NFL MVP 2011: Tom Brady and Tim Tebow Are Only Candidates that Make Sense

Calvin Johnson is the best football player on the planet. His physical gifts are above and beyond every other player in the NFL. Yet, even he hasn't been as valuable to his team as Tom Brady is to New England, and yes, Tim Tebow is to the Denver Broncos.

Drew Brees' record breaking season was remarkable. To pass for 5,476 yards in a season is most notable. Could just anyone run the Saints' offense? No. Yet, the Saints have a underrated running game, that has remarkable depth at running back. As great as this season has been for the Saints and Brees, he still comes in behind Tebow and Brady.

Aaron Rodgers' year was nearly as spectacular as Brees' but his accomplishments seem a little less bright after Matt Flynn comes in and throws for 480 yards and six TDs in the season finale. Am I calling Aaron Rodgers a system QB? No, that would be silly, but it proves, even without him, the Packers offense is explosive and formidable.

The pure and simple definition of most valuable player is one's value to his team. In Rodgers' case, we have a precedence to go by, albeit a one game example.

Brees' situation brings about the toughest argument. Beyond his statistics, it is clear, he is very valuable to his team. However, the best test for judging a player's value to his franchise is to simply imagine if he were injured or not there.

Would the Saints be hindered without him? Absolutely, but I contend, not to the extent the Patriots or Broncos would be without their signal-caller. I believe the Saints would be .500 or slightly better with Chase Daniel at QB.

They have a great system, a proven running game and their defense plays better than average (12th overall) against the run. Brees makes them a Super Bowl contender, but the Saints would still be a decent team.

The Patriots roster is not a playoff team without Brady. The defense is 31st in the league, the running game is 20th. The Patriots are who they are because of Tom Brady. Do you think they would be in the postseason with Brian Hoyer at QB? No way. They would be talking about Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III without Brady, and they would have a shot at them, based on their futility.

Tim Tebow is a tough sell, his impact is most intangible, but yet it's the easiest to see. The Broncos win when he plays and they weren't when he wasn't. It's just that simple.

With Tebow, the stats don't matter. His scenario offers the greatest frame of reference of anyone this season. The Broncos were 1-5 without Tebow starting, they are 8-4 with him, counting the playoff win over the Steelers.

To pretend his presence has nothing to do with that drastic contrast in success is simply ridiculous. To quote Herman Edwards "you play to win the game", what player has had more effect on the most basic principle of the game? Tebow is a legit MVP candidate.

That said, my choice would be Brady. Why? He walks the line of intangible value with statistical excellence. He has an answer for Brees' record setting season. Brady threw for a ridiculous 5,235 yards himself with 39 TD and he led his team to the same record Brees led the Saints to. And he did it with less.

Brees is the perfect case for a Most Outstanding Player award, of which he'd get competition from Megatron on that front, but in terms of value, no one has more than Tebow and Brady.

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