Countdown to the Super Bowl: The Last 10 Super Bowl MVPs

With the 2012 Super Bowl nearing, it seems like a good time to refresh our memories and take a look back at the Super Bowl MVPs of the last ten years. Tom Brady is the only player to win multiple Most Valuable Player trophies during that period while quarterbacks collectively have accounted for half of all the winners. With this year's rematch of the Giants and Patriots being one of the most hyped in recent years, the award is anyone's for the taking.

And now, an overview of the games and stars of years gone by:

Team: New England Patriots

Position: Quarterback

Tied at 17 with only 1:30 left in the fourth quarter and no timeouts, Tom Brady marched his team down the field with five completions. It would set up a 48-yard field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri to beat the St. Louis Rams in one of the most historic upsets in Super Bowl history.

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Position: Safety

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers intercepted five of Rich Gannon's passes in a 48-21 rout of the Oakland Raiders. Two of those passes were intercepted by defensive back Dexter Jackson who was named the game's MVP.

Team: New England Patriots

Position: Quarterback

While Tom Brady did not put up gaudy numbers in his first MVP performance, he did in his second. Brady completed a record 32 passes in 48 attempts for 354 yards and 3 touchdowns. Once again, the Patriots received the ball in a tie game with just over a minute to go, and Brady completed a number of clutch passes to lead them down the field and set up a 41-yard Vinatieri field goal for a win over the Carolina Panthers.

In 2005, the Patriots won their third Lombardi trophy in four years with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Although the Pats did not have to kick a field goal for the clincher, it was a three-point victory nonetheless. Leading the Patriots and winning Most Valuable Player honors was Deion Branch who caught 11 passes for 133 yards.

Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Position: Wide Receiver

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 21-10 and became the first #6 seed to win a Super Bowl. Hines Ward caught five passes for 123 yards, one of them a touchdown on a trick-play from receiver Antwaan Randle El, to garner MVP honors.

Team: Indianapolis Colts

Position: Quarterback

In his first Super Bowl, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time completed 25 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown in a very soggy Dolphin Stadium. Manning and the Colts defeated the Bears by a score of 29-17.

Team: New York Giants

Position: Quarterback

In maybe the greatest Super Bowl of all-time, Eli Manning passed for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, his stats are not what most of us remember. It was his whirling and twirling and finally breaking free of the grab that two New England players held on his jersey in order to complete an astonishing catch by David Tyree that everyone has engrained into their memories. He later completed a fade to Plaxico Burress in the corner of the end-zone to take a 17-14 over the previously undefeated Patriots with 35 seconds left.

Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Position: Wide Receiver

Santonio Holmes could not be stopped on the game-winning drive in this exciting 2009 match-up. He caught four passes for 73 yards on the drive, including a toe-tapping, fingertip snare in the corner of the end-zone with 35 seconds remaining. The grab gave the Steelers a 27-24 lead over the Kurt Warner-led Arizona Cardinals.

Team: New Orleans Saints

Position: Quarterback

Drew Brees tied Tom Brady's record of 32 completions and also had 288 yards and two touchdowns to lead New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl. It was a gutsy onside kick to start the second half that put the Saints in good field position and gave them a 13-10 lead on a Brees touchdown pass. The teams would swap leads twice more before the Saints would eventually defeat the Colts 31-17.

Team: Green Bay Packers

Position: Quarterback

Rodgers passed for 304 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers led the whole way. Key completions in the fourth quarter staved off a Steelers comeback and Rodgers helped Green Bay to win their fourth Super Bowl while collecting Most Valuable Player honors.

There you have it, the last ten Super Bowl MVPs. Hopefully this served as a good refresher and put you in the mood for another great national event. If you have any questions or comments, please post them below.