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Peyton Manning DOES NOT Deserve to be NFL MVP, but Brett Favre Does…
Published: January 7, 2010
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All this hype about Peyton Manning winning his NFL record fourth MVP, the fact that the Colts would have gone undefeated had he played the last two games, his seven fourth quarter comebacks—ALL of that is overrated.
There are MANY reasons why Peyton Manning should not win MVP again this season, and they each fall into three categories—Statistical, Opposing Teams, and Other Quarterbacks.
Its All About Statistics
For starters, Peyton Manning did not lead the league in any categories this season, as he finished second in completion percentage and touchdowns behind Drew Brees, another MVP candidate, and finished second in yards behind Matt Schaub. He also finished eighth in the league YPA. These are not necessarily bad signs.
However, what makes him undeserving is the fact that he is not even in the top five in QB rating and doesn’t even have a rating of 100. Ben Roethlisberger, who didn’t even MAKE the Pro Bowl roster, has a higher rating than him.
His 16 interceptions are in the top five in the league, and the only other people who have more than him are Jay Cutler, the three rookie quarterbacks, Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, and Jake Delhomme.
All of these QBs are known as interception machines. To even be close to the same category as them is just poor play.
The Truth About His Opposing Teams
Many people comment on his fourth quarter comebacks constantly, as the Colts won four straight games by a combined 10 points, an NFL record. Let’s break down these and the rest of his comeback wins:
Week 2 @ Miami (W 27-23) —Nope, Chad Pennington threw an interception in the end zone as time expired
Week 8 vs. San Fran (W 18-14) —Nope, he didn’t even throw the game winning touchdown, it was the running back, and it came with 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Looks like his defense comes up big again
Week 9 vs. Houston (W 20-17) —Nope, Kris Brown choked as usual. Yes, Peyton Manning drove them down the field for a winning touchdown, but he didn’t even throw it, and if he hadn’t made a crucial interception late in the first half, they never would have been in that position to narrowly escape with a close win
Week 10 vs. New England (W 35-34) —Nope, the Patriots just choked by going for it on their own 28-yard-line. When you give the quarterback that two minutes to make a 30 yard drive, of course they’ll score. If they don’t then they just flat out suck
Week 11 vs. Baltimore (W 17-15) —Nope, the Ravens choked in multiple ways. First of all, his defense came up big with an interception inside their own 20 yard line. Second, they recovered a fumble on a punt return to seal the narrow win. Oh yeah, and Peyton Manning threw two picks that could have easily decided the game with a different outcome.
Week 12 vs. Houston (W 35-27) —I can give him credit for this win, he came up big in the fourth quarter with a drive to take the lead at the beginning. However, he also had help from his defense, who intercepted two passes, one which was returned for a touchdown, and the other which gave them great field position in Houston territory. Manning did throw two interceptions earlier in the game which almost cost them, but I’ll still give him credit for bringing the team back from a 17-0 deficit.
Week 15 vs. Jacksonville (W 35-31) —This one is questionable. Manning did throw a touchdown to Reggie Wayne midway through the fourth quarter to give them the lead, but once again, it was his defense that stepped up in the clutch and intercepted David Garrard, who had a great game up to that point.
So basically, five out of Manning’s seven “comeback wins” have to do with the other team choking and not Manning’s play in the clutch.
No more comments about how Indy’s defense sucks. If it did, the Colts would have lost almost all of those games. Instead, they made interceptions. I’m sick of hearing people say that Peyton Manning has no help defensively. The facts say otherwise.
Also, Manning only faced two top 10 defenses all season. He faced Tennessee and Jacksonville twice, which had the 27th and 31st ranked pass defense. That’s four easy wins right there. He also faced Arizona, which had the best run defense at the time, meaning he pretty much had to throw, therefore inflating his stats.
So Who Deserves to be NFL MVP?
If you’re going to say that a quarterback does not deserve something, you better damn well say who does. This is where Brett Favre comes in.
Favre, who is also a three time MVP winner, had unquestionably the best season of his career. He threw 33 TDs and only seven picks. That’s an average of less than one every two games, which is amazing, and is less than half of what Manning threw.
People complain that Favre does not deserve it because he has a large supporting cast. Maybe, but there have been moments in the Vikings season where he has had to come up with big plays.
For example, the last-second touchdown pass against San Francisco in Week Three was probably the most crucial play of the season for the Vikings, as it sent both teams in different directions. If not for that play, the Vikings would have been an up-and-down team, and the 49ers would have probably been contending for a playoff spot.
Instead, it sent the Vikings to a 3-0 start, while the 49ers lost six out of their next 10 games from there. This provided the Vikings the spark they had needed all season, and they rolled to a 10-1 start and eventually, a 12-4 finish and a first round bye in the playoffs.
And who can forget the most memorable Brett Favre moments of the season, where he faced his old team twice? Not only did he win both times, he amazed, as he threw for seven touchdowns and no picks in both of those games.
Finally, Brett Favre appeared to be out of the race with two games to go. But during the last six quarters of the season, he revitalized a Vikings offense that had scored only seven points the previous six quarters and threw six touchdowns and no picks en route to earning the Vikings a first round bye in the playoffs.
So there you have it. Peyton Manning, while good this season, has certainly not been MVP level as people say he has been.
Peyton Manning? This season? Overrated?
I think so.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Why Herman Moore Should Replace Michael Irvin on 1990s All-Decade Team
Published: June 28, 2009
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Many people judge players only by how much they win, or how many Super Bowl rings they have.
And that is a big mistake.
To truly evaluate someone and compare them to another player, one must first look at their stats, as well as their surroundings and the characteristics that make a good player at that position. At the wide-receiver position, the player must have a good combination of size and speed, as well as the ability to come through in the clutch.
Wide receivers must also have the ability to come over the middle of the field and withstand hits by the defensive backs, and they must have good hands and be able to consistently catch a good number of passes every week of the season.
A good receiver must be able to use their size/speed every week of the season, especially when their team needs it the most.
And that is where the distinction between receivers such as Michael Irvin and Herman Moore comes in.
Michael Irvin is remembered for being part of the Cowboys dynasty of the 1990s that won three Super Bowls in ’92, ’93, and ’95. He was a big receiver that was known for never being called for offensive pass interference, and made five Pro Bowls from 1991-1995.
He also made first team All-Pro in 1991 and second team All-Pro in 1992 and 1993. However, he only posted 100 receptions more than once, in 1995, and the year after, his career basically fell off a cliff.
Herman Moore played for in Detroit, a team that only won one playoff game during the 1990s, but he was a big part of the six playoff teams in ’91, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’97, and ’99.
His years from 1993-1998 were his best, as he was selected to four Pro Bowls from 94-97. He also earned second team All-Pro honors in 1994 and first team All-Pro from 1995-1997.
In 1995, Moore set an NFL record with 123 catches, and teammate Brett Perriman also caught 108. When you have teammates constantly distracting attention from you (Barry Sanders, Brett Perriman, Scott Mitchell) and you still manage to post a new NFL record, that’s pretty impressive.
He also led the league in receptions in 1997 and became the second person, other than Jerry Rice, to have three straight 100-catch seasons, from 1995-1997.
Michael Irvin wasn’t nearly as productive as perceived. Even though he had a “Hall of Fame quarterback” in Troy Aikman, he only had one season where he caught more than 100 passes, and he got away with pass interference all the time.
The Cowboys weren’t the same after 1995, and neither was Irvin. He wasn’t as productive as he had been during the glory days of the Trio.
Herman Moore was one of those players that had a great combination of size and speed. He was 6’4″ and could use his size in any way, but he also had the breakaway speed of Jerry Rice. Moore could break tackles and run after the catch, and he consistently caught passes over the middle.
Another reason Herman Moore should be on the All-Decade Team of the 1990s is because so many players have gotten onto an All-Decade Team, despite only having three or four good years. Terrell Davis was only a star running back from 1996-1998, but he still managed to claim a spot on the 90’s All-Decade team.
Jerry Rice only had four good years in the ’80s (1986-1989), but still managed to grab a spot on the ’80s All-Decade team. Jack Lambert only played during the early ’80s, and only had four good years (1980-1983), but still earned a spot on the ’80s All-Decade team.
Moore had a span of six good years from ’93 to ’98, even when he was fighting age and injuries later in his career.
Herman Moore established himself as one of the top receivers in the league from 1993-1998, and although injuries limited his career after that, he still managed to be a respectable member of the Lions in his later years.
He helped turn the Lions into a playoff team during the ’90s and made Scott Mitchell a respectable quarterback. Despite having Barry Sanders to detract attention from him, he still managed to post over 100 catches three seasons, only one of two players to do so.
In conclusion, Herman Moore would make a better choice for the 1990s All-Decade team due to the fact that Moore had more All-Pros, better stats during his prime, and played on a mediocre team, while Irvin played on the Cowboys during the dynasty days.
