Tom Brady and the Top 5 2011-2012 NFL MVP Candidates

While the player with the most league MVP awards sits on the sideline watching his backup QB (who eerily reminds me of 'Sunshine' from Remember The Titans) try to lead his team to some wins, some of the league's best players have been shining bright.

With Peyton Manning out of the mix, the MVP race could surprise a ton of people. Here are the top five candidates most likely to win the honor.

5: Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions

Calvin Johnson is on pace for an insane 32 TDs this year. He has been averaging two a game and with Matthew Stafford throwing him the ball, he has absolutely exploded into the spotlight.

We all knew Big Play CJ was talented, it was a matter of building the talent around him. He's been criticized pretty heavily lately (I'm looking at you, Cris Carter), and taken the high road through all of it.

Leading a generally miserable franchise in the Detroit Lions to one of two teams in the NFL with a 4-0 record, Calvin Johnson is absolutely one of the league's top performers. 

4: Wes Welker, WR, New England Patriots

Wes Welker has always been a stat machine. He puts up huge numbers in that New England offense, but with the subtraction of Randy Moss from the offense, Welker has taken over.

Welker leads the league in receptions with 40 (14 over the person in second place), receiving yards with 616 (86 more than the person in second place) and is second in plays longer than 20 yards and touchdowns.

He has also moved the chains a receiver-leading 29 times. He is on pace for a historical season, which we all know Tom Brady and the Patriots are capable of. 

3: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

Nobody throws the ball more than the Saints. Brees is on pace for another great year. He is second in the league with a 69 percent completion ratio, second in the league with 1,410 yards and maintains a QB rating over 100.

You know the Saints are going to pass the ball, and they have been doing it effectively for years. His only loss coming to the Superbowl Champion Green Bay Packers in Week 1, Brees has led his team to three straight victories.

Brees is the New Orleans offense. And that puts him in the hunt for the ever-so-elusive NFL MVP.

2: Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

Tom Terrific has been, well, terrific. He leads the league in yards, averages a league-leading 9.5 yards per attempt, has a league-leading 13 TD's, leads the league in moving the chains with a whopping 75 and on top of all those league-leading stats, he has a league-high 26 plays that have gone for 20 yards or more.

Tom Brady is the model of consistency. You rarely see him get shaken. Even growing pains with Ochocinco (who cost Brady a TD and caused him an INT on lazy route-running) can't stop Tom from being terrific. He's only taken four sacks this year, and I look for Tom to have a historic year throwing the ball to Welker and co.

1. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Do you know who Aaron Rodgers reminds me of? John Elway. One of (if not THE) best QBs of all time.

Rodgers is athletic, smart and accurate. He turned the Green Bay offense into an unstoppable machine and led them to a 4-0 record. Rodgers is completing (a league-leading) 73 percent of his passes en route to a league-high QB rating of 124.6. He's second to Brady in TDs with 12 and has thrown the ball 22 less times than he has.

I look for Aaron Rodgers to continue to dominate the NFL like he has been this year. This is all thanks to all that mentoring that Brett Favre did. Right?

Honorable Mention and Summary

Matt Stafford JUST misses out on being on this list because of Calvin Johnson being the stat hog. If Stafford could throw the ball around a little bit more and prove he doesn't rely on Megatron, he could seriously shake things up.

That's that. It's only Week 5, and a lot will change. But I'll do one of these Week 10 and Week 17.

Who do you think is in the top 5? What's your list? Be sure to comment below and let us hear it. Your feedback is much appreciated.