Manning Doesn't Deserve Another MVP Award

I'm just so tired of Manning winning it. But more than that I am so tired of seeing Sport's Analysts excuses for giving it to him. Pierre Garcon and Austin Collier are unfairly picked on. Who was Sidney Rice last year? Who were all the analysts saying Harvin would not be a good fit in the NFL? Who was Shiancothe? The Vikings one good 2008 receiver, Bernard Berrian, has been hampered with hamstring injuries the entire year, and it still hasn't affected their play, even though he was their main play maker last year on receiver, heck, their only one.

What is so special about Manning's season? I fail to see it. 

One, Manning is still playing within the system he's spent the past decade in, Favre came in the middle of the pre-season to a totally new team with no players on offense that he'd played with before.

Two, the Colts have the best pass-rush offensive line in pro-Football as Saturday and Diem continue to dominate. Favre is 40 years with a fantastic running game to limit blitzes yet still has three times as many sacks as Peyton Manning does.

Three, the Colts defense is not that bad. They get turnovers at the right moments and that is main reason this team is undefeated, in addition they have the second best defensive line in Pro-Football, (behind Minnesota).

Four, Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon are not even a big part of the offense. I could see a point if Manning was helping both these unheralded rookies just dominate, but seriously, they have barely 1000 yards receiving between the two of them and less than 10 touchdowns, that's an average performance from players who really are average. I'm not surprised or impressed, I'd expect nothing less from a pair of players like that. Brett Favre managed 3500 yards last year with Jerricho Cotchery and Lav Coles, explain that one to me, that impresses me far more than Manning.

Five, Manning still has all Pro-Veterans Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark to throw to and he throws to them A LOT and they have been a crucial part of the Colt's success and have both been having, arguably, the best seasons of their careers. Minnesota had no Veterans in the receiving core, just some raw talent, which makes that aspect far more impressive. Whenever Sportswriters go on about Percy Harvin, Shiancothe, and Sidney Rice, I say, Reggie who? Dallas who? Harvin has been great, but Favre has been a lot of that and that is undeniable.

Six, they don't have much of a running game because they don't even try for it. They have pass-rush linemen, and they pass it most of the time. Manning is throwing a lot more than Favre, so it's to be expected he'd have better numbers; the offense revolves around making him put up gaudy numbers to win, Favre is playing in offense that doesn't depend on him to do special things that often, (even if he does anyway), but outside of yards Manning doesn't, and in the biggest stat, TDs, he's only tied with Brett Favre and three behind Brees.

Seven, for all the huge hype about Manning's fourth quarter performances and come from behind play, Brett Favre still has a QB rating THREE TIMES as good as Manning when behind 9-16 points, 133 compared to 43. and twenty points higher when leading by 0-7 points.

Even Favre's overall Fourth Quarter stats are better than Mannings' this year; even his total second half rating is ten points higher than Manning and Favre has led two fourth quarter comebacks himself this year, and staved off comebacks twice from the Packers, and is one bad tripping call from a third comeback fourth quarter victory. What's more, you don't see the Vikings defense getting interceptions and returning them for touchdowns, or grabbing up two-three crucial turnovers in the fourth quarter, as the Colts have in several games, allowing them to win.

I don't deny Manning a good season I just severely doubt another MVP Caliber season.

Most importantly? He didn't deserve it last year, Drew Brees did for putting together one of the best seasons of quarterback play in recent memory and likely brought a Saints team that would have been 2-14 without him, to 8-8. Yet everyone has forgotten this in again considering the media's pretty boy the last few seasons for yet another award.

The Colts relying on Manning is nothing new; they always do it and it's how they construct their game plan.

Him getting MVP awards for it is something I'm tired of. I cannot fathom him getting yet another award for it. I pretty much lost all respect for the Sports-writing community when I saw them, in 2008, do the unthinkable and give Manning a Third MVP award based on a 27 Touchdown, twelve interception, 4002 yard, 66 percent completion rate season.

You don't hand out awards for pulling together a nice winning streak, you hand them out for the player playing the best in the NFL. Drew Brees threw for 34 touchdowns and became only the second QB to pass for 5000 yards with a poor team with no running game, no defense, and him having to attempt 635 passes in 16 games, or, on average, some FORTY odd passes a game.

So that's the main reason I think Peyton Manning Simply CANNOT be given this years award; he didn't deserve last year's award by a long shot.

Brees was the player playing best, he got snubbed due to the media's love affair with Peyton Manning, despite Brees having the best season of his career and Manning having his worst statistically worst season since 2002.

Has everyone forgotten that completely undeserved award last year? For that reason he simply can't be handed another one and I'd even settle for Brett Favre's storyline and comeback winning an MVP if it wins over Peyton Manning, but Brees is my first choice because he was outrageously snubbed last year.

As a side-note, for all the trash-talk about Brett Favre not deserving all three of his MVP awards, Manning has gotten MVP's on the basis's of 29 touchdown, (then they changed the rules making it easier to pass in the NFL), 49 touchdowns, and 27 touchdowns.

Favre got them, pre-NFL rule changes, on seasons of 38, 39, and 35 touchdowns and made it to the NFC Championship or further in all three seasons, or seven more plus more play-off success than Manning in those three seasons. And not only was it pre-rule changes but it was without the sort of insane talent Manning had at his height, Wayne, Harrison, Clark, and Gonzales. I bet Favre looked at that at times and thought to himself, "Life just isn't fair."

Two rather irrelevant side points for this. One, it's that I don't think, overall, Peyton Manning is a better quarterback than Brett Favre, comparing their careers. Two, and very much unrelated, what Tom Brady did in 2007 doesn't hold a finger up to Dan Marino's 1984 season, considering the different standards of defense between the two periods.