Ranking the 10 Most Likely Super Bowl 2013 MVP Candidates

The 2011 NFL season came to an official conclusion last night when the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. In the process Eli Manning cemented his status as not only an elite quarterback, but one of the best big-game performers in recent NFL history.

What was probably one of the most memorable playoffs in NFL history came to a stunning climax in Indianapolis last night. As fans and students of the game, we couldn't have drawn it up any better.

Now it is time to look forward to the offseason and start planning for the 2012 NFL season. This is a game that most of us live and die by, sometimes vicariously through the athletes that represent our teams. What they do on Sundays is nothing short of amazing and represents some of the greatest athletes in the world.

This article is going to focus on ten top candidates to win the award that Eli Manning captured last night, the Super Bowl MVP. In doing so, I will take into account the possible success of each team, only including players from franchises that I consider the best in the league.

So, lets take a look.

Honorable Mention

Terrell Suggs, LB, Baltimore Ravens

If the Ravens make it to the Super Bowl in 2012, it will be because their defense carried the team. No matter the talent that this team has on the offensive side of the ball, they are always going to be defense orientated.

Terrell Suggs is currently their best player, so it goes without saying that he would be on this list.

Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants

The leading receiver on the 2012 NFL Champion New York Giants, there is no way that I could have omitted Victor Cruz from this list.

The NFC is going to be ultra-competitive next season, so its going to be hard for this team to repeat.

LeSean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Make no mistake about it, the Eagles are going to be a contender next season. Give them another season together with this talented team and you are looking at a unit that will surprise a lot of people.

Their best player is LeSean McCoy, who can kill you in both the pass and run game.

Jimmy Graham, TE, New Orleans Saints

One could conclude that if the New Orleans Saints do win their second Super Bowl in four seasons that Drew Brees would be the MVP. Of course, that would be the most likely scenario.

With that said, Jimmy Graham has proven to be unstoppable in the passing game, which could indicate a huge performance.

Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers

You will see a couple 49ers on this list, but they are on the defensive side of the ball. With the performances that Vernon Davis put up in the postseason, there is no doubt that he has proven to be a big-game performer.

10. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

It is hard to imagine another player in the NFL that is more integral to the success of his team than Ben Roethlisberger. He literally carries the Pittsburgh Steelers on his back throughout a season. He also plays through injuries that force a vast majority of players in the league to miss substantial time.

The Pittsburgh Steelers might be on their last legs of this great run, but as long as Big Ben is the quarterback, they are going to be contenders in the AFC.

You also have to take into account the progression of both Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown, who combined for over 2,300 yards receiving in 2011. Roethlisberger now has the best one-two punch at wide receiver that he has ever had in Pittsburgh.

9. Justin Smith, DL, San Francisco 49ers

I will make it known that I believe Justin Smith deserved Defensive Player of the Year over Terrell Suggs. In fact, I don't even think it was really that close. Not that it really matters anymore.

What Smith did for the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 was nothing short of amazing. Not since the days of Reggie White have I seen a defensive end completely dominate every aspect of the line of scrimmage.

Make no mistake about it, if the 49ers go on to win the Super Bowl next season it will be because of their dominating front seven. Consequently, I believe Justin Smith is an under the radar best along that unit.

With that said, defensive players rarely win the Super Bowl MVP awards. This is why Smith is rather low on this list.

8. Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions

Matthew Stafford pretty much cemented his status as one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL in 2011. He threw for over 5,000 yards and 41 touchdowns, both Detroit franchise records.

The Detroit Lions are going to be a force in the NFC over the course of the next decade or so. Or, as long as this offense is together. They were one of the most dynamic units in the league.

It is the passing game that got this unit going as Stafford broke the NFC record for most passing attempts in a season. They will need to find some more balance on offense in order to be considered an "elite" team, but Detroit is on their way.

If they have postseason success, it will be because of Matthew Stafford and their passing game; that is pretty much assured.

7. Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans

Just imagine where the Houston Texans would have gone in 2011 if they had Matt Schaub in the playoffs and a healthy Andre Johnson all season. I am not too sure that the New England Patriots would have been playing against the New York Giants in the Super Bowl last night if that were the case.

We cannot dwell on the past. Instead, this article is meant to look to the future.

And the Houston Texans have one bright future ahead of themselves. You are talking about a team that not only jumped up the ranks to become one of the best defenses in the NFL, but owned an elite running game on offense.

That running game was led by Arian Foster, who compiled over 1,800 yards of total offense in just 13 games. The success of this team is going to be reliant on their defense and running game moving forward.

This leads me to believe that a possible Super Bowl Championship would come down to an amazing performance by the former NFL rushing king.

6. Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions

Yes, I do have Calvin Johnson higher on this list than his quarterback Matthew Stafford.

There is one reason for this: Megatron makes the Lions offense go, even more than their young signal-caller. He can just throw the ball up in the area of No. 81 and the receiver will come down with it.

In short, Johnson is nearly unstoppable on the outside. It has gotten to the point that teams are covering him unlike any wide receiver in the history of the NFL. You are talking about triple coverage, and even then he makes some tremendous catches.

The success of the Detroit Lions is reliant on Johnson continuing this Hall of Fame-caliber play. If they make it out of the NFC, you can expect him to be the primary reason for that.

5. Patrick Willis, LB, San Francisco 49ers

Only two defenders in the top ten and both are San Francisco 49ers; imagine that.

Patrick Willis is already one of the best inside linebackers to ever play the game and he just finished his fifth season in the NFL. In that half-decade, Willis has made five Pro Bowl appearances and earned four First-Team All-Pro honors.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Patrick Willis will be a key component to a possible Super Bowl run for the 49ers in 2012. He is great in coverage, stops the run with the best of them and can get to the quarterback on a consistent basis.

More than that, Willis forced a host of turnovers: 21 in 76 games throughout his career.

You can also expect him to dominate in big games, much like what we saw in the postseason that just ended.

4. Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants

The only reason why this two-time Super Bowl MVP isn't higher on this list is because the chances of him winning that award two consecutive seasons is extremely slim. Additionally, the NFC promises to be extremely difficult in 2012. Much more so than the AFC.

With that said, you can no longer question Eli Manning and his ability to step up when it counts the most. He has proven himself to be the best clutch performer in the NFL today and it isn't even that close.

His performance in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots last night cemented his status as one of the best postseason performers in the modern history of the NFL.

Don't ever question Eli "Elite" Manning again. I know I won't.

3. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

Now that the Joe Montana comparisons are over, Tom Brady can now start anew. No quarterback in the recent history of the league has faced so much pressure and limelight as the Patriots signal-caller has over the course of the last two weeks.

You still cannot deny what the future Hall of Fame quarterback has accomplished. Five Super Bowl appearances, two Super Bowl MVPs and three Super Bowl Championships. This is a resume that has cemented his status as one of the best quarterbacks of all time.

The New England Patriots sure do need to get Brady some help in order for him to make another Super Bowl appearance before that window closes. Simply put, he cannot do it all by himself.

Make no mistake about it, if the Patriots win another Super Bowl he will be the reason for it.

2. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

My pick for NFL Most Valuable Player in 2011, Drew Brees is the heart and soul of the New Orleans Saints. He makes them go in every possible way.

Without him they wouldn't be much more than a marginal football team.

His performance over the course of the last five seasons will go down in the annals of the history books as one of the greatest stretches in the league.

With all that said, the only way that New Orleans gets back to the Super Bowl is by improved play from that anemic defense. This was proven for the second consecutive postseason—this time against the San Francisco 49ers.

You are still not going to see a 13-10 Super Bowl with the Saints involved in it. They will win because of this offense and because of Drew Brees.

This is why he is higher on the list than a Tom Brady or Eli Manning. At least they have one or two players that could capture the MVP award if it came down to that on Super Bowl Sunday; the Saints don't.

1. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Don't let one sub-par postseason performance fool you; Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL. It took a lot of different bounces, some dumb luck and some really bad play for the New York Giants to defeat the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Playoffs.

This is something that neither team can count on happening again. A team doesn't go 15-1 throughout the regular season without being elite.

They are, of course, led by Aaron Rodgers. This is a quarterback that probably had the best regular-season performance of any quarterback in the history of the NFL.

If Green Bay is to get back to the Super Bowl next season, Rodgers will be the primary reason.