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Manning deserves 4th MVP


But he'll have competition, likely all from other quarterbacks.

By Reggie Hayes of The News-Sentinel
 
Peyton Manning's biggest competition for the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award could be his own perennial excellence and overexposure.

 

Voters will likely choose among the Indianapolis Colts' Manning, the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees, the Minnesota Vikings' Brett Favre and maybe longer shots like the San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers or the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers.

 

Yes, those are all quarterbacks. The NFL is a quarterback's league. If you don't believe it, check out the teams that don't have a good one. You'll find them researching next year's draft.

 

I'm willing to bet that Manning, last year's MVP, will have a tough time winning again because voters will prefer a new story.

 

Consider the possible options: Brees leading the Saints to their greatest season, Favre defying age and critics (and his coach?), Rivers coming of age and Rodgers emerging from Favre's shadow. Then there's Manning, delivering his usual regular-season brilliance.

 

Manning could generate one new storyline by earning a record fourth MVP. But Favre could also win his fourth, and Manning won last year - and did I happen to mention Favre's 40?

 

Convincing arguments can be made for all candidates, but if it weren't for the factsManning won last season and he's in every third television commercial, he'd be the favorite.

 

Here's why:

 

We start with wins. Only two teams in history had reached 14-0 before the Colts: the 1972 Dolphins and the 2007 Patriots. That's elite company. If the Colts end the regular season undefeated, they'll also join the Dolphins and Patriots in that rarefied air. The undisputed leader of the Colts' run is Manning.

 

We follow up with how they've won. Seven of the Colts' wins came after trailing in thefourth quarter. Granted, there were big defensive plays during those fourth-quarter comebacks, including Melvin Bullitt's hit as Kevin Faulk caught the infamous Tom Brady pass on 4th-and-2 against the Patriots. But it was up to the Colts' offense to punch it in. In the seven comebacks, Manning directed lead-taking scoring drives of 80, 70, 61, 29, 60, 75 and 70 yards.

 

We continue to personnel. For the first time in his career, Manning no longer has his long-time target, Marvin Harrison, on the field. We easily forget, in our live-in-the-moment age, the greatness of the Manning-to-Harrison connection. They were the top scoring combo in history.

 

Harrison's presumed heir, Anthony Gonzalez, went down with an injury to open the season. That left Manning with quality receivers in wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark and a bunch of no-names. Manning took second-year player Pierre Garcon and rookie Austin Collie and turned them into reliable targets. That's the kind of behind-the-scenes work that sets Manning apart.

 

We move on to raw stats. Manning leads the NFL in passing yardage (4,213), is tied with Brees for most touchdown passes (33), ranks second to Brees in completion percentage (68.6) and ranks fifth in quarterback passer rating (101.2). That ranking would be better if it weren't for Manning's 15 interceptions. Take away tipped balls and weird ricochets, andManning's picks would be single digits.

 

Manning's 33 touchdown passes rank second in his career to the then-record 49 he threw in 2004. His completion percentage is the highest of his career. He needs 345 yards in the next two games to set his career high in passing yards. Remember, all of this is without Harrison.

 

As Manning goes, so go the Colts. They're 14-0 today. They need wins over the 7-7 Jets and 5-9 Bills to reach regular-season perfection. That's more than doable.

 

Playoffs? That remains to be seen, but the MVP is a regular-season award. And no player has been more valuable this season in winning games, comeback after comeback, than the Colts' No.18.


This column is the commentary of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel. E-mail Reggie Hayes at rhayes@news-sentinel.com.

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