NFL MVP race: Vick, Brady even (Ryan, White close behind)
Michael Vick had four touchdowns against Giants.
Matt Ryan is close to setting an NFL win record.
There are two games left in the NFL’s regular season. Other than finalizing the playoff field, the greatest debate seems to be: Who is the season’s MVP?
The way I see it, it’s a four-player race that’s still up for grabs. But right now, Tom Brady and Michael Vick are at the top, and I’ve got them even. The other two candidates: Matt Ryan and Roddy White of the Falcons.
I welcome your opinion. Also got a poll up.
Loading ...Just one thing: I was on Twitter last night and the rapper @BowWow turned moron when he Tweeted, “If @MikeVick dont get MVP the nfl and commisioner[sic] are [bleeping] racist. Who u kno can go to jail come out turn a franchise around and dominate.”
I will say this once: PLEASE let’s have a civil debate without getting into a race debate. I will grant you that a lot of folks probably hold a grudge against Vick for his past, but let’s remember that at one time he brought this city together like maybe no athlete ever has, and it wasn’t about race then. If, say, Brady wins the MVP, it’s not because the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell are racist. Sorry, Bowwow.
OK, here are my four candidates, listed in order of preference, going into the last two weeks:
1.) TOM BRADY. New England (12-2) is tied with the Falcons for the best record in the NFL. The biggest reason is Brady. He hasn’t thrown an interception since the Patriots’ fifth game against Baltimore. That’s nine straight games (283 attempts) without a pick. He’s tied for the league lead in touchdowns (31), has the fewest interceptions (four) and the highest quarterback rating (109.9). There’s also this: He and the Patriots’ offense got better after they dumped Randy Moss. Brady made Deion Branch relevant again.
1a.) MICHAEL VICK. The New York Giants’ meltdown against Philadelphia Sunday notwithstanding, is there any quarterback in the league other than Vick who could’ve orchestrated that comeback? I don’t think so. He exuded leadership and was the ultimate weapon, throwing for 242 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 130 and another score. Vick’s turnovers have picked up as he’s gotten more beat up as the season’s gone on. But if he can finish with two strong games against Minnesota and Dallas, he is MVP worthy. The biggest reason not to vote for Vick is he sat out three games and was knocked out early in another. But his body of work compensates for that.
3.) MATT RYAN. I’ve gone back and forth between Ryan and White as to who’s been more valuable this season. Right now, it’s a split vote. Ryan is closing in on an amazing achievement: He is 32-13 as a starter and with wins in the final two games can break Dan Marino’s record for most wins (33) in his first three seasons. But let’s focus on this year. Ryan’s been at his best when the game is on the line, leading several fourth-quarter comebacks. That defines a winner (and the Falcons have won eight straight and more than any team except the Patriots). Despite four interceptions in his last three games, Ryan is on the way to the best touchdown-interception ratio of his career (currently 25 to 9).
3a.) RODDY WHITE. There’s a tendency to lean toward the quarterback when picking an MVP. But White has had the best season of his career and he has made the Falcons a better offense and Ryan a better quarterback with his ability to make plays. White leads the NFL in receptions (106) and receiving yards (1,284), averaging nearly 92 yards per game. He was the reason the Falcons beat Baltimore (12 catches, 138 yards, two touchdowns) and Cincinnati (11, 201, 2). Some wondered if White was worth elite-level money when he got his last contract, but he has proven that he is. Without him, this Falcons’ offense becomes ordinary.
That’s my opinion. I welcome yours.
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593 comments Add your comment
Mr Charlie
December 21st, 2010
3:34 pm
If Vick can “lift” a team like no other, what happened in Atlanta in 2005-2006? Why was he not able to lift that team? Because, essentially it is the same team Ice lifted in 2008…..Just sayin..
big o
December 21st, 2010
3:34 pm
I don’t see how any MVP list can be compiled and not include Michael Turner.
Mr Charlie
December 21st, 2010
3:35 pm
I would have to say Brady, he did it with Defense and a bunch of rejects on offense.
how2fish
December 21st, 2010
3:36 pm
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan moron Ryan is the best QB to ever play for Atlanta and sonny I’ve seen ALL of them…3 winning seasons in a row…says it all wins are the measuring stick we go by not arm strength, style points ,size of their posse etc just wins..and Ryan is the best at this time in his career.. he will only get better.
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
3:36 pm
how did elevate his team higher, bradys team has a better record, and vick has a more talented and experienced supporting cast
how2fish
December 21st, 2010
3:37 pm
Joe Tess Fish House shut up and watch my fries..
BAMA dude
December 21st, 2010
3:38 pm
mgm, you talk about the Pats’ “system”. How many SB titles has that “system” produced without Tom Brady?
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
3:38 pm
3 rookies recieve a majority of our passes, we have two no-name running backs, and a defense that ranks last in the league in mult categories and we are 12-2. explain that
Katherine
December 21st, 2010
3:41 pm
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
3:22 pm
yes katherine. the falcons are the only team above .500 in non-conference games in the nfc south. look at their schedules, who they have played, its junk. NFC is usually a joke but I like the eagles this year. Pats/Eagles superbowl
well I guess we will see…..
Eric
December 21st, 2010
3:44 pm
Somebody explain to me please WHY Matt Ryan is NOT a legitimate MVP candidate. Does anybody think that without him the Flacons would be anywhere near this good? Anybody remember 2007? With Matt Ryan the Falcons have the best record in the NFL, are about to lock up the number one seed in the NFC (which I believe the Eagles play in) and have won 8 straight games. Ryan will at least tie Marino’s win record in the first 3 years and if you want to talk stats, Ryan has 25 passing TD’s and 3300+ passing yards which are both more than the “amazing MV7″ while still having 2 games to play!
Oh, and the Vick lovers keep bringing up Vick’s comeback (Giant’s collapse) but Matt Ryan has engineered 4th quarter comeback wins against NO, SF, Baltimore, TB, etc. The only reason the Eagles NEEDED to come back from 21 points is because the Giants were owning them through 3 quarters and then laid back thinking the game was over.
For the record, I think Brady is hands down the MVP mostly because all of his stats are better than Vick’s or Ryan’s and he’s had a much tougher schedule. Vick should and will be comeback player of the year and I love the ring of Superbow MVP for Ryan!
Katherine
December 21st, 2010
3:44 pm
Joe Tess Fish House
December 21st, 2010
3:32 pm
WHy is Katherine still here? Im sure there R dishes that need 2 be washed.
What a sad, sad little man…and I do mean little..that he is so threatened by a woman.
Mr Charlie
December 21st, 2010
3:46 pm
MV7 proved in 05-06 that he is not enough to life a team by himself. Brady has zero, zilch around him, yet they are 12-2. Carolina has a better roster than the Pats….As far as ICE for MVP, no way. He just operates the machine.
MF
December 21st, 2010
3:47 pm
Don’t think we have to worry about the MV7 fans in the Dome for the playoffs. Their welfare checks and food stamps won’t work on Stub-Hub.
Falcons!
Katherine
December 21st, 2010
3:50 pm
Here are the patriots stats:
PASSING YDS
242.5
10th
Overall
RUSHING YDS
112.5
15th
Overall
OPP PASSING YDS
263.3
30th
Overall
OPP RUSHING YDS
111.4
15th
Here are the falcons:
PASSING YDS
226.7
14th
Overall
RUSHING YDS
122.6
7th
Overall
OPP PASSING YDS
226.8
20th
Overall
OPP RUSHING YDS
106.1
12th
Overall
Pretty interesting…..
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
3:54 pm
shut up katherine, this arguement is about mvp. put ryan against brady is pure stats and bradys got him beat in every major category
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
3:56 pm
seriously i feel obligated to post again. katherine turn your computer off. your last post didnt even make sense. please go away
Katherine
December 21st, 2010
3:57 pm
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
3:54 pm
shut up katherine, this arguement is about mvp. put ryan against brady is pure stats and bradys got him beat in every major category
No I will not shut up…I am allowed to have an opinion. Brady is awesome I don’t deny that…i’m just saying that its the most valuable player to a team and I think matt ryan should be considered. rude ahole.
C'mon people
December 21st, 2010
3:58 pm
I can’t believe peopel are picking Vick over Brady, this has nothing to do with race, looks at the stats and you’ll see brady is clearly having a bteer season and msot importantly his team has a betetr record.
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
4:01 pm
that wasnt an opinion that was a copy/paste of 2 irrelevent sets of arbitrary team statistics.
Jason
December 21st, 2010
4:03 pm
I think there’s a lot of sentiment involved in picking an MVP. Michael Vick has this incredible comeback story because he spent 18 months in jail before coming to the Eagles. But that’s the very same reason that some people won’t pick him as MVP because they still see him as a dog killer.
Bernard
December 21st, 2010
4:04 pm
Mr. Michael Vick
Katherine
December 21st, 2010
4:04 pm
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
4:01 pm
that wasnt an opinion that was a copy/paste of 2 irrelevent sets of arbitrary team statistics.
Yes which I found interesting for the 2 teams in the nfl with the best records……you didn’t have to be a d**k.
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
4:05 pm
no, there’s a lot of sentiment involved in arguing on the internet. the journalists who pick will chose brady because he’s having the best statistical season with the best record and the least help
Katherine
December 21st, 2010
4:08 pm
Well the season isn’t over yet…a lot can happen in the last two games.
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
4:11 pm
yes but they dont pertain to this debate kathy. at all, you’re not making sense.
PMC
December 21st, 2010
4:11 pm
Ruff…. the Saints have 4 losses in the NFL this season. Not sure where you are getting your information.
No one is crying for Green Bay even though they aren’t remotely healthy this year. If they were they would be running away with the NFC right now.
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
4:12 pm
i’m out. we’ll see you in the superbowl vick. go pats
Damage Inc.
December 21st, 2010
4:15 pm
Anthony Thompson- wanna bet?
Johnny Fever
December 21st, 2010
4:19 pm
Matt “Choke” Ryan
December 21st, 2010
3:52 pm
The falcons are 12-2. Were is the choking? Vick did not win the game vs the giants, it was special teams. Get your facts straight!
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
4:21 pm
the falcons have had only two impressive wins all year. they have a terrible strength of schedule and the only two great teams they have played they lost to(eagles, steelers). there is no way they make the superbowl. and no i’m not going to make a bet with you
Damage Inc.
December 21st, 2010
4:22 pm
It’s amazing to still hear poeple say “considering what he’s gone through” describing vicks time away from the game. It was PRISON. Some people act like he was away serving his country. Thug nation can move to Philly with the rest of the criminals.
Damage Inc.
December 21st, 2010
4:23 pm
scared?
Fred Macmurray
December 21st, 2010
4:23 pm
Well, The great Mr Thompson has spoken,,, looks like the eagles and the pats in the superbowl,,,,cancel the rest of the games and lets get on with it…
Damage Inc.
December 21st, 2010
4:24 pm
It’s funny, I never venture to other teams/cities blogs. The AJC must put out troll feed.
Johnny Fever
December 21st, 2010
4:25 pm
facts are that any team would have to let go a player that went to jail for two years. I hated to see mv7 leave and was angry that he smoked dope and did not give his 100% for the falcons. You idiots on here want people think that he will have revenge. He did this on himself and he has paid for his crime. Leave it alone!
Anthony Thompson
December 21st, 2010
4:26 pm
no the pats d is so inconsistent i wont bet on the superbowl until we have actually gotten there. but the falcons dont have a chance. i’m not sure where all these delusions are coming from. i just took a minute to look through their schedule this year. not much to write home about
Nique
December 21st, 2010
4:30 pm
Katherine I’m a HUGE Vick fan, always have been & always will be! I am AA & yes I would still be a fan if he was white. It has nothing to do with his skin color it’s his style of play, now granted I don’t know anybody white who plays the QB position like he does, but at the same time i don’t know anyone of any skin color who does, that’s just it, Vick is truly a one of a kind QB! I don’t get why you’re asking the ?, i know you said no disrespect & I hope that’s legit, but that would be like me saying I noticed that most of the ppl who still support Big Ben are white, after raping 2 women, if he was black do you think that white people would still be supporting he like they do??? I know the answer to that question & i think you do to. But that’s just it, no one ask these kinds of questions about him….i wonder why? Nonetheless, Vick as more of a comeback of the year candidate than MVP…..seriously……please tell me that was a joke??? He’s had that award sown up for over a month now & anyone who doesn’t know that Vick is at the least the # 2 MVP candidate either obviously hasn’t been watching football or doesn’t understand it!
& for the person who said would the Eagles be that much worse with Kolb than Vick, again please tell me you were joking? Have you seen that sorry excuse for an O-line he’s playing behind? Lord knows what his stats would look like if he had the privilege to play behind the protection Tom’s able to enjoy week in & week out.
Damage Inc.
December 21st, 2010
4:31 pm
AT- really? How many playoff bound teams have the pats played?
Fred Macmurray
December 21st, 2010
4:33 pm
Without the homefield advantage the Pats wouldnt stand a chance,,, Kinda like the Falcons,,, to say the Falcons dont stand a chance with homefield is just plain stupid Mr Thompson.
Fred Macmurray
December 21st, 2010
4:34 pm
Any other stupid remarks you would like to add….
Damage Inc.
December 21st, 2010
4:34 pm
AT- do you work for espn?
Damage Inc.
December 21st, 2010
4:36 pm
AT- wow, you must be looking it up. You should have looked it up before talking trash.
Damage Inc.
December 21st, 2010
4:38 pm
Nobody down here gives a flying f about your stupid Boston Patriots. I hope they make it to the playoffs so we can knock some hair plugs out of Brady’s head.
Johnny Fever
December 21st, 2010
4:40 pm
Nique
December 21st, 2010
4:30 pm
No one did mv7 wrong except mv7. Mv7 is not a martyr and stop trying to make him into one.
Joe Tess Fish House
December 21st, 2010
4:44 pm
mon this is football women no nothing about it so why should we listen to them hear? Its getting close to supper time so U should be getting food ready. If not maye you are Rosie Odonald.
ATLFalcons3Eva
December 21st, 2010
4:47 pm
A summary of what A-hole Trent Dilfer said about the Falcons and the Saints. Taken from ESPN.com He pretty strongly said the Atlanta Falcons are not the best team in the NFL. He went on to compare them to the 2003 Kansas City Chiefs, who went 13-3 in the regular season, but promptly got bounced in the playoffs.
Then, to put the star on the top of the tree, Dilfer went on to say the Falcons are not indestructible at home. As a matter of fact, Dilfer said he thinks the New Orleans Saints can come into the Georgia Dome on Monday night and win, and he wasn’t done there. Dilfer also said the Saints could come back to the Georgia Dome in the playoffs and knock off the Falcons.
Here is the link to that interview/video: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5943160
(Note: Pretty strong stuff coming from the ONLY quarterback to win a Superbowl and still lose his starting job the very next season). What a tool he is. My reaction is this, Trent has pretty much said we would lose several other times this year (Baltimore, Bengals, Packers, Saints, and Tampa Bay) and look how that turned out. So much for “expert opinions”. Go Falcons.!
Katherine
December 21st, 2010
4:52 pm
Nique
December 21st, 2010
4:30 pm
Katherine I’m a HUGE Vick fan, always have been & always will be! I am AA & yes I would still be a fan if he was white. It has nothing to do with his skin color it’s his style of play, now granted I don’t know anybody white who plays the QB position like he does, but at the same time i don’t know anyone of any skin color who does, that’s just it, Vick is truly a one of a kind QB! I don’t get why you’re asking the ?, i know you said no disrespect & I hope that’s legit, but that would be like me saying I noticed that most of the ppl who still support Big Ben are white, after raping 2 women, if he was black do you think that white people would still be supporting he like they do??? I know the answer to that question & i think you do to. But that’s just it, no one ask these kinds of questions about him….i wonder why? Nonetheless, Vick as more of a comeback of the year candidate than MVP…..seriously……please tell me that was a joke??? He’s had that award sown up for over a month now & anyone who doesn’t know that Vick is at the least the # 2 MVP candidate either obviously hasn’t been watching football or doesn’t understand it!
& for the person who said would the Eagles be that much worse with Kolb than Vick, again please tell me you were joking? Have you seen that sorry excuse for an O-line he’s playing behind? Lord knows what his stats would look like if he had the privilege to play behind the protection Tom’s able to enjoy week in & week out.
I have no idea what you are talking about. I never said anything bad about vick…I wish him well and think everyone deserves a second chance. The only thing I said was that matt ryan deserves to be considered for the mvp as well.
Delbert D.
December 21st, 2010
4:53 pm
Dilfer is just bitter, as most people named Dilfer would be.
Katherine
December 21st, 2010
4:54 pm
Oh and yes I think Vick is a candidate for the comeback player of the year..as well as mvp. There are still two games left and anything can happen in them. Vick also missed quite a few games this season, those are some concerns. Do I think he will win it? I don’t know…maybe. Like I said, after the last two games of the season, everyone will make up their minds.
toccoabird
December 21st, 2010
4:55 pm
your poll won’t let me vote for Matt Ryan. hmmmmmmmm