His year an award winner?

Some tend to think it's the league's most prolific quarterback or running back, granted he plays for a moderately successful team (43 of the 48 NFL MVPs' specialties have been either carrying or throwing the football). But that sounds more like an offensive player of the year. Others like the best player from the best team. But the best team in the NFL likely would still be pretty decent without its best player.

Which brings us to the real meaning of MVP: player without whom a successful team would not be nearly as successful.

The Patriots have won the past four games without Troy Brown. They even won the game Deion Branch missed. And the one Kevin Faulk missed. They've won without Ted Johnson. Ty Law. Willie McGinest. Richard Seymour. Mike Vrabel. Ted Washington. Damien Woody.

Try to imagine where they'd be without Tom Brady. Likely not on top of the league.

"I couldn't even imagine, I'm just so used to Tom being in there," Woody said. "I just couldn't picture it. He's the offense. It starts and ends with him. I tell him all the time, `Guys are going to follow you. We're going to ride to the end with you. You get it started, and we'll follow your lead.' He really sets the tone."

No doubt we've set some of you off by suggesting Brady is the league's MVP. Are you insane? He's not even the MVP of his own team! You've got a solid point there; the 11-2 record New England takes into Sunday's game against Jacksonville is nothing if not a group effort. And true, Brady doesn't lead the league or even the AFC in any major passing category. He merely leads his team to victory. After victory. After victory. After victory. After victory. After victory. After victory. After victory. After victory. After victory. After victory.

Best record in football and a league-best 7-0 against teams with winning records. Quality credentials by any definition. "All the guy does is win. Isn't that all that matters in the NFL?" Woody said. "Not knocking Peyton [Manning] or Steve [McNair] or [Donovan] McNabb or any of those other QBs, but have they done the things that Brady has?"

This year he's had to do it by any means necessary. He's thrown for 350 yards (twice) and been under 200 in three victories. He's beaten Miami on the road with an overtime touchdown pass and rallied his team to beat Denver and Houston in their houses. Brady has managed to be productive -- 259 completions in 436 pass attempts (59.4 percent) for 3,050 yards and 15 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions, numbers hurt by dropped passes -- without, to put it kindly, a consistent running game. The Patriots' feature back changes from week to week depending upon the game plan and flow of the game. Brady's attempted the second most passes in the conference and the fifth most in the league. Three weeks ago he took Dedric Ward and J.J. Stokes, signed just days earlier, to battle in Houston. And won.

His backup, Damon Huard, has won games, and the Patriots will tell you they have supreme confidence in the veteran -- and in Rohan Davey. But it's hard to imagine New England's offense clicking when the clock is ticking without Brady.

"He's just a winner," tight end Christian Fauria said. "He knows how to win, and that's definitely something special."

New England's defense has been special this season, while Brady ranks 14th in the league with an 80.7 passer rating. You wouldn't call that campaign material. Plus, Brady is the poster child for the quarterback as game manager. You know. He's not winning games and he's not losing them, either. "The perception is they're winning games with defense as opposed to offense," said one NFC executive. "It's a lot like when Phil Simms was quarterbacking the Giants."

Brady probably isn't the 2003 NFL MVP. But few, if any, players are more valuable to their teams. Simms and Brady have something in common. Neither has been the league's MVP, but both have a Super Bowl MVP trophy at home.

"I'd take that Super Bowl MVP trophy any day of the week," Brady said. "I'd put it before any individual award.

"I don't ever put a second of thought into something like that [league MVP]. It takes away from everything I'm trying to accomplish. The most important thing is if you win or lose. That's all the fans care about. That's all the owner cares about. That's all I care about."

All he ever cared about? "I don't think I ever thought about that," he said. "I always wanted to be the best, though. But even growing up and playing on all-star teams, I was never concerned about that. I just always wanted to be on the winning team."