Brett Favre: 2009/2010 NFL MVP

Speculation and controversy shrouded the entirety of the 2008 off-season. Would Brett stage yet another comeback in the NFL ? Smack dab in the middle of the 2009 pre-season, our questions were answered. Would Favre's role be reduced to a game manager-type quarterback? Would his performances decline towards the end of the season? After 17 weeks, he has defied the criticism and speculation...he has exceeded all expectations.

In his first season with a new organization, Brett Favre stunned the NFL. With a career high 107.2 passer rating, 33 touchdowns, and a mere 7 interceptions, Favre has been the leagues most effective Quarterback. Completely reinventing Minnesota 's passing game, they finished the season tied for 1st in touchdowns, and 8th in passing yards. At this time last year, they were poor at best, ranked 25th in both departments.

What we witnessed was a complete adaptation of an Offense. Going into 2009, we were under the impression that Minnesota would ride to victory on the back of the workhorse Peterson, while Favre would play it safe by "managing" the game. This was the plan, until one Sunday, against the San Francisco 49ers . The weight was lifted off Peterson's back and onto the shoulders of Brett Favre. He took that weight, marched 80 yards down field, no time outs, and rocketed it 40 yards into the end zone for a last second touchdown. Favre was back better than he had ever been before.

Looking back at the top QB performances of the 2009 season, the player with the most individual impact was Brett Favre. While Drew Brees and Payton Manning both had fantastic seasons, they have done nothing monumentally different when compared to what they did last year.

With Brees in his 4th year with the Saints , and Manning in his 12th with the Colts , both have had the opportunity to gel with their offenses over multiple seasons. Not to mention, both had superior offensive lines when compared to Favre's 18th ranked line (Brees' O-line 4th, Manning's 1st) this season. Incredibly though, being under a greater amount of pressure, Favre made less mistakes (7 interceptions) than the two (Brees 11, Manning 16). It is also important to note; Peyton Manning was picked off more times than he was sacked.

The next NFL MVP candidate made his impact on the ground rather than through the air. Titans ' running back Chris Johnson had a record-breaking year, but his exploits could not help his team into the playoffs. The question is how big of impact has Johnson made to the Titans' running game to years prior? The answer: a little but not much, not enough. The Tennessee Titans were ranked 5th in rushing the two consecutive years prior to Johnson’s arrival (2006 and 2007), making the playoffs in '07. This year, Johnson "helped" bump them up to a No. 2 ranked rushing game. Given the fact that the Titans have been a strong rushing team for four years running, Johnson's impact on the team seems less impressive than at first glance. Not enough to warrant an NFL MVP.

After going trough the four major candidates, there is a clear winner. Brett Favre.