. The Falcons are currently tied with the Panthers for first place in the NFC South with a record of 4-0. Without question, Jones has taken the mantle of the Best WR this season with Cowboys stud Wideout Dez Bryant out for most of the season and Calvin "Megatron" Johnson suffering on a Lions team that is 0-4. Those are the three key receivers in the current NFL Landscape, but Julio is having a breakout season. Along with fellow WR Roddy White, the Falcons Wide Receiving Combo has made Matt Ryan look more valuable as a QB.

Andy Dalton:

Completions: 78

Attempts: 116

Percentage: 67.2%

Passing Yards: 1,187

Touchdowns: 9

Interceptions: 1

QB Rating: 123.0

The "Red Rifle" Andy Dalton has been a straight shooter as he has led the Cincinnati Bengals to a 4-0 record to lead the AFC North. Dalton has been vital in his team's success, as he ranks among the top 3 in Passing Yards (1,187). Dalton is nominated as a candidate for 1st Quarter MVP because of how his production has translated into his team's success along with the other players nominated such as Brady, Rodgers, and Jones. The Bengals are 4-0 for the first time since 2005, as they average 30.2 points. Led by Dalton, Cincinnati ranks second in total yards as they pile the points on the opponents. The Bengals are currently at the top of the class of an otherwise struggling AFC North Division, and The Red Rifle is the prime cause offensively.

 The 1st Quarter MVP Award goes to:

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers has the Green Bay Packers standing tall at the top of the NFC North at 4-0 and leads the NFL in TD Passes (11) and QB Rating (125.9). The race is still tight, especially between him and Tom Brady. As for now, Aaron wins the award because of his efficiency and versatility. 

Tom Brady Reaches 400

This past week, Tom Brady reached a new milestone in his illustrious career. On Sunday, Brady threw his 400th Career Touchdown Pass to Danny Amendola in the second quarter for 1-yard in New England’s 51-17 obliteration of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tom ripped the Jaguars open going 33-42 for 358 yards with 2 Touchdowns and 0 Interceptions. His other TD pass was a 13-yard pass to Keshawn Martin in the third quarter. Brady became the fourth player in NFL History to throw for 400 Career TD’s. The others include Peyton Manning (533), Brett Favre (508) and Dan Marino (420). In fifth place is Saints QB Drew Brees, who is two shy of the milestone with 398. Brees missed last Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury.

In the midst of an offseason filled with controversy after winning his 4th Super Bowl, this has been the highlight of Brady’s season thus far.

Here is a look at Tom Brady’s TD Milestones over his Career:

1st TD: Week 5, 2001- 21 yard TD to Terry Glenn in 2nd Quarter vs. Chargers

100th TD: Week 2, 2005- 1 yard TD to Daniel Graham in 1st Quarter vs. Panthers

200th TD: Week 3, 2009- 36 yard TD to Chris Baker in 4th Quarter vs. Falcons

300th TD: Week 17, 2011- 7 yard TD to Rob Gronkowski 4th Quarter vs. Bills

400th TD: Week 3, 2015- 1 yard TD to Danny Amendola in 2nd Quarter vs. Jaguars

This accomplishment is a testament to Brady’s longevity, durability, and consistency in production. Regardless of the controversy surrounding him, Tom Brady has been an outstanding Quarterback from the time that he received the Starting Job after Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury during the 2001 Season. From that point going forward, Brady has become the face of the Patriots Franchise whether fans liked it or not.

Over the course of his career, Tom Brady has had a revolving door of Wide Receivers. He has never had a consistent number 1 Target to throw to the way that Joe Montana and Steve Young both had Jerry Rice, etc. However, Brady has made the most of what has been given to him as he has become the most constant factor of Bill Belichick’s Offensive Equation.

At one point, Tom had Randy Moss, but that was not on a long term basis.

Lately, things have changed with the addition of Tight End Rob Gronkowski. Rob has been the most consistent weapon that Brady has had the pleasure to throw to. Gronk is helping to extend Tom’s success.

Like his counterpart Peyton Manning, Tom Brady continues to add to his incredible legendary status as a first-ballot Future Hall of Famer.

Week 1 Review (Brady Returns, Comeback Cowboys, Super Mariota )

This NFL Season got off to a unique start. Tom Brady came out of the gate firing away at all cylinders as he completed 25 of 32 passes for 288 yards and 4 Touchdowns while torching the Steelers Defense in a 28-21 victory at home in New England.

Brady clearly had a chip on his shoulder with plenty to prove coming off the heels of the recent Deflategate scandal that further tarnished his image among fans. Pittsburgh put up a battle on the Offensive side, but the score does not tell the full story of the game.

The Steel Curtain looked like the Shower Curtain when Tom was finished with them. Ben Roethlisberger went 26-38 for 351 yards and 1 Touchdown.

Meanwhile, the Washington Redskins start the season with a new Starting Quarterback: Kirk Cousins. After a rocky run with RG III as the QB, the Redskins have changed the guard with Cousins.

However, the results were not very different as Washington lost the Home Opener to the Miami Dolphins 17-10. Cousins went 21-31 for 196 yards and 2 Interceptions.

The Offensive Line was horrible. That goes to show that they are just as responsible for the past failures as Bob Griffin III (RG III). The Skins had a 10-0 lead in the second quarter but allowed 17 unanswered points from that point moving forward.

Miami is not a special team either. Ryan Tannehill is not even close to the Echelon of Russell Wilson, or Andrew Luck let alone Aaron Rodgers but the Skins Defense made him look like a much more valuable QB.

In this game, Tannehill went 22-34 for 226 yards. Redskins WR Desean Jackson was out for most of the game after tearing his left hamstring.

Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills pulled a major upset over AFC Powerhouse the Indianapolis Colts 27-14. Rex Ryan went from being the Cartoon Character Coach for the New York Jets to a nearly defensive genius in this game. It looks like the joke was on everybody else.

Ryan's Defense crashed down on Andrew Luck. Andrew went 26-49 for 243 yards, 2 TD's and 2 INT's. It was not his finest hour.

On the other hand, Bills QB Tyrod Taylor orchestrated three touchdown drives as he went 14-19 for 195 yards and 1 TD.  The highlight for Taylor was his 51-yard Touchdown pass to WR Percy Harvin.

The Colts were limited to 148 yards of Offense and nine first downs on its first five drives before they scored two Touchdowns in the final 16 minutes. Things were not clicking for Indy.

 Another upset came when the St. Louis Rams defeated back to back NFC Champions the Seattle Seahawks 34-31 in OT. The Rams overcame Seattle's 18-point 4th Quarter rally for the win. Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson took a pounding as he was sacked six times in this game. He still managed to go 32-41 for 251 yards and 1 TD.

Down 31-24, St. Louis tied the game after Seahawks defensive back Dion Bailey stumbled on Lance Kendricks 37-yard touchdown catch. The Seahawks are also having problems in-house, because of Kam Chancellor's contract situation.

Meanwhile, Titans QB Marcus Mariota displayed signs of brilliance in an outstanding performance as the Tennessee Titans rout the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 42-14 (Routed and Scouted). Mariota went 13-16 for 209 yards and 4 Touchdowns as he outplayed 1st Overall Pick Jameis Winston.

Mariota and Winston have been linked together because of their history together in College. Jameis Winston was the 2013 Heisman Trophy Winner while Marcus Mariota won the Award in 2014.

This game was nearly a mirror image of the Rose Bowl when Mariota's Oregon Ducks wiped out Winston's Florida State Seminoles 59-20. History practically repeated itself eight months later.

The Sunday Night Season Opener took place at Cowboys Stadium as the Dallas Cowboys hosted the New York Giants. Cowboys vs Giants games have always been interesting to say the least and this was no different.

Neither team was at their best. Odell Beckham Jr. was not setting the defense on fire with his playmaking. Instead, he was silent during this game.

The Giants had the lead on Dallas for much of the first half going into the second. However, their poor decision making came back to bite them.

On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys were shooting themselves in the foot with dropped passes, fumbles, etc.

Franchise WR Dez Bryant left the game following after breaking a bone in his foot. Bryant underwent successful surgery and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Meanwhile, The Cowboys overcame three turnovers that led to easy points for the Giants as Tony Romo threw an 11-yard touchdown to Jason Witten with 11 seconds left in the game. Dallas drove 72 yards with just 1:27 on their way to the game-winning score. Romo went 36-45 for 356 yards and 3 Touchdowns. The Cowboys overcame their own obstacles while rallying their comeback drive.

Eli Manning went 20-36 for 193 yards and 0 Touchdowns. The Cowboys are 8-0 vs. The Giants in Season Openers.

As for Monday Night Football, the Night started with the Atlanta Falcons hosting the Philadelphia Eagles. After making waves in the offseason by signing Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray along with other moves, the Eagles looked very dominant during pre-season.

When the Season started, Philly looked like a totally different team. It looked like a tale of two teams once the season went underway. DeMarco Murray learned the hard way how the Cowboys Offensive line made such a difference for him in his success last season.

Coach Chip Kelly's up-tempo Oregon like Offense fizzled in that first half against the Falcons. QB Sam Bradford rallied the Eagles in the second half, but in the end nothing else really mattered.

Falcons WR Julio Jones was virtually unstoppable during this game, especially the first half. The Defense clamped down for a moment in the second half, but they could not fully slow him down. During the game, Jones had 9 receptions for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns.

In the second Monday Night Game, the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Minnesota Vikings at Levi Stadium. The Star of that game was Running Back Carlos Hyde, who recorded 26 Carries for 168 Yards and 2 Touchdowns. Colin Kaepernick went 17-26 as he added 165 passing yards as he played a fairly safe game.

The Niners unveiled new Black & Red Alternate Uniforms. They would look better if the helmets were the same color. Enough with the fashion talk, back to the game.

Adrian Peterson returned to the field after a year-long suspension from a child abuse case along with paid leave. He was clearly rusty in this game with 10 carries for only 31 yards. Bad news for Fantasy Football Owners that have him on their team.

As if that wasn't bad enough. The sloppy first half included Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater running into his own teammate for a 10-yard sack. Things were just downright awful for Minnesota.

San Francisco put the clamps on Minnesota in a 20-3 win in the Home Opener.

Teflon Tom Rides Again

Recently, Tom Brady was acquitted of charges related to his involvement in the "Deflategate" scandal. Originally, Tom was suspended for the first four games of the NFL Season because he had knowledge of the Patriots deflating footballs to gain an edge on their opponents.

The allegations surfaced after it was discovered that the Patriots deflated 11 out of 12 footballs during their 45-7 demolition of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game.

Tom was heavily scrutinized by reporters, players, and former players for supposedly "not knowing" about the footballs being deflated. The Patriots already have a black eye on their legacy for the "Spygate" controversy.

Now, they have another controversy tied to their name with the deflated footballs. From that point moving forward, New England became the center of many jokes about things being deflated.

Brady's legacy has been criticized by many people because of these issues. Tom managed to dodge a bullet with "Spygate". This time, he has dodged a silver bullet that you could say was more severe than "Spygate".

A few weeks ago, a sketch artist drew a court sketch of Tom Brady that went viral across Social Media. During that first court meeting, he once again became the brunt of many jokes.

However, Tom's fortunes have changed after Commissioner Roger Goodell lifted his Suspension after a Judge ruled in his favor. The Judge said that Goodell was too harsh in his punishment of the Super Bowl Champion QB.

I guess the Judge must be a fan of his, but that's none of my business. Brady would have been suspended for being a "cheater". Now that his suspension has been dropped, this adds to the mystique of "Teflon Tom". Brady has officially been acquitted of cheating.

The biggest concern involving Brady not being penalized is the fact that it could encourage others to cheat. This could teach kids in school that it is fine to willingly cheat because you could be excused for it. They could think "If Tom Brady got away with cheating, so can I".

The NFL has been plagued with a legion of scandals. From Ray Rice to Adrian Peterson, the Shield has been hit many times. However, Tom Brady is able to skate away from trouble. I guess Brady the money making machine is above being sidelined for the first quarter of the Season.

After all, Brady is considered "America's Quarterback" since he plays for a team called the Patriots.

Commissioner Goodell did his best to serve justice without any form of favoritism. You might as well call Tom Brady the Al Capone of the NFL because he is truly "Untouchable".

Tom Brady is without question a future First-Ballot Hall of Famer. He has accomplished enough to reach Legend Status in his Sport. However, the perception of his legacy has been skewed.

This just goes to show that certain players have been put on a pedestal to be above reproach. It looks like Brady is one of them.