The plaudits and accolades are predictably rolling in for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (#9 FCAR) in the wake of his third Super Bowl MVP award. Brady joined Joe Montana (#5 FEIR) as the only three-time Super Bowl MVP winners. It is quite predictable, however, that Brady would be voted MVP with his team coming out on top. In fact, in the 49 Super Bowls that have been played, the quarterback of the winning team has received the award 27 times! The QB is essentially the default pick unless another player turns in a remarkable performance, usually on the offensive side of the ball. For instance, only eight times has the award been given to a defensive player.

With that backdrop, we consider who was the real MVP of Super Bowl XLIX. As the Providence Journal’s Tim Britton wrote, From their first play from scrimmage, the Patriots had a clear plan against the (banged up) Seattle secondary. Dink and dunk the Patriots decided they were going to throw short passes underneath and in the flat. As a result, Tom Brady hardly looked down the field; 44 of his 50 pass attempts were shorter than 10 yards downfield in the air. In other words, the New England game plan was carefully scripted and unwaveringly executed.

Who was the architect of this winning scheme? Well, it was the same general directing its execution from the sidelines. Of course, it was the field marshal extraordinaire, #15 FCIL Bill Belichick not only the best NFL coach of his area but likely of all time . BTInsiders will remember that we highlighted the innate NFL coaching and leadership superiority of the #15 C.E.O. back in this 2011 story on the Harbaugh brothers. Leave it to this supreme leader and strategist to stick with the game plan even as Brady struggled at times, throwing a pair of critical interceptions, causing the Patriots to fall behind 24-14. As wide receiver Julian Edelman explained in the same Providence Journal article, Our coaches put a lot of time and effort into this. Whatever they put out there, you’re always pretty confident.

On the other sideline, of course, we have Belichick’s counterpart, #13 FCIR Pete Carroll, known as an upbeat motivator versus Belichick’s sober-minded intimidator. Perhaps taking positive thinking a tad too far, Coach Carroll was predictably second-guessed after he elected the fateful game-losing slant pass when the entire stadium not to mention worldwide viewing audience was expecting Beast Mode for the final yard of the apparent game-winning touchdown drive. We are not going to jump on the second-guessing bandwagon here, but, as usual, we can provide some insight that might help to explain what seems to be a somewhat puzzling call. The Right-brained #13s are also supreme strategists, just as their #15 counterparts, though much more apt to shift gears on a whim, as their adaptable Right brain might feel compelled in the moment. On top of that, as dominant Conceptuals, FCIRs are extremely creative, constantly envisioning new ways of doing things, including new, and improved strategies (sometimes even if cooked up in the moment especially under pressure). More than any other Type, #13 FCIRs take pride in moving to the beat of a different drummer. While the rationale Carroll provided for his decision (for which he admirably took full responsibility) was not all that unreasonable, it is possible that he simply out-thought himself, getting just a little too creative, rather than sticking with the tried and true formula of riding Marshawn Beast Mode Lynch to victory.

Getting back to Brady, we highlighted Belichick’s marvelous handling of him back in this 2014 story detailing how the ignorance (and bias) of the fawning East Coast media completely misses the boat on the majority of the Tom Terrific  analysis. As the dust settles following another Belichick-led Patriots Super Bowl title, the most appropriate award for Tom Brady might be MVS Most Valuable Soldier, for the effective manner in which he carried out the conservative, methodical, and safe orders of the Real MVP, his leader, Bill Belichick.

Written by: Staff

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