The NFL MVP debate: Cam Newton vs. Tom Brady

There’s a ways to go before we reach the end of the NFL season, but it’s never too early to discuss the MVP race.

While you can make an argument for any number of players having excellent seasons, it really comes down to two names: Tom Brady and Cam Newton.

Without a doubt, both players deserve to be in the conversation but there’s only one award. To figure out who is really the better choice, let’s take a look at what each brings to the table.

For Brady, the best place to start is the stats. While that’s only part of the picture, it’s a mighty impressive part.

To date, Brady has thrown for 3,600 yards, 28 touchdowns and just four interceptions. That puts him at the top of the list for yards (Philip Rivers is second with 3,511), first in passing touchdowns (Carson Palmer is one back with 27) and No. 29 in interceptions.

He has thrown for over 300 yards in six out of his 11 starts and has completed 65 percent of his passes, which ties him for ninth in the league (with Teddy Bridgewater of all people).

On paper, Brady continues to play at a high level and is amongst the best statistical quarterbacks in the NFL.

Of course, as the old saw goes “they don’t play the games on paper” which means you have to watch the actual football being played.

Brady continues to be impressive in that regard as well. He has weathered multiple injuries – both at the so-called “skill” positions (Dion Lewis, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola) and in the trenches (Nate Solder) and hasn’t seemed to miss a beat.

The adjustments he makes at the line, his ability to adapt to things going wrong around him—both from a snap-to-snap perspective as well as a week-to-week one—are impressive. It’s hard to find too many flaws in his game and there is little to complain about in terms of his production and what he brings to his team. It’s not hyperbole to say that, even beyond Rob Gronkowski, there is nobody the Patriots would miss more than Brady and had he been suspended to start the season, it’s likely that the AFC East—and the whole AFC in general—would be a lot tighter.

A lot has been made of Newton’s dancing, but not enough of his overall play. Sure, statistically Brady is having a better season. Newton has only thrown for 2,466 yards, with 20 passing touchdowns along with nine interceptions. Of course, he brings something to the table Brady has never and will never have—Newton is an absolute beast running the ball.

This season, Newton has rushed 98 times for 427 yards and seven touchdowns. That makes this offense nearly impossible to defend in the red zone, because while he may have very little to work with beyond tight end Greg Olsen and running back Jonathan Stewart, Newton is a huge threat to make a play with his legs.

It’s like having an extra running back and on the one-yard line, it adds a tough dimension to what defenses need to do. Sure, Brady is a player who defenses have to adjust to and account for. However, Newton brings another level of attention that frees up other players because the defense has to play Newton as more than a passer, but a threat to run.

He sort of has to be, as he has minimal weapons around him to help. Yes, Greg Olsen is a fantastic tight end, but he’s not the same guy Rob Gronkowski is. And while nobody is inducting Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola into the Hall of Fame, they are far better receiving options than rookie Devin Funchess, aging Jerricho Cotchery and drop-happy Ted Ginn Jr.

The lack of weapons has certainly hurt Newton’s overall numbers. When looking at the game film, you can see how often Newton has thrown a bomb, only to see his receiver drop it, not run the right route or otherwise muck up the play.

While it’s unlikely Newton would have Brady’s numbers, it’s absolutely true that his stats would be far better than what we’re seeing. Newton is doing a ton with smoke and mirrors right now and if you don’t like what his numbers look like on paper, you have to take a peek at his game-film because what he’s doing is far more impressive than those stats indicate.

Without Cam Newton, the Panthers would be dealing with a very ugly season. Instead, they are undefeated and look very much like the team to beat in the NFC (though I fervently hope to see that settled in an Arizona Cardinal-Carolina Panthers NFC Championship game this winter).

One thing both Brady and Newton have in common is their overall leadership. Having been in the Patriots locker room in past years, it’s clear how well regarded Brady is. Outside of New England, he may have his haters but none of them reside in that facility. This team believes in their leader and after the Deflategate nonsense, they are looking to prove a point: that Brady is deserving of all the accolades he has won in the past.

The same can be said for Newton. The locker-room loves him. Players on other teams don’t—NFL.com’s Jeff Darlington recently interviewed Roman Harper and the safety said when he wasn’t a Panther, he hated Newton—but once they (like Harper) get to know him, they buy in.

You only need to see how the team circled the wagons during the ridiculous flap about Newton’s end zone dance and his ripping down of a Packers fan’s banner in the Carolina end zone. They had his back on both occasions as they do every single Sunday on the field.

So who deserves this award?

It really comes down to taste in many ways. Brady has the statistical edge, save for Newton’s amazing run stats. Newton has overcome a lack of weapons Brady has, though the Patriots quarterback has had to adjust on the fly more frequently.

At this way-too-early point, Newton takes it. While Brady has a strong case, what Newton has had to overcome ever since his top target Kelvin Benjamin tore his knee up in the preseason is more impressive.