Who Will Win The NFL MVP Award? Peyton Manning Appears Most Deserving

It is without question the greatest honor an individual player can earn in the National Football League.

It is the Associated Press’ NFL league MVP award and it is given to the absolute best player the NFL has to offer.

Or at least, that is the intent.

No, it’s not the top goal of these NFL stars to win this MVP award, but winning it can often be more reflective of an individual’s contributions than any other accolade the NFL has to offer.

Right now, the NFL’s finest teams are preparing for the post-season and their goal is to win the Super Bowl.

But more often than not, the best player in the NFL does not happen to play for the best team.

It’s a sad reality that many people fail to come to grips with because they desire so much for that best player to be paired with the best team.

How poetic.

It is the reason why we have seen less productive players pushed beyond their capacity for actual performance on the field into the realm of beloved heroism for exploits achieved by their entire team (as a whole) while they themselves continue to contribute less than should be expected for aforementioned praise they receive.

Right now, I’m talking league MVP’s.

I’m talking about players who at an individual level, contribute more to their team’s chances of winning than anyone else in the National Football League.

This year, we have a number of qualified candidates but none more deserving than the most productive player in the 90-year history of the sport.

Peyton Manning.

We’re talking about a man who, despite the loss of a future Hall of Fame head coach, the loss of a starting wide receiver, and backed by the worst rushing support in the entire league, managed to perform at a level above and beyond what he contributed on the football field during times far more favorable.

We’re talking about a guy who helped lead his team to an undefeated record.

No, that’s not a typo.

Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts went 14-0 while Curtis Painter’s Indianapolis Colts went 0-2.

Or perhaps you are of the belief that the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills were simply better teams than the Colts.

I’m not concerned with the perception of reality.

I value reality itself.

You often hear people saying that “most people believe that…” and that is exactly what I’m disregarding.

False perceptions of reality.

But lets talk about this year’s MVP award.

The goal of each player might be to win the Super Bowl, but the best player from an individual standpoint is honored with an award that is reflective of 80-percent-plus of an entire season, not simply its conclusion.

For the same reason that Tom Brady was better than Eli Manning in 2007 and for the same reason that Peyton Manning was better than Ben Roethlisberger in 2008, this year’s MVP (should) represent the best player the NFL has to offer regardless of what happens from this point forward.

League MVP’s who happen to win championships during the same season are a rare breed, and ones that should be valued beyond measure.

Peyton Manning will have the chance to do that this season, as will the runners-up to the MVP award.

While the award has yet to be announced, I imagine that Manning will capture the votes necessary to pull away with the honor, despite the number of candidates who might take some votes away from him.

Drew Brees and Brett Favre come to mind for me, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Philip Rivers gets a few more votes that he deserves.

Rivers has had an impressive season, but I feel the “high” journalists have been on lieu of the Chargers 11-game winning streak might push Rivers to the top of some voters’ lists.

The issue I have here is the one that is bound to be overlooked.

As I see it, the MVP award is given to the best player in the NFL over the course of the entire regular season.

A great performance in week 16 is no more or less valuable than a great performance on opening weekend.

Had the Chargers began their winning streak early but lost three games towards the end of the season, Rivers wouldn’t even be in this discussion.

It’s the very reason why Drew Brees will not get the recognition he deserves.

By contrast, if the Colts started off 0-2 and won their next 14, this MVP race wouldn’t even be up for debate.

The point being, voters should not get consumed with what has happened more recently because the league MVP award is not about the finish, it’s about the entire season as a whole.

Then we have Chris Johnson.

A player who has certainly had an MVP-caliber season from a running-back’s perspective.

But that just so happens to be the problem; no matter how unfair it might seem.

I don’t hold the Titans’ 8-8 record against Johnson one bit.

It is not as though his NFL record 2,509 total yards from scrimmage and 16 total touchdowns weren’t enough to give his Titans the best opportunity to win.

Football, being the team sport that it is, requires far more than the performance of one MVP-caliber player to get them as far as they’d like to go.

In Johnson’s case, I hold the fact that he is a running-back against him (only) as it pertains to this year’s MVP race.

Quarterbacks might often receive the lion’s share of the recognition, but no player on the field has the opportunity to contribute as much to their team’s chances of winning.

Johnson ran for 2,006 yards, but Matt Shaub threw for 4,770.

Johnson scored 16 total touchdowns, yet Drew Brees threw for 34.

It’s simply the nature of the position and for the same reason that no defensive player will have any reasonable shot at winning the MVP despite how well they may play at their given position, Chris Johnson will not win the MVP award either.

Which brings me to Peyton Manning.

He finished second in the NFL is passing (4,500), second in touchdown passes (33), second in completion percentage (68.8), and sixth in quarterback rating (99.9).

Statistically, Drew Brees seems to be the logical selection.

He led the league in touchdown passes (34) and quarterback rating (109.6) while setting an NFL record with a completion percentage of 70.6.

The fact that his Saints dropped their final three games (two of which Brees was active for) will likely be held against him.

Their final loss of the season had nothing to do with Brees but that might not be relevant to a number of voter who simply remember the 0-3 finish.

His back-ups losing instead of winning is bound to have some impact on Brees’ chances regardless of the lack of logic.

As I said before, it doesn’t make a difference whether the losing games (or bad games) came at the beginning or end of the season because this is not the MVP of December award.

In this case, it’s more a matter of how impressive Manning has been than it is a matter of Brees not being impressive enough.

Manning’s Colts ranked 32nd in the NFL (dead last) in rushing compared to the Saints who ranked sixth.

That is a monumental difference in terms of support.

When your running-game becomes non-existent, it forces your quarterback to play under far more pressure because defenses know that they need to throw the football to have any reasonable chance of winning.

Yet despite being backed by the league’s least productive rushing-attack, Manning was able to become the most productive quarterback in the league.

Had he been given the opportunity to play the entire season (even if Brees played his final game), it would be fair to assume that Manning would have led the league in both passing yards and touchdowns.

His cameo appearances in the Colts final two games skew his per-game averages to the point in which they are not logically applicable to the discussion.

The trade-off between Manning and Brees comes down to interceptions (Manning’s 16 to Brees’ 11) but those figures were severely impacted by level of rushing support.

Defenses that played the Saints feared both the pass and the run.

When defenses played the Colts, it became all about protecting against the pass and that leads to interceptions.

Just ask Drew Brees.

He threw 17 interceptions in 2008 while being backed by a rushing attack far more productive than the Colts had this year.

What makes Manning’s 2009 season all the more impressive is who he has been throwing to.

People will be quick to say that he had Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, and they’d be right regarding Wayne.

But with Clark, we’re talking about a player who averaged 43 reception for 513 yards and five touchdowns per-season prior to this year.

Yet people talk about it as though he has been a Pro Bowl caliber receiver.

Manning was paired with one such target (Reggie Wayne) and a tight end who has only recently developed into an exceptionally productive target.

Manning lost his starting receiver in Anthony Gonzalez yet still managed to turn two late-round draft picks (Pierre Garcon & Austin Collie) into productive targets.

Over the course of doing so, he led the Colts to an undefeated record.

I’d mention Manning’s NFL-record seven fourth quarter comebacks but something makes me hesitant to do so.

The Colts should have played better during the first three quarters of those games, and while while I don’t put too much stock in the heroics of these “clutch” moments, they should be recognized because the Colts wouldn’t have likely been in those kinds of situations if it wasn’t for an atrocious running-game to begin with, yet Manning still managed to prevent his team from losing each and every week.

Remove Brees, Favre, and Rivers from their clubs and I’d imagine they’d still be winning teams.

Not nearly the same threats mind you, but good teams loaded with talent never the less.

Take Peyton Manning away from the Colts and…well…we see the Colts of weeks 16 and 17.

Think about this for a moment.

The Colts had seven fourth quarter comebacks in 2009.

Remove Manning from the team and do you honestly think they would have had an opportunity to win any of those seven games?

That’s provided that Jim Sorgi or Curtis Painter produced at Manning’s level for the first three quarters of all those games (which clearly isn’t logical).

You can then add another seven “L’s” to accompany the two that Curtis Painter’s Colts earned.

That brings the Colts to a 7-9 record under the absolute best of circumstances.

There is simply no player as valuable to his team as Manning is to the Colts.

You cannot ignore his knowledge of the playbook, his mastery of the audible, his desire to work with the younger talent to help them develop, none of these things you get to nearly to the same extent with another quarterback under center in Indianapolis.

The fact that he managed to still be so productive and remain undefeated while being backed by horrendous rushing support and a very young receiving corps speaks volumes.

That to me, more than warrants an NFL-record fourth league MVP award.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Indianapolis Colts Set an NFL Record With Their 22nd Consecutive Victory

History has been made.

The Indianapolis Colts won their 22nd consecutive regular season game with a 28-16 victory over the Denver Broncos, breaking the previous record of 21 held by the 2006-08 New England Patriots.

Yes, it is the regular season but in so doing, the Colts have managed to do something that no team in the 90-year history of the sport has done.

Perhaps even more impressive than their 22nd consecutive victory was the other major record they broke this Sunday.

The Colts won their 114th game this decade, making them the winningest franchise in any decade in NFL history.

After starting off with a 3-4 record last season, the Colts won nine consecutive games to close the regular season.

Their lone defeat came in a 23-17 overtime loss to the San Diego Chargers in the wild-card round of the playoffs last year.

Despite the fact that the Colts were 12-4 (having already defeated the Chargers in San Diego earlier in the season), they had to go on the road to face an 8-8 Chargers team who won one of the weakest divisions in recent memory.

The Chargers won the overtime coin-flip and marched right down the field to score a touchdown.

A loss is a loss; no one is arguing that point. But the circumstances that the Colts faced along the line to lose that game were unfavorable at best.

The Colts haven’t been defeated in regulation since their October 27, 2008 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football.

Their 22nd consecutive victory didn’t come in style. This is significant, very significant.

After the Colts jumped out to a 21-0 lead, they gave up 16 unanswered points.

Peyton Manning had thrown three touchdowns and zero interceptions over the course of their 21-0 lead, and then ended up throwing zero touchdowns and three interceptions as the Broncos put points on the board.

What I liked watching was the Peyton Manning who took over towards the end of the game. The Peyton Manning who marched down the field and threw another touchdown, with ease.

If nothing else, I expect this sloppy victory to further motivate the Colts to improve in the coming weeks.

At this point they have clinched home-field advantage and might very well begin to rest their starters.

Let’s hope they don’t.

With as sloppy as the Colts began to look today, they cannot afford to gather rust with three weeks of the remaining regular season then the addition of the bye week that follows.

Don’t be stupid; don’t leave Peyton Manning in the game late in the fourth quarter trying to throw more touchdowns with a 21-point lead.

But allow the starters to play until the fourth quarter, and rest the guys who get small nicked up along the way.

Let’s hope all of this record-breaking doesn’t quench the Colts’ thirst for more.

But regardless of how things play out for the rest of the season, the Colts’ 22nd victory stands alone as one of the most impressive feats in NFL history, as does their 114th victory this decade.

Given that every team has tried but only the Colts have succeeded, I’d be feeling pretty good right now if I played for Indianapolis.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Vince Young and the Circumstantial Nature of Winning in the NFL

He’s a winner, plain and simple.

Have you ever heard someone say that “you can put up all the flashy numbers you want but at the end of the say, it is the W that is most important”?

Well if that is true, feast your eyes upon one of the league’s most valuable players.

And if the small sample size we’ve had to work with is any indication of the future that is to come, feast your eyes upon a future Hall of Famer.

22-11, that’s Vince Young’s record as a starting quarterback in the NFL.

That’s an astounding 0.666 winning percentage.

Higher than a number of active quarterbacks whom you might have heard of, Kurt Warner (0.577), Drew Brees (0.560), and Aaron Rodgers (0.462) just to name a few.

As a matter of fact, it isn’t even close.

Do you think that Drew Brees is a good quarterback, one of the very best in the league perhaps?

Well it is Vince Young who wins more often.

Heck, so does Rex Grossman (0.613).

As a matter of fact, Vince Young has a greater winning percentage than most Hall of Fame quarterbacks.

For argument’s sake, I’ll name a few…

Steve Young (0.657), Johnny Unitas (0.645), John Elway (0.643), and Dan Marino (0.613).

Yes, the sample size we have to work with is MUCH smaller.

Understand that in no way am I trying to argue that Vince Young is better than these Hall of Famers, nor do I seek to imply that people would be foolish enough to agree.

My point rather is regarding the circumstantial nature of winning in the NFL.

As stated before, you’ve heard the people who have preached “results” over “big numbers” which really means “quarterback who wins more games” over the quarterback who is more productive on the field.

Productive and Vince Young don’t fit in the same sentence.

Despite being one of the best scramblers in the game (the versatility that is said to be Young’s “X-Factor”) he has also been one of the least productive starting quarterbacks in the league.

Not compared to let’s say, a Tarvaris Jackson.

But to put Vince Young in the same breath as the Mannings, Brees, and Bradys is an insult.

Not to say that people have jumped on his bandwagon that fast this season but there was a time when this man managed to secure a trip to Hawaii (as an alternate, mind you, but still).

Interceptions are much more a specialty of Vince Young’s than touchdowns.

25 touchdowns to 34 interceptions.

Interceptions, low completion percentage and lack of production are all in a days work for Vince Young, but if you’re someone the likes of Aaron Rodgers with all of your yards, touchdowns, and less-frequent interceptions, expect to walk off the field a loser far more often than Vince Young.

So if far more productive players are winning less often, why is it that Vince Young is running around with a HOF-caliber winning percentage while others struggle to make their teams relevant?

Could it be that their running game, defense, special teams, and coaching staffs also contribute to their chances of winning?

Could it be that different players of different calibers will achieve different results playing under different circumstances?

If the “W’s” are the most telling aspect of a quarterbacks value, The Packers better offer to trade Aaron Rodgers for Vince Young right away.

I’m sure the Titans wouldn’t mind.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Peyton Manning’s Colts Edge Past Tom Brady’s Patriots in Historic Fashion: 35-34

It was one of the most satisfying victories I’ve experienced as a fan.

Not since the Colts’ 18-point comeback in the 2006 AFC Championship game have I experienced the kind of excitement that Sunday’s Colts vs. Patriots game delivered.

Much like had been the case back during that 2006 AFC Championship game, the Patriots jumped out to a substantial lead early in the game.

Logic had to tell you as a fan, the game is over.  But the magic of Peyton Manning and that Indianapolis Colts’ offense is rarely logical.

How can you come back from a 17-point deficit while Tom Brady is shredding Indianapolis’ first ranked defense?  How can you win when injuries become contagious for all three of your running-backs?  How can you win when, despite all of this, you still effectively have no running game?

And how can you win when the ball is in Tom Brady’s hands with under three minutes left on the clock?

Sometimes Colts fans, miracles just happen.

We needed a few breaks, a couple of first downs, an inspired defense, a little Peyton Manning, and a whole lot of luck.

Thankfully, we were blessed with all of the above.

Standing calmly in the eye of the storm, Peyton Manning fired the game winning touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with only 16-seconds remaining on the clock.

And so marked the 40th time that Peyton Manning has led the Colts to a fourth quarter comeback or a game winning drive (the most by any quarterback since he became active).

It should come as little surprise, but he didn’t do it alone.

The Colts defense attacked Tom Brady and created just enough pressure to give the Colts offense one last opportunity to come through at the end.

It wasn’t the cleanest victory by any means, but it was a win.

Now the Colts stand right at the top of the NFL with a 9-0 record and a two-game advantage over the second place Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) who deserve an immense amount of credit for defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier Sunday afternoon.

This also brings the Colts regular season winning streak to 18 consecutive games, tying the Patriots for the second longest streak in NFL history (the Patriots also own the number one spot with 21 consecutive victories).

Also worthy of note is the fact that Peyton Manning eclipsed the 350-touchdown pass mark with his first touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne. After tonight’s game, he brought his career total to an astounding 353.

He also became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw over 300 touchdown passes in a single decade (he became the first quarterback to throw for over 40,000 yards in a single decade last week).

Colts’ head coach Jim Caldwell also became the first head coach to start his career by winning his first nine games.

It certainly was a historic night for the Indianapolis Colts.

But walking away from watching this game hasn’t left me without respect for the enemy.

I hate the Patriots. As a matter of fact, I despise them.

But they played one hell of a football game.

Tom Brady was very sharp, and Randy Moss…what can I say?  Randy Moss is a beast who should be kicked out of every game after he eclipses 150 years, he’s simply to dangerous for words to describe.

As for Bill Belichick, whom I consider to be the worst of the bunch, he is about to take a huge load of criticism for deciding to have his offense go for it on fourth and two.

Before the decision was made, I told myself that I would much rather New England punt the ball because I felt as though they would make the conversion if they decided to go for it.

If they did convert, everyone would have praised Belichick for making such a cut-throat decision that might have very well won his team the game.

He decided that he’d rather put the ball in Tom Brady’s hands than Peyton Manning’s.

In most cases it would have worked but sometimes the other team manages to make one more play than you did.

I could write an entire book about things to criticize Belichick for but this Sunday’s fourth down decision isn’t one of them, pick on something else.

And as for Tom Brady, I have to give him credit for going and speaking with Manning after the game because I know Manning would have done the same had the situation been reversed.

Even though Brady looked about as disappointed as I’ve ever seen him, he decided to show sportsmanship instead of running off the field —kudos to you Mr. Brady.

Now, as I spit out a bit of the vomit that came up after my small amount of Brady-praise, I’ll simply conclude this article by giving credit to both teams for playing yet another outstanding game.

I hope we have the chance to meet up with them again in the postseason.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady: Why Colts Fans Can’t Stand the Patriots

On the eve of what might very well be the game of the year, the debates continue to sizzle in regards to the classic “Manning vs. Brady” situation.

And just when you might feel as though you’ve read 10 too many articles of this nature, I figured this would be the perfect time to shed some light on an old debate from a different perspective.

It is no secret that fans of each respective team don’t have much love for one another.

Some of us respect each other (I can think of a number of brilliant Patriots fans on this website alone) and I’m sure there are also plenty of us who can’t stand each other.

But before I get into the specifics, I’m going to break down the comparison between Manning and Brady as it pertains to this 2009 season thus far.

 

Peyton Manning:

221 of 313 (70.6 percent) for 2,545 yards (8.1 YPA), 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. 105.2 quarterback rating.

Tom Brady:

204 of 310 (65.8 percent) for 2,364 yards (7.6 YPA), 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. 99.2 quarterback rating.

 

Without question, both players have played at a very high level this season.

Manning should be credited for playing so well while having to throw to a number of back-up receivers and Brady should be credited for playing so well coming off of a devastating knee injury.

I could split hairs as to which set of circumstances might be more difficult to play under, which might seem unfair, but I’m going to anyway in the interest of fairness no less.

People LOVE to make things seem as trade-offs.

For instance, we often hear Manning is the “big numbers guy” while Brady is the “winner” so they are both so close that it is impossible to choose between the two.

While this is certainly not the perspective of everyone, I hear it enough that it certainly warrants mention if nothing else. But for now, I’m going to focus my attention of the various sets of circumstances that both Manning and Brady have faced this season.

Peyton Manning has played with back-up receivers in light of Anthony Gonzalez’s week one injury. Yet still, Manning has managed to be THE most productive quarterback in the entire league.

He has been backed by one of the worst rushing offenses that pro football has to offer and despite this, he has thrown only five interceptions when every defense walking earth knows that his only chance to advance on the football field is through the air.

Brady hasn’t exactly been backed by a HOF-caliber rushing attack, but his team has managed to out-rush the Colts offense 914-yards (4.1 YPC) to 683-yards (3.7 YPC).

I’d mention also the fact that Manning is playing with a rookie head coach compared to Brady who is playing with Bill Belichick (whom he has spent his entire career with) but that seems to be pretty self explanatory.

What I find to be disturbing is to watch TV and hear those points mentioned in passing as though they have little impact upon each quarterback’s playing situation.

To be fair though, we have to look at Brady’s post-surgical situation.

He has managed to play at a very high level despite having missed almost a full year of football while recovering from a serious knee injury.

This is impressive, no doubt.

But to me, not nearly as impressive as what Carson Palmer did in 2006.

He had all three ligaments in his knee torn up with a dislocated kneecap to boot, only he had half of the recovery time to work with.

Palmer did manage to come back, and he came back playing at a Pro Bowl level.

Only Palmer didn’t receive half of the attention Brady did because no matter how well he played, you sprinkle in a little bit of that 17th-ranked Bengals defense and you end up 8-8 instead of 12-4.

But I suppose that everyone is going to have their own views as to who has been playing under more difficult circumstances this season, so to each his own.

Now I’d like to get into why fans of both the Colts and Patriots tend to dislike one another (expanding upon the obvious fact that they support rival teams).

I’m going to explain why I feel that Patriots fans don’t like Manning and the Colts, but I expect most of them to disagree with my assumption.

When it comes to fans of successful teams, it is in their nature to take pride in the accolades they have achieved as well as the championships they have won.

The next logical step is to assume or feel as though their team is the absolute best that the NFL has to offer. After all, they would have to be given the fact that they won the Super Bowl.

Funny how this concept goes right out the door when talking about the 2007 season.

The New York Giants were NOT the best team that year, neither were the Colts for that matter.

The New England Patriots were by far the best team during the 2007 season and my opinion in that regard would not have changed if they won Super Bowl XLII.

They were the best regardless due to how well they played for the great majority of the entire season.

But back to where I was going with this.

If you are a fan who believes that your team is the “creme de la creme” of the NFL, it is only natural to feel as though your quarterback is also the league’s finest.

Since the quarterback is the most important position in pro football, it would only be logical to assume that the league’s best quarterback would just so happen to play right along side the league’s best team.

For many fans, simply winning the Super Bowl is not good enough.

If the league’s best quarterback isn’t winning as many championships as the guy next to him, how could he possibly be as good?

It’s a shame that so many people think this way.

The logical answer being team support.

The support of your entire team, offense, defense, special teams, coaching staff, etc. is all going to impact your quarterback’s chances of winning.

You often hear that since Manning has better receiving targets to throw to, that Manning and Brady’s chances of winning championships seem to be something of a trade-off.

Never mind the fact that the Patriots as an entire team (I’m not talking about a lone stud running back) have run for more yards, more YPC, and more touchdowns while Brady has been their quarterback compared to a Colts rushing attack (usually featuring a lone stud running back) who have ran for fewer yards, fewer YPC, and fewer touchdowns.

Then you take the defensive side of the ball (which last time I checked comprised about 50-percent of your chances of winning) which has been so much greater in the Patriots favor, it’s not even really worthy of debate.

People remember the few good Colts defensive squads (or should I say, few awesome players) and throw out the seven years of very poor defensive support, in the same way that they remember the three years (2004-06) Manning has multiple productive receiving targets (Harrison & Wayne) and ignore the fact that he’s been throwing to one lone 1,000-yard plus receiver for eight of his 11 seasons.

This is the kind of generally adopted perspective that upsets Colts fans.

People often turn a blind eye to the reality of a player’s given support in favor of something that simply sounds right.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say that Peyton Manning has played with a defense that has boasted Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders, therefore Colts fans have no reason to complain.

We have improved a lot this season but all one has to do is go back and watch games from years prior to understand exactly what I’m talking about.

Then go back and watch some of the Belichick-coached Patriots defenses of the past decade to determine just how much impact both defensive squads have on the game’s eventual outcome.

But back to the quarterback position.

You often hear, Peyton Manning is the “big numbers guy.”

If you have ever heard someone say this, you should take immediate notice of the insult masked within the statement.

“Big numbers guy” to me implies something negative.

That is why I use the term “production” because that’s what it really is. “Big numbers” is simply a simplistic way to state an aspect of much greater importance than the speaker chooses to give it.

Production accounts for how often you move your team up and down the field and how many points you put on the board.

If a quarterback like Tom Brady can move his team up and down the field less while putting fewer points on the board and still end up winning more often then the guy who moves his team up and down the field more while putting more points on the board, what does this tell you?

Think about the past paragraph for a moment, and think seriously about it.

Fans try to credit less productive players with attributes that cannot be quantified.

Why, you might ask?

Because logically, if one player is less productive than the other, you have to create reasons for which you feel him to be better than the guy who is doing more on the football field.

You can glorify “clutch” plays all you want but the reality is that a touchdown counts as six points be it in the first quarter or the fourth.

That is not to take away the value there is in coming through when you need to win the game, it’s just the degree in which people value those moments, even if the quarterback failed to produce during the rest of the game (look at Brady’s performance in Super Bowl XXXVI for a perfect example).

Think about this…

You have two quarterbacks. Both throw for three touchdowns and one interception.

One quarterback throws his lone interception in the first quarter but closes the game throwing three touchdown passes, the final one being the eventual “game-winner.”

We call this quarterback clutch.

The other quarterback throws his three touchdown passes earlier in the game but finishes the game with an interception that ended his team’s chances of victory.

We often call this quarterback a choker.

Why?

Both quarterbacks put an equal amount of points on the board.

The difference between each team’s eventual outcomes lies in the performance of other aspects of the game. The running game, the defense, and special teams.

Yet we as people tend to glorify one side and criticize the other simply because that is how the reality “seems” to most people.

To many people, it just has to sound right. It doesn’t have to be right.

It’s not that people are looking to intentionally deceive themselves; they simply know only what has become natural over a lifetime’s worth of fan-hood.

But back to the Manning vs. Brady situation.

If Tom Brady could win more while producing less, to make it seem as though the quality of support was somewhat equal is simply ridiculous.

If Peyton Manning were to suddenly throw for fewer yards and fewer touchdowns during all of these years, the Colts would have simply lost more games.

Colts fans dislike the Patriots not out of jealousy (we’ve won five out of the last six games), but because of the absurd double-standard that exists in regards to the two teams, especially in regards to the quarterbacks.

Flash back to 2007 for a moment.

Manning goes 33 of 48 for 402 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions (97.7 rating) in a losing effort to the San Diego Chargers. As a result, people say that he “choked” in a big playoff game.

The next week, Tom Brady goes 22 of 33 for 209 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions (66.3 rating) in a winning effort for which few people criticize Brady’s performance.

Yet Manning is the choke-artist while Brady is the same clutch quarterback that he had always been known for?

Heck, Manning’s team couldn’t beat a Chargers team without Philip Rivers while the Patriots faced and defeated the starting quarterback.

If Manning is moving his team up and down the field more, putting more points on the board and turning the ball over less frequently, why is it that he loses when a quarterback who moves his team up and down the field less, puts fewer points on the board and turns the ball over more frequently wins?

Again, the logical answer being team support.

Yet instances like this either in individual cases or in regards to the years that both quarterbacks have played have tended to go generally ignored in the favor of blind generalizations.

It’s easier that way.

Colts fans don’t like how the Patriots could steal signals for seven seasons only to be slapped on the wrist.

Their head coach can be crucified by the media while their quarterback (who obviously benefited by knowledge acquired through illegal means) is not even questioned by the media at all.

When was the last time anyone heard of Tom Brady having to answer for six seasons of stealing signals?

It’s not so much that it was Tom Brady’s fault as it is the fact that his legacy appears to be un-effected by the magnitude of what Spygate was.

And for every fan who has given the general “Well, every team does it” excuse, allow me to be logical for a moment.

Every reporter on the planet (even Bleacher Reporters) would love to break the next big Spygate scandal.

Especially for Patriots fans, proof of any other team doing the same would only help to better their legacy as they would no longer be the lone violators.

And it wouldn’t be hard to prove if “any” other team did it, much less “every” other team.

NFL Films records every game played every Sunday. If any other team besides New England had a camera-man pointed where he shouldn’t be, it would show up on film time after time.

Yet, two years after the Spygate story broke; even those who have been searching have failed to find evidence to support the irrational claim that “every team does it”.

So again, I’m not blaming Tom Brady for what his coaching staff did, I just feel that it is clearly relevant in regards to the context of his career.

The Patriots run if nothing else, a brilliant organization. To think that they would hire anyone to do anything that would be of “zero value” is absurd, much less hire someone to break a rule which is pretty difficult to mis-interpret (and would have been very easy to find out if one cared to check).

But I don’t want to end all of this on such a negative note.

This Sunday’s match-up looks to be promising.

Colts/Patriots games are usually filled to the brim with excitement, and this year looks to be no different.

Both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are playing at an elite level and it is rare that we get the opportunity to see two fine quarterbacks of this caliber face off.

For what it is worth, Tom Brady appears to be getting better year after year. He is in my opinion, a far greater quarterback today than he was back when he was winning championships.

Which just goes to show that there is much more to winning championships than just your quarterback.

Even if their names are Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Jay Cutler Out-Performs Ben Roethlisberger as Bears Defeat the Steelers

Chicago made a horrible decision to trade for disgruntled quarterback Jay Cutler. 
 
At least, that’s what many people were saying after the Bears 21-15 loss to the Packers during last week’s Sunday Night Football match-up. 
 
Cutler was 17 of 36 for 277 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions. 
 
That’s not exactly the performance you would expect out of a guy you traded so much for. 
 
It was almost a foregone conclusion that the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers would wipe the field with the Chicago Bears, right? 
 
If Jay Cutler performed so poorly against the same Packers defense that couldn’t stop the Bengals this week, how on earth could Cutler expect to play well against the vaunted Steelers defense? 
 
He did.
 
27 of 38 for 236 yards, 2 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. 
 
And Ben Roethlisberger? 
 
23 of 35 for 221 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interceptions. 
 
Unfortunately for Ben, his performance, which was quite similar to that of last week, was not enough to get the victory this week. 
 
As far as Mr. Cutler, he improved by leaps and bounds. 
 
The same quarterback who posted a 43.2 quarterback rating against the Packers’ defense managed to post a 104.7 rating against the Steelers defense. 
 
What made his performance all the more impressive is that he managed to pick up the victory despite being backed by only 43 team rushing yards. 
 
The Steelers racked up 105 rushing yards, but even with the balanced support to aid Roethlisberger, it was Jay Cutler who ended up driving the Bears down the field for Robbie Gould to kick the game-winning 44-yard field goal. 
 
If this was any sign of things to come for the Bears, the people of Chicago will have plenty of reason to smile this week. 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Anthony Gonzalez Injured: Should the Colts Sign Marvin Harrison?

During Sunday’s 14-12 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez suffered a strained knee ligament that should take him out of action anywhere from two to six weeks.

Which means that someone has to now fill the void that will be left in the wake of Gonzalez’s absence.

The Colts could always allow Pierre Garcon or Austin Collie to take Gonzalez’s position, or they could decide to go a different route.

Unfortunately for the Colts, it is against team policy to sign anyone who wasn’t drafted by the team.

There have been very few exceptions to this rule so they might feel as though they are pushing the envelope enough with Adam Vinatieri as it is.

Then there is Marvin Harrison.

After being released by the Colts earlier this year, he has yet to find himself a new home, and with every day that passes, I find it more and more unlikely that he will find a team to play for.

Besides in the event that a team loses a starting wide receiver to injury then…

Wait a moment, that’s exactly what we’re talking about.

Bringing Marvin Harrison back to Indianapolis might seem like a no-brainer to most people, but a number of things must happen if there is to be any chance of that.

Marvin needs to want to play, let’s make that clear right off the bat.

I have yet to see any indication that would make me think that he has any overwhelming amount of interest to still play football.

Other teams might not have been that interested in signing him, but Marvin has yet to show much interest in playing himself.

While he has always been known to be one of the most reclusive players in the league, it wouldn’t take much to deliver a sound-bite, make a public statement, or heck, even tweet.

But Marvin has been about as silent as one can be, almost to the point in which I would have to question whether or not he still exists.

Okay, that might be pushing it.

In any event, the most important aspect to this equation is whether or not the Colts are interested in Marvin Harrison.

He refused to take a pay-cut and opted to try his luck elsewhere after the end of the 2008 season.

Marvin has had no such luck.

I personally would welcome back Marvin Harrison with open arms.

He has a great deal of experience and if nothing else, could provide knowledge to our hungry young receiving core.

I am also not convinced that he has physically lost every bit of the ability that has made him the league’s second all-time leading receiver.

The thing is, no one should expect to see the Marvin Harrison of old.

Although this might be a matter of public knowledge or common sense, Marvin is not the same player he used to be.

But that’s fine; I don’t expect him to be.

I wouldn’t put it past Marvin to be able to rack up 800, 900, maybe even 1,000 yards receiving.

The single largest determining factor in this regard (provided he has a team to play for) would be Marvin’s hunger and willingness to compete.

He cannot sit on the bench depressed because he can’t catch 10 passes a game anymore.

He cannot sit on the bench looking disgusted while Reggie Wayne is torching opposing defenses.

Marvin Harrison would have to be willing to swallow his pride and contribute what he can to the team. Whatever that might be, I feel that he would be worth his asking price if he decided to get reasonable.

If Marvin Harrison were willing to come back to the Colts for a salary no larger than that of a Pierre Garcon or Austin Collie, I say that it wouldn’t hurt so long as Marvin can prove to us that he is still passionate about playing football.

That however is a pretty big “if” and it is big enough for me to question the likelihood of this event ever occurring.

While on paper it might sound good to the fans or to NFL Network’s “expert analysts”, it just doesn’t seem likely to me.

We have no idea what kind of condition the 37-year old receiver is in, we have no idea whether or not he has even trained to prepare for playing football this season, we have no idea if he would be passionate enough if he did get to play this year, and we have no idea whether or not he would be willing to play for a reasonable salary.

Being that clueless in regards to what might or might not be a good idea does not seem like solid ground to get our hopes up at this point.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Skip Bayless Fails to Substantiate His Remarks as He Insults Chad Ochocinco

As I watched today’s edition of ESPN’s 1st and 10, I was not at all surprised to see Skip Bayless insult the program’s guest, Chad Ochocinco, while failing to substantiate most of the remarks he made. 

Skip Bayless has often been known for being one of the more vocal contributors to ESPN’s programming, but I must say that I was quite disappointed to see how he carried himself on today’s episode of 1st and 10.

Sadly, I expected him to be rude and disrespectful, but even I was surprised to see the arguments he brought to the table in an effort to make a point at Ochocinco’s expense.

I had a feeling that he would decide to take the route of insulting rather than discussing, as he continued to criticize Ochocinco in a number of areas.

It should also come as little surprise that he failed to substantiate his remarks or provide evidence to support his criticisms.

What I am now going to do is break down what Bayless has said on 1st and 10 so we can take a closer look at his accusations.

“I used to be a big fan of yours, right? Going back three or four years ago. But over those past few years Chad, you have lost me because you have lost all perspective on what should really matter to you at this point in your NFL career and that is leading a team to the playoffs instead of your over-the-edge self-promotion of Chad Ochocinco.”

What I would like to know is exactly how Bayless (who has no real relationship with Ochocinco) can suddenly read his mind and come to an accurate determination as to what Ochocinco’s true perspective really is.

He claims that Ochocinco has lost perspective in regard to “leading a team to the playoffs.”

Bayless makes no mention regarding the quality of support that the other 52 men on the roster have provided, as he instead decides to blame Ochocinco for what he feels his true perspective to be.

Allow me to bring some facts to the table.

Below is a list of where the Bengals’ defense has ranked each year since Ochocinco joined the Bengals in 2001:

2001: 14th

2002: 32nd

2003: 28th

2004: 21st

2005: 22nd

2006: 17th

2007: 24th

2008: 19th

Average: 22nd

Now while I’m no mathematician, it clearly appears to me as though the quality of support the Bengals have been getting out of a unit that comprises 50 percent of their chances of victory has been poor at best.

What I would like to know is how many teams have achieved great success with a defense ranked 22nd overall?

Furthermore, I’d like to know how well (on average) a team with a defense so poor does year after year.

But in this case, Bayless has concentrated his focus on finding blame with the franchise’s most productive player of all time.

He continues his evaluation of the situation…

“And that run away self-promotion Chad has kept you from becoming the great player and I think the great leader that Michael Irvin was for those three Super Bowl teams in Dallas because I think you have that much talent, that much charisma to be a team leader in a game, Chad, that you have no idea is actually the ultimate team game.”

Bayless then said, “As you have written in your upcoming book, you live on planet Chad. You are all about twitter. You’ve closed your account now, but that’s what you’re about. Your big U-Stream, Live-Stream, whatever it is. You are about Chad and your teammates know it and it keeps your team from becoming the team that it could have become.”

Essentially, it is Bayless’ belief that Ochocinco is not the leader that Michael Irvin was in Dallas.

Now while I don’t want to speculate as to the intent he had while making that remark (because speculation seems to be Bayless’ specialty in this particular instance), I would imagine that the fact that the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s won three Super Bowls is a big part of why Bayless used Irvin’s leadership as an example.

I would like to know how successful Bayless feels that Irvin would have been if he played for the poor Bengals teams that Ochocinco has had to play for.

I would also be curious as to how well Bayless would feel those 1990s Dallas Cowboys would have played if they had Ochocinco in Irvin’s place.

I mean this as no low-blow to Michael Irvin, but Skip Bayless didn’t appear to feel that  Irvin being charged with cocaine possession and arriving to court in a full-length mink coat had any impact on his leadership qualities or his ability to not distract the team.

Meanwhile, Ochocinco’s use of Twitter and decision to wear a Hall of Fame jacket as part of a touchdown celebration are more than worthy of his criticism.

Bayless continued to add…

“Michael Irvin and Jerry Rice never promoted themselves and they were much better players than you ever hope to become. Right now Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, they do not promote themselves, you don’t hear much from them because they do it on the field.”

While comparing Ochocinco to a Hall of Famer who played 20 years ago might prove to be rather difficult, Bayless feels that Irvin was much better than Ochocinco could ever hope to be.

Meanwhile, he offers absolutely nothing to substantiate that claim.

He feels that Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald don’t promote themselves because they perform on the field.

I got news for you, so does Ochocinco.

With the exception of last year, which went bad for a number of reasons, I see little difference between the Chad Ochocinco of 2008 and the Randy Moss of 2006.

Productive players are all the better when they are surrounded with teammates close to their caliber and organizations able to succeed.

As great as Fitzgerald has been for the Arizona Cardinals, how well did he succeed in “leading his team to the playoffs” prior to last season?

The reality of the situation is that Fitzgerald has been an amazing player stuck on a very poor team (prior to the end of last season, of course).

Bayless appears to adopt the popular belief that we should blame one of a team’s most productive players if he is vocal when the team falls short of success. It’s much easier to blame one player than an entire defensive unit, for instance.

If the Bengals’ offense was paired with the Ravens’ defense, would we even be having this discussion?

Bayless’ performance on 1st and 10 should come as little surprise, although I don’t find it any less disappointing.

So long as members of the media continue to push these misconceptions down the throats of their massive audiences, we are going to continue to have masses of people adopting various beliefs without any ability to substantiate their accusations.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Do the Cincinnati Bengals Owe Chad Ochocinco an Apology for the 2008 Season?

As we all know, the Cincinnati Bengals finished with a disappointing 4-11-1 record during the 2008 season.

To make matters worse, they lost their franchise quarterback Carson Parlmer for 12 games of the year and they saw the franchise’s most productive player essentially fall off the radar.

We all know that Chad Ochocinco did not perform to his standards in 2008, but is he the only person there is to blame?

Before the 2008 season began, Ochocinco did everything within his power to attempt to get traded.

After some within the organization began to refer to him as a “cancer” who served as a distraction to the team, Ochocinco decided that he was going to allow the Bengals to own up to their claims.

The Washington Redskins even went as far as to offer the team two first-round draft picks for the disgruntled wide receiver.

The Bengals, however, declined the offer.

It’s strange that a team consisting of a number of people who wanted Ochocinco out decided that it was in its better interest to keep him.

That comes as little surprise to me as I know that it is much easier to insult and label someone than it is to back up those claims.

It was easy to blame the “loudmouth” when things did not turn out as well as they had expected in 2007.

After all, we are all taught to believe that wide receivers who love to talk are destined to rip apart the fabric of a team’s chemistry and in the process, harm their chances of winning.

Nevermind the production they bring to the table, their impact must be more than enough to compensate to the point in which the production and the package are more harmful than the lack of production that bears no package.

In Ochocinco’s case, I have yet to hear a credible defense as to how his presence created a detrimental atmosphere or damaged the team in any way, shape, or form.

But when you begin to lose more games than you win, a scapegoat often becomes the most logical option.

Is it not easier to throw the blame on the shoulders of an individual than it would be to throw the blame on the shoulders of an entire defensive unit?

We are talking about a Bengals defensive unit that averaged a ranking of 23rd from 2001 to 2007.

Now can anyone tell me how many teams have achieved great postseason success with a defensive squad ranked 23rd?

No, Ochocinco never seemed to offer criticism in that direction.

As a matter of fact, I recall Ochocinco blaming himself after a 51-45 loss to the Cleveland Browns during week two of the 2007 season.

As he reflected, “if they score 51, then it is our job to go out there and score 52.”

Without a single ill-word directed toward the defensive unit that gave up 51 points, he blamed himself for the loss despite catching 11 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns (becoming the franchise’s all-time leading receiver in the process).

The way I see it, Ochocinco played like a Hall of Famer for six years straight prior to the beginning of the 2008 season.

If the rest of his teammates performed as well as he did, the Bengals would have been a dynasty, but the reality was they didn’t.

I never seem to recall any of the defensive players being called out.

So what many people did was take the Bengals’ most productive player and find a way to blame him for their misery.

That seems to be in great contrast to what Ochocinco gave to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Not only did he become the franchises’ most productive player, he gave people a reason to care about Cincinnati Bengals football.

Suddenly, no longer were they the infamous “Bungals,” but they were a team that if nothing else, would provide a healthy dose of entertainment so long as No. 85 was on the field.

I would wager to bet that the Bengals sold more Chad Johnson jerseys since he joined the team in 2001 than they did of all their players combined from the decade prior to his arrival (1991-2000).

If revenue is what is important to a franchise, Ochocinco brought in the dinero as well.

Then, the 2008 season began after Ochocinco did everything he could to get out of what he called “a bad situation.”

Can you really blame him?

How would you feel if you played at a Hall of Fame level for the majority of your career, only to have the team accomplish nothing in the process?

If Ochocinco was drafted by the Patriots in 2001, we might be talking about him being the greatest wide receiver of all time behind Jerry Rice.

But no, he was drafted by the Bengals and produced anyway.

Ochocinco admitted to not working out hard or preparing for the 2008 season to the best of his capability.

Hence, he got injured in the preseason and was far from top form during the remainder of the regular season.

I am not of the belief that Ochocinco woke up one day without any talent. I’m also not of the belief that he has lost a step.

Ochocinco of 2008 reminds me of Randy Moss in 2006.

We saw Moss catch 42 passes for 553 yards and three touchdowns while playing for a horrible Oakland Raiders team.

Last year, we saw Ochocinco catch 53 passes for 540 yards and four touchdowns on a horrible Cincinnati Bengals team.

For those two future Hall of Famers, their performance reflected the quality of their teams and being surrounded by no chance of success motivated them to produce at a fraction of their capabilities.

We then saw Randy Moss land smack-dab in the middle of a dream team in 2007 as he went on to catch 98 passes for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Being surrounded by a team of quality players motivated Moss to play at the level he was capable of.

You can criticize these men all you want by saying that there is no excuse to ever give less than 100 percent.

That might sound good and politically correct, but every man has their limit.

So who do we blame, the player or the organization?

I can understand blaming a player for not giving their best effort, but why has it become taboo for a player to criticize an organization or their teammates for doing the same?

Only Ochocinco did not speak out on what the reality of his situation was.

He didn’t expose the organization or the rest of his teammates for what they had contributed for the group’s chances of success.

He simply asked to be removed if people within the organization felt that he was to blame for their troubles.

A year removed from Ochocinco’s protest, he appears to be back in top form and willing to contribute his best, regardless of how well the rest of his team performs in return.

The good news for both sides is that the Bengals look to be much improved and have the potential to make 2008 a distant memory, or nightmare if you will.

The real question now is if the Bengals improve and Ochocinco returns to the “Chad of old,” who will we have to credit for their success?

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Is All of the Tom Brady Fantasy Football Hype Really Justified?

With the upcoming season only a few short days away, the topic of fantasy football has become quite popular.

As too are the quarterback prospects for this 2009 season.

If you follow fantasy football, no doubt you may have seen Tom Brady ranked highly on most lists.

But is that high ranking really justified.

While it has become quite unpopular for almost anyone to offer any criticism in Mr. Brady’s direction, I prefer to take the logical approach.

Many people expect Tom Brady to be one of the most productive quarterbacks in the entire league this upcoming season.

He is expected not only to make a healthy recovery from a devastating knee injury but he is also expected to return to 2007-esque form.

But which Tom Brady are we to expect?

The Tom Brady of 2007 or the Tom Brady of 2001 to 2006?

If we are talking about the Tom Brady of 2007, we are talking about virtually the most productive season in NFL history (if we are speaking totals and not production per-game).

 

Tom Brady 2007

398 of 578 (68.9) for 4,806 yards, 50 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.

Quarterback Rating: 117.2

 

But then we have the Tom Brady who took the field for over 85-percent of his career.

How productive was he?

 

Tom Brady 2001-2006

316 of 510 (61.9) for 3,593 yards, 24.5 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Quarterback Rating: 88.5

 

The differential in production is staggering.

In 2007, Tom Brady produced 1,213 yards and 25.5 touchdowns more than his career average. His touchdown production more than doubled and his interception rate decreased by more than 38-percent.

The result was a quarterback rating 28.7 points higher than the Tom Brady who took the field for the majority of his career.

To put that into perspective, the differential between his 2007 quarterback rating and the rating he maintained for the rest of his entire career equates to the same differential between the career quarterback ratings of Joe Montana and Rick Mirer (92.3 to 63.6).

So which version of Tom Brady are we more likely to see, the Tom Brady of one single spectacular season or the Tom Brady we all knew during his Super Bowl winning seasons?

Logically, we all know that throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker is a lot easier than throwing to Troy Brown and David Patten. So I’m not saying that the circumstances are identical either.

What I am saying is that the level that Tom Brady played in 2007 was the exception to his career, not the rule.

The fact is however is that he is playing with an offense exceptionally similar to that 2007 squad.

But yet again, people tend to forget how well Brady played when we last saw him in 2007.

His final two games were also drastically different than the Tom Brady we saw during the majority of that 2007 season.

 

Tom Brady (AFC Championship & Super Bowl XLII)

51 of 81 (62.9) for 469 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Quarterback Rating: 75.6

 

The quarterback so widely known as “Mr. Clutch” did not seem to reflect that moniker during the last real action he had on the football field.

Now he is almost two years removed from regular competition and we expect to see the Tom Brady that took the field during the very small minority of his career, even despite the fact that he is playing with a surgically repaired knee?

I’m not saying that Tom Brady will not do well this season, I’m just saying that people should take a closer look at number of things before they so quickly jump to these lofty expectations on account of what in reality was, a very small percentage of his career.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Next Page »

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010