Exactly no one should be surprised by the news that Tom Brady, the protagonist of New England's record-setting 16-0 season, won the AP's Offensive Player of the Year award. Green Bay's resurgent Brett Favre and two other Patriots, Randy Moss and Wes Welker, were the only others to receive nods, but Brady had 71% of the vote.
Brady's 50 touchdown passes set a new league record; his 4806 yards and pristine 117.2 passer rating also led the league by gaudy margins. Also the NFL MVP, he steadfastly downplayed his achievement: "Individual awards haven't been as important to me as the team goals, and I've said that for a long time." (More NFL stories.)