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FOXBORO - You can run down the list of MVP winners since 2001 and see that none of them won the Super Bowl in the years they were selected, and what does that tell you?

To this year's MVP, Tom Brady, it's a reminder that nothing is assured in the National Football League.

"There's anxiety before every game," the Patriots' quarterback said Monday at Gillette Stadium. "You're nervous, you're anxious, and you're playing against the best opponents in the league, and you just don't know what the outcomes are going to be. You really don't."

The worry among those whose job it is to look for potential pitfalls is that there might be another "Tom Brady" out there - like the one who knocked off MVP Kurt Warner in 2001, or co-MVPs Peyton Manning and Steve McNair in 2003, or MVP LaDainian Tomlinson last year - just laying in wait to add the original Brady to the list of most disappointed most valuable players.

Yet as he begins preparation for the visit of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday (8 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12), Brady said that part of the thrill of the quest is turning back the challenges of those who would be kings. "Part of what has made this season so fun and so successful is that we've gone into each week and there's never a guarantee," he said. "You see great teams all over the league losing, and 'how did that happen?' Fortunately, that didn't happen for us this year during the regular season and I sure as hell hope it doesn't happen the next month."

Brady made it clear that there are no assumptions of victory in Foxboro this week. The Jaguars pose unique challenges on their own merits, and will probably benefit further from the league-wide desire to put an end to the Patriots' latter-day version of Sherman's March to the Sea before it reaches its figurative Savannah in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 3.

"It's a thrill for those teams," Brady said, "and I know we're excited for the challenge, too, to see what we've learned through the course of the season and hopefully, to go out there and use it to our advantage, and try to play better than we have at points in the last eight weeks."

Brady offered the requisite respect to Jacksonville.

"They're a very good team," he said. "The teams in this position are the best teams in the league, there's no doubt about it. (The Jaguars) match up well against everybody because they're big and physical, but they have speed. They play their scheme very well and they're very smart.

"They're very tough physically and mentally," Brady added. "I think they're coached extremely well, their scheme is a very disciplined scheme and I think they have players that fit that scheme. They have a big, physical defensive line with powerful linebackers and cornerbacks and safeties that all make plays and can all hit."

Brady expressed respect for how the Jaguars went to Pittsburgh twice in the past month and won in bad weather. He was particularly impressed with how they maintained their composure in Saturday night's wild-card game and were able to pull out a victory on their last possession after falling behind by a point.

He said the Patriots aren't unfamiliar with challenges, having endured similar tests against Baltimore, Philadelphia and the Giants.

"We've been tested on the road, we've been tested at home, we've been tested in poor weather we've had to overcome deficits late in the games and we've had to put together critical drives in those games," he said. "Hopefully we've learned from those, and hopefully we can deal with some of the pressure. We know there's going to be quite a bit of pressure on us this weekend, there's pressure every week."

The big difference? Brady said he will go to sleep the night before his playoff game knowing that a poor performance the next day could mean a premature start to his vacation. "That could be it," he said. "That's not a very good feeling, and we've experienced that the last few years. Those are games you remember that sit with you for a long time. Hopefully we're ready to persevere."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com