12 NFL Players Who Could Be This Year's MVP
The last two years, Peyton Manning took home the MVP award, last year garnering his record fourth.
Can he go for a fifth this year or will someone else take home the hardware this season? The year is yet to play out so right now, everything is speculation, but that's where the fun is right? Here are ten player who could win the MVP this year.
12—Maurice Jones-Drew
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Who doesn't love to watch the human bowling ball play?
The biggest little dude in football just barrels his way through and then rolls down hill. If the Jags had a higher profile passing attack to help him out a bit more, Drew would be higher up the list, but unfortunately he doesn't.
Additionally, it doesn't look to be a promising season for Jacksonville unless they surprise and this is a winner's award. He's not a likely winner, but if Jacksonville has a big season, he'll be the big reason, and a favorite for the MVP.
11—Matt Schaub
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Admittedly he's a long shot, but some would have laughed at the idea of Joey Votto being on a list like this in April.
Sometimes candidates come from unexpected places. The Texans look poised to have a successful season, and if they do, Scaub would be the leader of that team. Last year he led the NFL in passing yards, and with star receiver Johnson still in the fold, he could duplicate that effort. If the Texans can combine 12 or 13 wins with that accomplishment he would be considered a serious candidate.
10—Phillip Rivers
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Once upon a time the San Diego Chargers let Drew Brees go believing that they had a brighter future and a better chance of winning a Super Bowl with Philip Rivers as their starting quarterback.
As of now, the story has a happier ending if you're Drew Brees than if you're the San Diego Chargers. Now the Bolts no longer have star tailback LaDanian Tomlinson either, and the team is fully Rivers' to run. Last year his passer rating was 104.4, good for third in the NFL. He's not far from moving into that elite category of NFL passer, and an MVP-type season is not unfathomable.
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9—Tom Brady
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No MVP conversation is complete without Brady, but he's further down this list than he would be for a number of reasons. First, between his two star receivers there are questions surrounding Welker's knee, and now with Moss' happiness. Moss needs to play happy to play successful, we know that from history. Second, there are issues questions about the Patriots young defense. Most of the players from the Super Bowl years are gone and now they are younger, but untested. Much of the award depends on winning and right now it looks like the Pats aren't even the favorites for their own division. If Brady can lead them to a division championship though, it might be considered his best regular season accomplishment yet.
8—Darelle Revis
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Is it impossible that Revis could join Alan Page and Lawrence Taylor as the only defensive players to win the award? Not entirely.
The Jets are promising a Super Bowl run; they are a defensively led team, and Revis is their leader on defense.
That combined with the fact that they have no real MVP-caliber star power on offense (unless Mark Sanchez does what absolutely no one expects) lead one to believe that if they can make a run at the NFL's best record, it would be their defensive star that would be the front runner for the hardware.
"Pdef" isn't the most romantic stat in sports, but it's where Revis value is, and where you measure a shut-down corner. Revis led the league there last year with 37 and he should lead again this year.
It's where the Jets defense keys off. He should garner serious attention.
7—Tony Romo
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Romo has been on the precipice of elite for the last few years. His problem has not been his week-to-week play, as he is the fourth all-time for QB rating.
It's the big game perception that hinders him, although last year was at least partially offset by the Cowboys finally getting a playoff win with Romo at the helm. Now with Miles Austin signed for the future, and with Dez Bryant on the field, it's possible that Romo could have his best season yet.
Numbers like 5,000 yards and 35 TDs are not out of reach for Romo, and if he gets there, an MVP could be his for the taking.
6—Adrian Peterson
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Peterson has a couple of things going for him.
First, he's got a chip on his shoulder. He's miffed that he's getting dismissed from the best back in football conversation, and he's out to prove he is one of them.
Second, with the problems going on in the passing game, he has a chance to step back up into the forefront of the Vikings argument. If the Vikes can put together enough of a passing attack that teams have to respect it, then there's a great chance that Peterson could explode this year. If he does, he should replace Favre as the primary candidate for MVP.
5—Chris Johnson
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Johnson has indicated that he has some rather prodigious goals for the coming season, but it's unlikely that he'll be able to keep them.
Only five backs have had 2,000 yard seasons in history, and of those, the most yards in a follow-up year were Barry Sander's season of 1,491 yards.
To gain 2,000 yards, you need a lot of carries, and in Johnson's case last year that meant over 400. To duplicate that would mean 800 carries in two years. That's a lot of punishment for a body, even one that doesn't usually get hit squarely. Factor in the possibility of Young's continued improvement, and the possibility of a corresponding decline in dependence on Johnson and you have a worst-case, worst case-scenario.
If he gets the same number of carries, it's unlikely he can keep up the same production, and if he doesn't get the same number of carries he won't be able to keep up the same kind of production, especially when you consider how many big runs he had last year.
Still, he wasn't on the top of a lot of year's last year either. He could "surprise" by having similar success and if he does, he might be a runaway with the MVP.
4—Joe Flacco/Ray Rice
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Am I the only one that looks at Flacco,. Rice, and Boldin and is reminded of the triplets form the 90s Cowboys?
I really see this threesome gelling together. Flacco has all the makings of a Super Bowl QB, and now he has a go to weapon in Boldin. Add T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the mix, and a steady target in Todd Heap over the middle and you have a very complete offensive team. Then you factor in the Ray Lewis-led defense and you really have to wonder why this team isn't getting a lot more Super Bowl hype.
I believe they are the team to beat, and one of these two will emerge as the Ravens favorite for MVP. And yes, for those of you are eager to point it out I know that this is "actually two" people.
3—Peyton Manning
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Can anyone argue that there is a player that means more to his team than Peyton Manning?
If we're basing MVP on the "value" aspect then Manning is as No. 1 as they come. If he goes down, so do the Colts, no questions asked. Does anyone really believe that Curtis Painter is going to lead this team to the promised land? I think not.
As long as Peyton is throwing the ball though, the Colts are contenders. The problem might be he might be entering int "MJ" status when it comes to MVP. Everyone knows he's the MVP, but you have to spread it around. That's why he's in third and not first.
2—Aaron Rodgers
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The Packers are the preseason darlings of a lot of prognosticators, and there's a lot of good reasons for it, foremost of which is their young gun Aaron Rodgers.
Last year he was near the top of the leaders in passing yards, touchdown passes, and passer rating. The Pack are expected to compete for the NFC crown, and if they conclude the season with the conference's best record, he will get a lot of votes. There are less weaknesses on this team than the Cowboys which is why I have him rated higher than Romo, but there's still one factor against him. He's a relative newcomer to the talk, and sometimes, fairly or not, it takes a few years to get the award—especially when Peyton is hogging them all!
1—Drew Brees
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Over the past five years, Drew Brees has more passing yards than anyone in football. He has more TD passes than anyone but Peyton, and he only has four less than him.
No one has more attempts or more completions. Other than Peyton, no one has a higher completion percentage.
And, oh yeah, he is the reigning Super Bowl MVP, a game which the Saints won over the Colts Manning. Brees has been the most consistently under-appreciated player in the NFL for a few years now, and it might be time for him to get his due. If this year he matches his previous years and the Saints are in contention again, it's hard to see this award going to anyone else. If nothing else Brees gets it on "career achievement."
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