Aaron Rodgers for MVP? Why the Packers Quarterback Is a Lock for the Award

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

This article was created with the helpful insight and masterful advice of Mr. Leroy Watson. I would like to personally thank Leroy for his help with this project, as it could not have turned out quite the way it did without him; thank you, my friend!

Want a prediction you can both chew and choke on? How about Aaron Rodgers WILL be the MVP at the end of this NFL season?

Write it down!

The 2009-10 season opens up for the Packers and Rodgers with plenty of upside, and with expectations for the impossible to be achieved; being crowned MVP is one of those impossible possibilities for Rodgers.

We live in a day and age where quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have basically cornered the MVP market since 2003, but the winds of change are upon us.

With Brady surely making a bid for Comeback Player of the Year, and Manning not having the type of offensive weapons he has been used to in recent years, the door is wide open for some new blood.

Rodgers led a team last year that had all the right pieces to be a playoff team, despite a collapse late in the season. He threw for 4,038 yards and 28 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions. For those scoring at home, that’s one more touchdown and interception than last year’s MVP: Manning.

But Rodgers didn’t have a 12-4 team to go along with his personal success.

Just one year ago, Rodgers navigated through the whole Favre fiasco at the start of training camp, proved to the critics throughout the year he was more than a legitimate leader in the pocket, and orchestrated one helluva “rookie” campaign for a guy who had some big shoes to fill. 

So, with the proven veteran-ship of Manning and Brady and the fact that Rodgers is only in his second year as a starter, how could he possibly be crowned with such a huge award, you ask?

Well, for starters, if we take a look at the “criteria” for MVP (good luck trying to find the actual voting standards), there are basically five key things one must accomplish.

1. Good Recognition and Market Exposure

As the guy who took over for Brett Favre—in of all places Green Bay—there isn’t much better market exposure than that, right?

Oh wait, how about Rodgers and Favre going at it as division rivals two times this year, is that better?

In addition, all season long, MVP voters surely will be asking themselves questions like: Can Rodgers do it again? Will he top last year’s performance? How will he deal with Favre and the Vikings from a division standpoint?

This will have direct effects on his recognition.

Add in an offense that’s primed to be in the top three elite—with more weapons than a major military force—and, well, everything sort of speaks for itself. Rodgers will be talked about.

2. High Statistical Numbers

Last year’s offensive numbers were just sick, and Rodgers led the way with fewer options on the ground and in the air than he has coming into this year. Barring any unforeseen injuries that could sideline him, it’s pretty hard to say he WON’T top last year’s stats.

Rodgers has finally come into his own; he has proven he can see the field just as well as any other QB in the league, and he has shown he can work through adversity and personal mistakes. He allows the game to come to him, and is technically sound, all the tools for great numbers.

3. A Winning Team

This piece of the puzzle eluded Rodgers last year, especially down the stretch, but it wasn’t due to bad players on either side of the ball. Rather, an inferior defensive system, and piss-poor conditioning on the defense all-around, not to mention some key injuries all conspired against the Pack.

This year’s new defensive alignment—the work of mastermind Dom Capers—has already begun to show its effectiveness with Desmond Bishop and Anthony Smith as the current NFL preseason leaders on defense.

Linebacker Desmond Bishop has a total of 18 tackles, 16 of them solo, a sack, and two interceptions, while safety Anthony Smith has 10 tackles, all of them solo, with two interceptions and a sack of his own.

The system is working and individual play is getting better which WILL make Green Bay vastly better on defense than last year. That will mean more wins and a playoff berth.

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