Saints' Drew Brees and Will Smith Snubbed In Postseason Accolades

It's been a loser's lament in New Orleans ever since the Saints were first conceived over 40 years ago.

One would think that handling losses would be easier.

But when defeats of this magnitude are unwarranted and undeserved, they don't feel as much like losing as they do getting robbed.

The Saints can be held accountable for their losses, but not when something is stolen from them.

The first case of grand larceny occurred when Will Smith was left off the Pro-Bowl roster.

This was a double-whammy since more than one player was undeservedly elected over Smith to the team.

With three slots available at the defensive end position, Minnesota's Jared Allen was a lock for the first spot.  Of that, I have no complaint.

But for the second and third slots, Smith was passed up for Carolina's Julius Peppers and Philadelphia's Trent Cole.

Smith had more sacks than Peppers and Cole, he had more tackles than Peppers, and he had more passes defended, more interceptions, and more forced fumbles than Cole.

Smith's Saints also beat both the Panthers and the Eagles at least once this year, in addition to helping his team to a No. 1 seed in the NFC.

I suppose the case could be made for Peppers, but I fail to understand the rationale behind Cole's election.

From bad to worse, Drew Brees finished second in NFL MVP voting.

Mind you, with only 7.5 votes against Peyton Manning's 39.5, second place in this race sounds more like the first loser.

An MVP (as I understand it) is a player that is so irreplaceable that when he is removed from his team, said team's performance would suffer irrevocably.

Obviously, this applies to Manning every year.  Which is why MVP voting takes place on a year-by-year basis.  Or so I assumed.

Let's look at how Manning—like Peppers—won his achievement based mostly on namesake.

Brees had a better overall quarterback rating, he threw more touchdowns, and he threw less interceptions.

Brees had more yards per pass as well as more yards per game.

And not only was Brees' 70.6 completion percentage better than Manning's, it broke an NFL record that has stood since 1982.

The only noteworthy category that Manning managed to best Brees in was passing yards, which was only a difference of 112.

Even with all this information floating around the public domain, it doesn't seem to strike anyone as odd.

Sure Manning played well enough to earn the prestigious honor, but for how many more seasons will excuses continue to made on his behalf to justify the selection?

This year it was the absence of Marvin Harrison that made him so special.

Brees has had no more than Marques Colston to lean on since he cemented his elite status following the 2006 season.

Colston's best accolade: Rookie of the Month, October 2006.

Don't get me wrong, I love Peyton Manning.  He was born in New Orleans, and his dad was one of the greatest Saints ever.

I, like most football fans, admire Manning because he has given me the opportunity to watch his entire evolution into what will eventually be the greatest quarterback of all time.

But it's time for the MVP voters to get over it.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was probably the greatest president in American history. 

Others from FDR's generation thought as much of him to the extent that they elected him to four consecutive terms, something that had never happened before, or since.

Following his record fourth MVP award, what do MVP voters think Manning has left to accomplish?

For those who are ready for a changing of the guard (especially those in New Orleans), Harry Truman can't show up soon enough.