DALLAS -- FedEx and the NFL announced Wednesday the winners of the eighth annual FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year awards at a press conference in North Texas, site of Super Bowl XLV.
» Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers was named the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year.
Rodgers, unable to attend Wednesday's press conference due to his preparation for Super Bowl XLV, prepared a video to accept the honor.
"I'm truly honored to accept this award from FedEx as the NFL Air player of the year," Rodgers said. "I want to thank FedEx for their generous donation to Green Bay to help improve our communities. I'd like to thank my teammates and coaches and, most importantly, the fans that voted for me."
Packers legend and winner of Super Bowl I MVP Bart Starr also accepted the award on Rodgers' behalf.
"Obviously I'm very biased, but I've had the pleasure of getting to know (Rodgers). He's a superb gentleman," Starr said. "Aaron is a stand up guy, in my opinion. I know he means business on the field, you can see it. You can sense it, feel it. I really enjoy watching him because of that."
» Running back Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs was named the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year.
"I'd like to thank the fans for voting for me and I'd like to thank FedEx," Charles said. "Without my teammates and offensive line I wouldn't be able to do this."
In honor of the winners' outstanding play, FedEx is donating $25,000 to the Safe Kids USA coalitions in Green Bay and Kansas City, the local organizations in each player's market.
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 & Ground NFL Player of the Year finalists:
FedEx Air -- Quarterbacks
FedEx Ground -- Running Backs
Brady finished the season completing 65.9 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,900 yards and 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 TD pass in all 16 games of a season. Brady was nominated for five FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week awards in 2010, winning once.
Charles rushed for 1,467 yards 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 in Week 1. He was nominated for four FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week awards in 2010, winning once.
Rivers led the NFL in passing with 4,710 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. 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. Twelve of those went for touchdowns, second-most in the league. And he set a career high with six 300-yard games. Rivers was nominated for three FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week awards in 2010.
Foster led the NFL in rushing with 1,616 yards 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 was nominated for three FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week awards in 2010, winning twice.
Rodgers finished in the top 10 in nearly every major passing category this season, posting a 101.2 passer rating (third-highest), passing for 3,922 yards (seventh-highest), throwing 28 touchdowns (tied for sixth), posting a 65.7 completion percentage (sixth), and throwing 40 25-yard passes (second). Rodgers' 3,922 passing yards this season brought his total in three seasons as a starter to 12,394, ranking second in NFL history behind only Kurt Warner (12,612, 1999-2001)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 and 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. Rodgers was nominated for three FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week awards in 2010, winning twice.
Michael Turner,
Atlanta Falcons
Turner led the NFC in rushing with 1,371 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed 334 times, the most in the NFL in 2010. Turner played in all 16 games, starting 15 of them, helping the Falcons win the NFC South and lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the Playoffs. In Week 14, he had 28 carries for 112 yards and three touchdowns in the 31-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. Turner was nominated for four FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week awards in 2010.
