FedEx and the NFL announced the winners of the ninth annual FedEx Air and Ground NFL Players of the Year Awards at a press conference in Indianapolis, site of Super Bowl XLVI.
» Quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints was named the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year.
» Running back LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles was named the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year.
In honor of the winners' outstanding play, FedEx is donating a total of $50,000 to Junior Achievement Programs in Greater New Orleans and Delaware Valley -- $25,000 in each player's market -- designated for local area offices of Junior Achievement.
Throughout the season, FedEx supported Junior Achievement's entrepreneurship education efforts by making weekly donations of $4,000. The funding, allocated to local Junior Achievement area offices in the weekly winning players' city or state, will be used to educate the next generation of entrepreneurs on how to start and grow their own small businesses.
This season, fans voted for more than their favorite player. FedEx introduced a new program called the FedEx Small Business of the Week -- a program that rewarded small business owners with $5,000 and the chance to go to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. As fans visited NFL.com/FedEx to vote for their favorite quarterback and running back, they could also cast their vote for one of three small business nominees. FedEx awarded Bellerose, N.Y.-based Trattoria Lucia Restaurant as the FedEx Small Business of the Year, providing an all-inclusive trip to Super Bowl XLVI and a one-on-one meeting with former NFL quarterback-turned-businessman Ron Jaworski.
Outstanding Air and Ground performances
Brees set the NFL single-season record for most passing yards with 5,476, eclipsing Dan Marino's record of 5,084 yards set in 1984. Brees also set the NFL record for completion percentage (71.2) and most completions in a season (468). Brees, who was named to the NFC's 2012 Pro Bowl roster, led the NFL with 46 touchdowns passes and an average of 342 passing yards per game. His 110.6 passer rating ranked second in the NFL. Brees, who led the Saints to a 13-3 record in 2011, was nominated for FedEx Air Player of the Week honors seven times, winning the award three times. This is the fourth time Brees has been named FedEx Air Player of the Year.
McCoy ran for a league-high 17 touchdowns in 2011 and was named the NFC's starting running back in the 2012 Pro Bowl. His 1,309 rushing yards ranked fourth in the NFL. He averaged 4.8 yards per attempt, and led the NFL with 84 runs for a first down. His 17 rushing touchdowns (and 20 overall) broke Eagles' records that had stood since 1945. McCoy rushed for a season-high 185 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles' Week 8 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. He was nominated four times for FedEx Ground Player of the Week honors, winning twice.
Brees and McCoy were selected from a panel of three finalists in each of their respective Air and Ground categories. The other FedEx Air NFL Players of the Year finalists were quarterbacks Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, while the FedEx Ground NFL Players of the Year finalists included running backs Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens.
Former winners of the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year Award include:
» (2010) Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and Kansas City Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles
» (2009) New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees and Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson
» (2008) New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees and Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson
» (2007) Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre and Jacksonville Jaguars RB Fred Taylor
» (2006) New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees and San Diego Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson
» (2005) Bengals QB Carson Palmer and Seattle Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander
» (2004) Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning and New York Jets RB Curtis Martin
» (2003) Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning and Green Bay Packers RB Ahman Green
Making the right plays on the field takes talent, perseverance, focus and a whole lot of hard work. At FedEx, we know the same skills that make the FedEx Air & Ground nominees and winners successful on the football field are what delivers success in every field. That's why we're proud to recognize three small businesses each week that have what it takes and play to win. Just like the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week, each of these businesses delivers when the pressure is on. Take a minute to deliver your vote for the players and the business you think had the best plays this week.
FEDEX AIR -- QUARTERBACK NOMINEES
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Brady threw for 5,235 yards and 39 touchdowns in 2011 as he led the Patriots to a 13-3 record and the top seed in the AFC playoffs. His passing yardage total is the second highest in NFL history. Brady is the first quarterback in NFL history to amass three seasons with at least 36 touchdown passes. Brady's 8.57 yards per attempt average was second in the NFL in 2011, his 105.6 passer rating placed him third, and his completion percentage and touchdown passes both ranked fourth. His Week 1 and Week 2 performances marked the first time in NFL history that a quarterback passed for 400 yards in a game after throwing for 500 yards in his previous outing. The AFC starting quarterback in the 2012 Pro Bowl, Brady was nominated for FedEx Air Player of the Week four times, winning once.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Brees set the single-season record for most passing yards with 5,476, eclipsing Dan Marino's record of 5,084 yards set in 1984. Brees also set the NFL record for completion percentage (71.2) and most completions in a season (468). Brees, who was named to the NFC's 2012 Pro Bowl roster, led the NFL with 46 touchdowns passes and an average of 342 passing yards per game. His 110.6 passer rating ranked second in the NFL. Brees, who led the Saints to a 13-3 record in 2011, was nominated for FedEx Air Player of the Week honors seven times, winning the award three times. Brees has been named FedEx Air Player of the Year three times, most recently in 2009.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Rodgers completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 4,643 yards and 45 touchdowns. He set the NFL record for passer rating in a season, at 122.5, and is the first quarterback in NFL history to begin a season with 12 straight weeks with a passer rating of 110 or higher. Rodgers led the Packers to a 15-1 record in the regular season, the best mark in the league, and was named the NFC's starting quarterback for the 2012 Pro Bowl. His 9.25 yards per attempt were the highest in the NFL, and his passing touchdowns and completion percentage ranked second in the league. Rodgers was nominated eight times for FedEx Air Player of the Week honors, winning six times. Rodgers was named 2010 FedEx Air Player of the Year.
FEDEX GROUND -- RUNNING BACK NOMINEES
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jones-Drew ran for 1,606 yards on 343 attempts in the 2011 season. He led the league in rushing yards and attempts, and was the only back in the NFL to average over 100 yards on the ground per game. He also added eight touchdowns. Jones-Drew was consistent, as he had only one game in which he rushed for less than 80 yards, and he eclipsed the 100-yard mark six times, including a season-high 169 yards in Week 17. Jones-Drew was nominated for FedEx Ground Player of the Week honors twice in 2011. He was named to the AFC's 2012 Pro Bowl roster.
LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
McCoy ran for a league-high 17 touchdowns in 2011 and was named the NFC's starting running back in the 2012 Pro Bowl. His 1,309 rushing yards ranked fourth in the NFL. He averaged 4.8 yards per attempt and led the NFL with 84 runs for a first down. His 17 rushing touchdowns (and 20 overall) broke Eagles' records that had stood since 1945. McCoy rushed for a season-high 185 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles' Week 8 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. McCoy was nominated four times for FedEx Ground Player of the Week honors, winning twice.
Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
Rice ran for 1,364 yards and 12 touchdowns on a 4.7 yards per carry average in 2011. His rushing yards total was the second highest in the NFL, and his scores placed him in a tie for second among running backs. Rice eclipsed 200 rushing yards in the Ravens' Week 13 victory over the Cleveland Browns, and he nearly reached the 200-yard mark again in Week 17, as he tallied 191 yards on the ground to help the Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals and clinch a bye in the AFC playoffs. He was named the AFC's starting running back for the 2012 Pro Bowl for his efforts. Rice was nominated for FedEx Ground Player of the Week four times, winning twice.