In online voting, NFL fans selected Brees as the winner of the award for the second time in the last three seasons, this time over Indianapolis' Peyton Manning and Arizona's Kurt Warner. More than one million fans voted.

The award was presented to Brees during a news conference at the Tampa Convention Center during Super Bowl XLIII festivities. At the same time, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was named the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year.

As part of the award, FedEx will donate $25,000 each to the Safe Kids USA chapter in New Orleans in Brees' name. Safe Kids is a national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury among children.

"This award is a testament to my team and my teammates," said Brees, who threw for 5,069 yards and 34 touchdowns -- both club records -- this season. "Everybody had a hand in it, and it's a team award for what we were able to accomplish this season."

With Brees under center, the Saints also led the league in total yards (6,571) and points scored (463) -- both club records.

--Saints middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma was scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 6 in Miami on criminal charges of resisting arrest stemming from a traffic incident last month.

Vilma, who just completed his first season with the Saints, was arrested on Jan. 16 for reckless driving, which is a traffic violation, and two counts of resisting arrest at about 3 p.m. He was held at the Miami-Dade County Jail before being released on $6,500 bond.

Vilma was stopped after allegedly weaving in and out of traffic while driving through the streets of Miami. He then refused to get out of his vehicle and, according to a police report, was belligerent with officers.

Mitch Frankel, Vilma's agent, said no drugs or alcohol were involved and that his client plans to contest the charges.

--Saints running back Deuce McAllister has been voted the winner of the 2008 Jim Finks Good Guy Award by the New Orleans chapter of the Professional Football Writers of America.

McAllister, an eight-year veteran, has been one of the most accessible players for reporters since joining the Saints as their first-round draft pick in 2001 -- providing thoughtful answers to questions on top of his accessibility.

His cooperation with the media doesn't end at the conclusion of a season as he routinely returns calls made to him during the offseason as well.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I have the luxury of playing for one of the best coaches in the NFL and certainly one of the best offensive coordinators. Every week, he instills the confidence in us to go out and get 500 total yards and score 30 points." -- Saints QB Drew Brees, on coach Sean Payton in accepting the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year award.