The AP NFL MVP award is given to the league’s best player every year, and has been since 1957. Running backs have won the award 18 times, while quarterbacks have walked away with MVP honors 41 times. Only one defensive player has won the award, Alan Page in 1971. A kicker, Mark Moseley, actually won the NFL MVP award in 1982. It’s hard to fathom, that in 59 years, not one wide receiver has won the NFL MVP award. Jerry Rice deserved to win the award in 1995. Randy Moss had MVP type seasons in 2003 and 2009. Somehow neither one was able to capture an award slanted heavily towards quarterbacks and running backs. That should change, because the most deserving recipient of the 2017 NFL MVP award is wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Antonio Brown Is The Rightful Choice For 2017 NFL MVP
Brown’s NFL career is a result of a tremendous work ethic that maximizes his incredible talent. He desires to be the best who ever played the position. Brown delivered the first time he stepped on an NFL field as a rookie, returning a kickoff for a touchdown. The biggest reception of his rookie season propelled the Steelers to the AFC Championship game. Brown’s 58 yard helmet catch on third and 19, with 2:08 left in the fourth quarter, launched him to greatness. In 2011, Brown became the first player in NFL history to record 1,000 yards receiving and 1,000 total return yards. Following the 2012 season, Brown took his game a level beyond every other receiver, with the help of Ben Roethlisberger.
Antonio Brown’s Historic Five Year Run
Since 2013, Brown has amassed 580 receptions for 7,824 yards, the best five year period in NFL history. That’s an average of 116 receptions and 1,564 yards per season, and he still has three games left in 2017. Brown’s five year totals could conceivably reach 600 receptions and 8,000 yards.
That would give Brown 11 more receptions than Hall of Fame wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff had during his 13 year career. The yardage total alone would rank 95th all-time. As it stands now, Brown ranks 48th all-time for receiving yards. Brown’s historic run proves that not only is he the best receiver in the game, but also the most consistent.
The Many Accomplishments of Antonio Brown
Since coming into the NFL in 2010, Brown has wasted no time racking up a distinguished list of accomplishments. Brown’s 526 receptions in his first six seasons are more than anyone else in history. He is the first receiver in NFL history to have two 15 reception games in the same season. Brown became the first receiver in NFL history to record 125 receptions in consecutive years, during the 2014-15 seasons. He’s the first player in history to amass 1,700 total yards from scrimmage in back to back seasons.
Brown became the first player in NFL history with four games of at least 180 yards receiving in a single season. His other NFL records include 14 straight games with at least seven receptions. A streak of 35 straight games with at least five receptions and 50 yards, and 21 straight games with at least five receptions and 70 yards. If there was an NFL MVP award covering the last five years, Brown would be the most deserving of it. He has meant more to his team than anyone over that period of time. Brown deserves the 2017 NFL MVP award as well.
Antonio Brown For NFL MVP 2017
Brown is the epitome of valuable to the Steelers. Nobody makes more big plays in big moments for the Steelers than Brown, including Roethlisberger and Le’Veon Bell. The Killer B’s have all had huge games this season, but it’s Brown they go to for the big plays. Brown is the player who has come through for the Steelers more than anyone this season. The Steelers would likely be 6-7 without Brown.
Brown’s 32 yard reception on the final drive set up the game winning field goal against the Indianapolis Colts. His second of three touchdown catches put the Tennessee Titans away for good. Brown had two touchdowns and 169 yards versus the Green Bay Packers in week 12. It was his 10th catch that stood out the most. Brown’s spectacular toe tapping sideline catch, on the final drive, set up the game winning field goal.
His late game heroics helped the Steelers squeeze by the Cincinnati Bengals in a game he was listed as questionable. The Steelers needed every one of his 213 receiving yards to beat the Baltimore Ravens. MVP stands for Most Valuable Player, and no one is more valuable to their team than Brown is to the Steelers. Brown has been worth at least five wins to the Steelers this season. They are 11-2 with Brown, and the top seed in the AFC. The Steelers are 6-7 and out of contention without him.
Last Word on Antonio Brown
The winner of the 2017 NFL MVP award will be announced within a month, and should belong to Brown. Brown has set many NFL records during his career, and established many NFL firsts for receptions and yards. He will establish another NFL first with his next reception. Brown will become the first player in history to record at least 100 receptions in five consecutive seasons. His value to the Steelers is undeniable. He succeeds despite being double and triple covered, and always impacts the game, with or without the ball. This should lead to him establishing another first. Brown deserves to become the first receiver to win 2017 NFL MVP honors in the 59 year history of The award.
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