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MVP Candidates

mandal24

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My MVP Candidate
-Only taking playoff caliber teams into account
MVP- Most Valuable Player should be defined as:
-Not necessarily best stats, but which player is most important to their team's success

QUARTERBACKS:

Kurt Warner- First home playoff game in a long time. Defense struggles at times. This team is definitely where it is because of the offense, more specifically the passing game. The run game is one of the worst in the leauge. Imagine Matt Leinart at Qb for the Cardinals, how many wins do they get?
Why He Shouldn't Get MVP: NFC West is pathetic this year. No big road wins this year.
Stats: 4,020 yards passing, 25 TDs/12 INTs, 68.7%, QB Rating-99.1

Jay Cutler- Similar to the Cardinals in that their defense is weak, well actually even weaker than AZ. He has this team on the verge of clinching a playoff berth. They have had multiple season-ending injuries to their running backs and he's still able to pass for huge numbers, despite no effective running back at his side. Imagine Patrick Ramsey starting all season long.
Why He Shouldn't Get MVP: AFC West is weak this year. Strange Losses to the Chiefs, Raiders, and Jags.
Stats: 3,679 yards passing, 23 TDs/14 INTs, 62.4%, QB Rating-89.2

Peryton Manning- Uncharacteristically, Manning looked pretty bad to start the season but now has his team all but locked in for the playoffs. After starting off slow, the Colts have won six in a row, with wins over the Patriots and the Steelers back-to-back. They are doing this without Bob Sanders, their best defensive player who has been injury-plagued most of the year. Also, Manning is doing this with a terrible running game which is ranked in the bottom of the league.
Why He Shouldn't Get MVP: Manning had some bad games, most notably to the Packers, in which he threw two pick-sixes in that game.
Stats: 3,225 yards passing, 22 TDs/12 INTs, 64.4%, QB Rating-88.8

Matt Ryan- This guy's a rookie?! He sure doesn't play like it. He has single-handedly turned this team, this franchise, the city of Atlanta around with his awe-inspiring play. After the whole Vick debacle, this is exactly what the Falcons needed. Just imagine Joey Harrington or Chris Redman in their.
Why He Shouldn't Get MVP: This team could still miss the playoffs. His statistics aren't up there with the other QBs.
Stats: 2,940 yards passing, 14 TDs/7 INTs, 62.0%, QB Rating-92.0

Eli Manning- After a slow start in the NFL, this guy has really come along. Some could say he's now the better Manning. With Plax out most of the year, he has no elite recievers. He is playing in arguably the toughest division in football, and has this team as a top 2 team in the NFL.
Why He Shouldn't Get MVP: With that defense and running attack, I could see a game-managing-type QB keeping this team alive in the playoff race.
Stats: 2,747 yards passing, 20 TDs/8 INTs, 61.1%, QB Rating-90.1

Chad Pennington- Pennington took over the reigns of a Miami Dolphin team that had forgotten how to win. He has taken this team from 1-15 only a year ago to a legitamit playoff contender. He has resurrected his career in the process after being kicked to the curb by the Jets in favor of a 39 year old, on-the-verge-of-retiring Brett Favre. He rarely turns the ball over and plays efficient, careful football. Doing all this with no star power at the Wide Reciever or Tight End position. In fact his best reciever Devonne Bess, is an undrafted rookie. Put past QB MVPs like Manning or Brady and I guarantee they don't provide more wins thus far than Pennington has provided.
Why He Shouldn't Get MVP: He doesn't throw a lot of touchdowns.
Stats: 3,062 yards passing, 12 TDs/6 INTs, 66.4%, QB Rating-93.7

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RUNNING BACKS:

Adrian Peterson- This guy could end up being the greatest running back to ever play before his career his over. The Vikings dont have much on offense. He IS their offense. He leads the league in rushing yards. He will always fight for the extra yards.
Why He Shouldn't Get MVP: Peterson leads the league in fumbles. The Vikings do have an elite offensive line, one in which Chester Taylor, the backup has produced well running behind.
Stats: 1,416 yards rushing, 9 TDs/6 Fumbles, 19 receptions/109 yards

Michael Turner- Falcons are looking really smart for going after this guy. He has been remarkable, playing for a franchise that look destined to be in the bottom half of the league. One could argue Matt Ryan's success at QB is because of the efficient play of Turner. He's fast, really fast. He leads the NFL in rushing TDs and rarely coughs up the football.
Why He Shouldn't Get MVP: His 4.2 yards per carry, although impressive, is not as high as some of the other candidates. He's not a receiving threat out of the backfield.
Stats: 1,269 yards rushing, 14 TDs/2 Fumbles, 4 receptions/11 yards

Thomas Jones- The Jets Offense has been hot and cold through out much of the season. Jones, however, has been very consistent. He runs hard, can break for a big gain and he's also a threat as a receiver coming out of the backfield. He has made the transition a lot easier for Brett Favre who has played his entire career in a different offensive scheme. Too much credit goes to Favre, and not enough to Jones.
Why He Shouldn't Get MVP: This team has not played as well as they should be playing. They might not make the playoffs.
Stats: 1,144 yards rushing, 12 TDs/2 Fumbles, 30 receptions/173 yards/2 TDs

DeAngelo Williams- This guy is having one hell of a season rushing. He has put fear into the defenses he faces each week. He can pound the rock. He's explosive enough that he can break the big one at any time. He is averaging an NFL high 5.4 yards per carry. He has yet to turn the ball over. He's doing all this despite the fact that teams know Carolina will run all day long. Delhome has been wildly inconsistent this year which puts more pressure on Williams, and he continues to impress.
Why He Shouldn't Get MVP: Jonathan Stewart, the rookie backup, is also playing well. So although Williams is playing extremely well, some feel Stewart could have equal success if given the opportunity.
Stats: 1,141 yards rushing, 13 TDs/0 Fumbles, 19 receptions/118 yards/2 TDs

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DEFENSE:
-Players on defense who have a shot at MVP

Albert Haynesworth- One of the most feared players in the game. He's almost unstoppable. He is an offensive line's worst nightmare. Haynesworth is easily the best interior Defensive Lineman in the game today. He collapses the pocket, pressures the QB, and does not allow running lanes for the running backs. He is the main component to the Titans stellar defense. Take him out of the equation, and that Titans defense falls apart.
Why He Shouldn't Win MVP: The play of a Defensive Tackle is hard to measure based on stats and by looking at his stats, they're not overly impressive.
Stats: 47 Tackles, 8.5 Sacks, 3 Forced Fumbles

Kris Jenkins- This is the Jet's best off-season acquisition, not the "other guy". After playing in a 4-3 system in Carolina, he has found his knack as a 3-4 Nose Tackle. Similar to Haynesworth, Jenkins makes it hard for running backs to run up the middle. He also collapses the pocket, not allowing opposing team's Quarterbacks much time to sit back in the pocket and pick their targets. He has fallen off in recent weeks however.
Why He Shouldn't Win MVP: He's the second best interior defensive lineman in the game, if Haynesworth doesn't win the award, Jenkins shouldn't win it either. Also His stats aren't eye-popping.
Stats: 37 Tackles, 3.5 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble

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Some excluded players:

Drew Brees- He has been extraordinary this year but the Saints are in last place in the NFC South.

Clinton Portis- He was looking like this year's MVP early on but he has fallen off a bit as of late. That, plus the fact that the Redskins probably won't make the playoffs makes him a scratch for MVP.

Brandon Jacobs- He is having a magnificent season. He is the top rusher on a top 2 team in the NFL. I do feel however, that him being a part of their "three-headed monster" attack has helped him out considerably. Plus, without him, I still believe the Giants would still be in the playoff race.

Joey Porter- Porter leads the league in sacks. He should be a candidate for Defensive MVP as he is having his best season by far in his career.

Demarcus Ware- He is arguably the best Outisde Linebacker in the game. He pass rushing is sensational. Another candidate for Defensive MVP but the Cowboys defense as a whole has had its problems this year.

Pittsburgh Steelers players:
James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, Troy Polamalu- An argument can be made for any of these three players as they are all having really great years. It would be hard to argue one over the other. Polamulu and Harrison should be strong considerations for Defensive MVP.
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MY PERSONAL TOP 5 LIST:
1)Kurt Warner- His stats are really impressive plus he has his team in their first home playoff game in decades!
2)Adrian Peterson- This guy is the Vikings offense! Most explosive guy in the NFL. Just needs to hold onto the ball more.
3)Albert Haynesworth- He is the centerpiece of that Titans scary defense.
4)Peyton Manning- The guy performs so well year in and year out. This year, it just took him a little longer to wake up.
5)Chad Pennington- 1-15 to playoffs? You can thank this guy. The guy does not make many mistakes.
 
MVP to me means the player who's played the best all year long, and right now i'd give it to Warner or Brees
 
Well you can definitely scratch Brees off the list. He played pretty bad last night. Not to mention they lost and are pretty much eliminated from playoff contention
 
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