NFL: The 10 Most Undeserving MVPs Ever
There have been times in the history of the NFL and the Associated Press' handling of the Most Valuable Player award that the boys voting got it all wrong.
It's rare, but it happens. Especially when by default they seem to hand the award to Peyton Manning if no other quarterback is worthy of a vote.
We love Peyton Manning, he is great for the game and has to be respected for what he does as a quarterback and de facto offensive coordinator, but no player in NFL history has enjoyed more accolades based purely on the national media's love affair with them than No. 18.
Which leads us to the 10 biggest examples of the wrong player winning the NFL MVP award.
1997: Brett Favre Tied with Barry Sanders
1 of 10
During the 1997 season, Brett Favre threw for 3,800 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading the Green Bay Packers to a 13-3 record.
A great season, by all measures. But not the best of any player in 1997.
You see, a man by the name of Barry Sanders was the co-owner of the MVP award this year. And he lit it up.
Sanders rushed for 2,053 yards and 11 touchdowns on a 9-7 Detroit team that relied on a heavy dose of Sanders and a stout defense to make the playoffs.
Favre was good. Sanders was great. The fact that the two had to share the award is among the biggest disgraces in NFL award history.
2008: Peyton Manning over Drew Brees
2 of 10
If Peyton Manning suits up for an NFL season, it seems the AP voters believe he has done enough to warrant consideration for an MVP award.
Yes, Manning is great, and you could argue that no one player is more important to his team than Manning; but is he the most valuable player in the NFL each season?
In 2008, Manning was handed the award after a 12-4 season in which he tossed 27 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards passing. A good season for Manning.
Drew Brees, on the other hand, was electric.
Leading a historically bad Saints franchise to an 8-8 record should have been enough to get Brees on the MVP watch list. The fact that he threw for over 5,000 yards should have landed him the winning vote.
Brees led the Saints to a No. 1 ranked offense, despite their leading rusher having just 625 yards on the ground.
1987: John Elway over Jerry Rice
3 of 10
During the strike-shortened 1987 season, John Elway led the Broncos to 10 wins, four losses and one tie in the 15-week season. He also passed for over 3,000 yards despite missing three games due to the strike.
In 12 games of his own, Jerry Rice scored an unheard of 23 touchdowns.
Wait...one more time...23 touchdowns.
I literally have no idea how anyone could see the numbers here and vote for Elway over Rice, but they did.
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2009: Peyton Manning over Chris Johnson
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In Peyton Manning's second straight MVP season, he outscored 2,000-yard rusher Chris Johnson of the division rival Titans for the AP's MVP award.
Why?
Because he's Peyton Manning, and the NFL's sixth all-time 2,000-yard rusher is not good enough to top a 33-touchdown season by Peyton Manning.
Do you sense the sarcasm?
Manning's 2009 season was, by all trackable statistics, very average for him. The Colts did finish with a 14-2 record after starting the season with 14 straight wins, but that was a team effort and not all on the right arm of Manning.
But he got the credit for it.
Someone owes Chris Johnson an MVP award.
1982: Mark Moseley over Dan Fouts
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During the strike-shortened 1982 season, the NFL writers had little to go on when deciding who their MVP would be.
So, they chose a kicker.
Mark Moseley was a great kicker, and the Redskins were a great team that season, but Dan Fouts deserved the trophy.
In nine games, Fouts topped 2,800 yards passing and threw 17 touchdowns in leading the Chargers to a 6-3 record.
Fouts would be named an All-Pro and a Pro-Bowler, but he was robbed of an MVP award.
2002: Rich Gannon over Priest Holmes
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No one loves Rich Gannon as much as we do, but he did not deserve the MVP award in 2002. Someone else in the AFC West did.
Priest Holmes' first season in Kansas City under Dick Vermeil was simply beautiful. He recorded a career-best 1,615 rushing yards, 672 receiving yards and 24 total touchdowns in 2002.
Those numbers would hold up against any season in NFL history in terms of best overall performance by a running back.
Gannon was great in 2002, but what Priest Holmes did was out of this world.
1975: Fran Tarkenton over O.J. Simpson
7 of 10
Just two years after he became the first player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards, O.J. Simpson had an even better all-around performance.
During the 1975 season he recorded 1,817 rushing yards, 426 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns in just 14 games, all at the tail-end of a Hall of Fame career.
Fran Tarkenton had a good season, but he did nothing ground-breaking during the '75 season.
1990: Joe Montana over Randall Cunningham
8 of 10
For those who can, think back to the NFL in 1990 and you will see the landscape dotted with pocket passers like Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason.
Before Randall Cunningham came on the scene, the NFL had never seen a successful running quarterback.
The "Ultimate Weapon" changed that.
Cunningham posted a career-best 942 rushing yards with 3,466 passing yards and 35 total touchdowns in what was an MVP-worthy season.
Joe Montana received much of what Peyton Manning enjoys today in that he was almost the default choice as MVP.
1995: Brett Favre over Emmitt Smith
9 of 10
Brett Favre was quite the MVP thief back in the mid-90's. Especially from all-time great running backs.
In 1995, Emmitt Smith was at his peak and posted a career season. His totals of 1,773 rushing yards, 375 receiving yards and what was an NFL-record 25 touchdowns could stand-up against the best rushing seasons of all-time.
In all fairness, Favre did have one hell of a year in 1995, but it was not on a level with Smith's all-time season.
Favre tossed over 4,400 yards and 38 touchdowns in leading the Packers to 11 wins and an NFC Championship Game appearance.
1961: Paul Hornung over George Blanda
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If any kicker in NFL history should have won an MVP award, it would be George Blanda.
What Blanda was able to do as a kicker and a quarterback was other-worldly. Imagine if fantasy football stats were available in 1961...
Blanda's best season came in 1961, when he posted career bests in passing yards (3,330) and passing touchdowns (36). He also converted on 16 field goals and had a career-best 64 extra points.
Paul Hornung had an exceptional year. It was during the '65 season that he scored five touchdowns in a game, at the time an NFL record, only to have Gale Sayers score six touchdowns later that day.
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