Quarterbacks TOM BRADY of the New England Patriots, PHILIP RIVERS of the San Diego Chargers and AARON RODGERS of the Green Bay Packers are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year honors, while running backs JAMAAL CHARLES of the Kansas City Chiefs, ARIAN FOSTER of the Houston Texans and MICHAEL TURNER of the Atlanta Falcons are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year, the NFL announced today.
Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx until Friday, January 28 at 9 pm ET to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year.
The FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year will be announced on Wednesday, February 2 at a press conference during the week of Super Bowl XLV in North Texas.
Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. FedEx will make a $25,000 donation in each winning player’s name to their local Safe Kids coalition during the week leading up to Super Bowl XLV. As part of the program during the season, FedEx supported local Safe Kids coalitions by making weekly $2,000 donations in each of the winning players’ names to their communities. The funding was used for pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year, from upgraded crosswalks and safety signs to traffic barriers and educational training for children.
A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year finalists:
•New England’s TOM BRADY completed 65.9 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,900 yards and an NFL-best 36 touchdowns. Brady threw only four interceptions in his 492 passes (0.81 percent), marking the third-best interception percentage in NFL history. He owns an active streak of 335 consecutive passes without an interception, the longest streak in NFL history, and passed for at least two touchdowns with no interceptions in the last nine games, the longest streak in league annals. In addition, he became only the seventh player to throw a touchdown pass in all 16 games of a season. He finished the season with a league-high 111.0 passer rating.
•San Diego’s PHILIP RIVERS led the NFL with for 4,710 passing yards, the 10th most in a single season. With 2,649 passing yards through Week 8, Rivers set an NFL record for the most passing yards through a quarterback’s first eight games of a season. In addition, his 1,562 passing yards during October set an NFL record for the most passing yards in the month. Rivers completed an NFL-leading 66 passes of at least 20 yards, with 12 of those going for touchdowns (second-most in the league). Rivers also set a career high with six 300-yard games and finished the year with a 101.8 passer rating (second-highest in the NFL).
•Green Bay’s AARON RODGERS finished in the top 10 in nearly every major passing category this season, with 3,922 passing yards (seventh), 28 touchdowns (tied for sixth), a 65.7 completion percentage (sixth), 40 25-yard passes (second) and a 101.2 passer rating (third). Rodgers’ 3,922 passing yards this season brought his total in three seasons as a starter to 12,394, ranking second in NFL history for the most passing yards by a quarterback in his first three seasons as a starter. Rodgers posted a passer rating of at least 110.0 during Week 9 & Weeks 11 – 13 making him him the only quarterback since 1970 to post a passer rating of at least 110.0 in four consecutive games in back-to-back seasons.
A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year finalists:
•Kansas City’s JAMAAL CHARLES rushed for 1,467 yards (second-most in the league) and averaged 6.38 yards per carry (230 carries), helping the Kansas City Chiefs win the AFC West title and reach the playoffs. Charles joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown (291 attempts, 1,863 yards, 6.40 yards per carry in 1963) as the only players in NFL history to have at least 1,400 rushing yards and average more than 6.30 yards per carry in a single season. Charles played in all 16 games and had five rushing touchdowns, including a 56-yard touchdown to kick off the Chiefs’ season in Week 1.
•Houston’s ARIAN FOSTER led the NFL with 1,616 rushing yards, the highest rushing total by an undrafted player in NFL history, and 16 rushing touchdowns. During Week 1, Foster scored three touchdowns and rushed for a team-record 231 yards, a total that marks the second-best Kickoff Weekend rushing performance since 1933. He became the first player in NFL history to rush for at least 200 yards and three touchdowns on Kickoff Weekend. Foster registered eight 100-yard rushing games in 2010, tied for the most in the NFL this season, and had five games with multiple rushing touchdowns.
•Atlanta’s MICHAEL TURNER led the NFC with 1,371 rushing yards (third-most in the league) and added 12 touchdowns on 334 carries (most in the NFL). Turner played in all 16 games, starting 15 of them, helping the Falcons win the NFC South and lock up the number one seed in the NFC for the playoffs. In Week 14, he had 28 carries for 112 yards and three touchdowns in the Falcons’ 31-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. Turner registered seven 100-yard rushing games in 2010 and had three games with multiple rushing touchdowns.
As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx understands the need for a winning game plan, and created the Air & Ground program to highlight superior on-field performance among the league’s top-performing quarterbacks and running backs. Because FedEx has thousands of delivery trucks out on the roads each day, the company is committed to funding pedestrian safety improvements in local communities, donating more than $14 million to Safe Kids Worldwide since 2000. Follow FedEx on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @FedExDelivers.
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