We’re getting deeper into November now, and as we do the playoff races in the NFL are getting tighter. That means certain players are beginning to step up an show their mettle at crunch time, while others are quietly fading off the map a bit. Here is our updated power rankings for NFL MVP….
1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Thanks to Bill Belichick giving him a short field to work with last Sunday night, Manning once again led his team to victory to reach 9-0. But let’s not forget the Colts were trailing by 17 early in the fourth quarter before Manning led his team’s comeback.
2. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—It’s safe to say that nobody expected Brett Favre to have the highest QB rating in the NFL at this point (107.5). But there it is, with 17 touchdown passes and just 3 interceptions, and he’s led the Vikings to an 8-1 record with visions of the promised land becoming clearer.
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—He’s slipped just a little in our rankings despite his team being 9-0. It seems like each week it’s becoming more and more of a struggle for Brees and his Saints’ teammates, but until someone beats them, there’s no real reason to discount the QB’s season.
4. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals—Unfortunately, Benson left last Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh with an injury, but there is no denying his value to this upstart Bengals’ squad so far.
5. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans—Sure, his team began the season with six straight losses. But suddenly, we have to give CJ props, because his team has now won three in a row, and he leads the league in rushing (1091 yards, 121 yards per game). He also has 30 catches for 262 yards and 9 total touchdowns. He’s a threat to score from any part of the field, any time.
Honorable Mention–Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Reggie Wayne, Colts; Jared Allen, Vikings
Bill Belichick is a genius. In fact, he’s so much of a genius that he cost his team a win on Sunday night by making one of the dumbest decisions by a head coach in quite some time.
The Patriots absolutely dissected the Colts for 58 minutes tonight. Tom Brady threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns on 29-of-42 passing, while Randy Moss (nine catches, 179 yards, 2 TDs) and Wes Welker (nine catches, 94 yards) abused an injury-riddled, inexperienced secondary on their way to taking a 31-14 fourth quarter lead.
Then Peyton Manning worked his magic to cut Indy’s deficit to 34-28 with just over two minutes remaining. But all the Patriots had to do was pick up two first downs (something they had done with ease the entire night) on their ensuing possession and put the Colts away for good. Instead, Indy’s defense rose to the challenge and stopped the Pats on a 3rd and 2 from New England’s 28-yard line to force a punt.
Or what everyone thought would be a punt, that is.
Instead of punting and making Manning drive the length of the field, Belichick decided to call a time out (the second of the drive) and go for it on fourth down. What ensued was a 1-yard catch by Kevin Faulk, a controversial spot of the ball and a turnover on downs for New England. Four plays later, Manning found Reggie Wayne for a 1-yard touchdown pass to give the Colts a stunning 35-34 victory.
Now, I don’t fault Belichick for being who he is: An aggressive decision-maker and a coach that not only likes to beat his opponent, but rip their soul out of their bodies and do a tap dance number on it. That’s who he is and that’s what he does. He’s won multiple Super Bowls with that strategy and he’s not going to change his philosophy now.
But the problem with that strategy in this case is that it just wasn’t a smart football decision. Belichick has to punt the football and trust his defense in that situation by forcing Manning to drive the length of the field to win. There’s nothing wrong with being aggressive, but that was just a flat out stupid decision by a head coach that knows better.
Granted, if the Patriots picked up that first down and never gave the ball back to Manning, everyone would be lauding Belichick’s fearless style. I get that, and I don’t want to lose sight of that fact because the media can be two-faced in scenarios like these. And in Belichick’s defense, with the way his offense had been moving the ball all night, gaining a first down on 4th and 2 must have seemed like a lock and why give the ball back to Manning after he just carved up your defense the previous two drives?
But the Patriots didn’t pick up that first down and there was really no reason not to punt the football in that situation. It wasn’t like they were at midfield – they were at their own 28-yard line and if their gamble didn’t work, Belichick had to have known he was handing a win over to the Colts. Furthermore, for Belichick to burn two timeouts before making that decision and leaving himself without the option to stop the clock had his offense not picked up the first down was just as stupid.
I’ve never seen a team dominate like the Patriots did for 58 minutes, only to lose on a decision like that. New England will surely rebound and I wouldn’t doubt it if we saw these same two teams play in the AFC Championship Game in the same stadium. But nevertheless, this was an awful decision by Belichick and he cost his team tonight.
With Drew Brees and Peyton Manning leading their teams to victory again, barely, there is no good reason to drop them in the rankings here. Meanwhile, Brett Favre and Jared Allen did not play, so we held spots for them, but moved Cedric Benson up based on a second 100-yard rushing performance against the Ravens.
1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Halfway through the season, Brees and his Saints are 8-0 and have a three game lead in their division. Suffice to say, this team appears to be headed toward a first round bye, and their QB is one of the biggest reasons.
2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—After a subpar start to 2008 after knee surgery, Manning wanted to get off to a fast start this season, and he has done just that. But what might be more impressive is that after Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, he’s throwing to guys named Garcon and Collie.
3. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals—He rushed for 120 yards against the Ravens in Week 5, and 117 yards against them in Week 9. Read that back. That’s two 100 yard games against the Baltimore Ravens, and that’s just sick.
4. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—The old man still has it, much to the dismay of everyone in Northern Wisconsin. You think Ted Thompson is sleeping well lately?
5. Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings—He’s had two weeks to rest those wheels that never seem to stop moving. Next on Allen’s hit list is that poor Stafford kid in Detroit.
Honorable Mention–Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Andre Johnson, Texans, Tom Brady, Patriots; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Chris Johnson, Titans; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Michael Turner, Falcons; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Steve Smith, Giants
The race for MVP rages on at the midway point of the season, and it’s loaded with QBs, for good reason. Brees, Manning and Favre have a combined record of 21-1 and show no signs of slowing down. So we’ll give them their due, for now. Things are going to get mighty interesting, though, in the coming weeks as races get tighter and become closer to being decided, including this race for NFL MVP…..
1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Their games are getting tighter, but it’s not like the Saints just beat a bad Falcons team on Monday night. That was a tough divisional match up and the Saints just keep, you know, marching…oh, forget it.
2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—No TDs against the Niners, but Manning still had a Week 8 best of 347 yards. Plus, the Colts remain undefeated.
3. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—Okay, forget that one blemish against Pittsburgh. After another strong showing against his former team, Favre has now thrown for 1925 yards with 16 TDs and just 3 picks. And his team is 7-1. Raise your hand if you expected that kind of success.
4. Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings—Three more sacks against the Packers. Jon Gruden talked about Allen having a “motor that never stops,” and that’s pretty spot on. Allen is not just playing like defensive player of the year, he’s making a strong case for MVP.
5. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals—Sorry Cedric, but while you were on bye, Favre and Allen terrorized the Packers, and Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew racked up a bunch of yards and TDs. We’ll hold you a spot, but let’s see how you do against the Ravens this week.
Honorable Mention–Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Andre Johnson, Texans, Tom Brady, Patriots; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Chris Johnson, Titans; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Matt Schaub, Texans
In order to keep athletes safe and performing at their best during the hot summer months, Gatorade joined forces with the NFL in July to educate parents and coaches about heat-related illness and the importance of hydration. As part of Gatorade’s “Beat the Heat” program, NFL players, coaches and their wives lead hydration awareness efforts, while also raising funds for the Kendrick Fincher Memorial Foundation.
One athlete that has been working with Gatorade on its “Beat the Heat” program is Indianapolis Colts star receiver Reggie Wayne. Reggie was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to talk about his alma mater Miami beating rival Florida State on Monday night, who the toughest cornerback he’s ever faced is and what was going through his mind when Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XL back 100-yards for a touchdown.
Side Note: TSR must be a good luck charm for Reggie, because after he talked to us he caught 10 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in the Colts’ 14-12 win over the Jaguars on Sunday. Anytime, Reggie…anytime
The Scores Report: Hey, Reggie – how are you?
Reggie Wayne: What’s going on?
TSR: You still waking up from that Miami hangover from last night?
RW: Yes I am!
TSR: I know you watched it – what did you think? How’d the Canes look to you?
RW: They showed me something. They showed me that they have a little fight in them. I remember when I was there and I was playing it was so easy to say, you know what? We’re not going to win this one. (Laughs)
TSR: (Laughs) Were you impressed with their quarterback, Jacory Harris?
RW: I was, although he might have been a little too cool back there (in the pocket)!
TSR: (Laughs)
RW: I saw him play when he was younger, playing on playgrounds and things. I’ve heard a lot about him and his play at Northwestern High School, which is a good school. So it doesn’t surprise me to see him play well. In the summer time (the coaching staff) said he was ready and he showed it last night by staying poised and winning the game for them.
Peter Schrager of FOXSports.com ranked the top 99 players for the 2009 season. (Get the “9” theme? That Peter Schrager, he’s so creative…)
Here’s top 9 (Get it? Do you get? Yeah, you get it…):
9. Julius Peppers, DE, Carolina Panthers: One of the best defensive ends in the game, Peppers was the force behind the Panthers’ magical ‘08 season. Still playing his very best, he’s one of the rare defensive players that can singlehandedly will a team to victory. With a new defensive coordinator, Carolina needs him in camp sooner rather than later. That deal needs to get done.
8. Jared Allen, DE, Minnesota Vikings: An absolute beast and arguably the NFL’s best pass-rushing defensive end since Michael Strahan, Allen made an already strong Minnesota defense even stronger in ‘08. A nightmare for offensive tackles and an inspired leader in the locker room, he’s emerged from a career riddled with off-the-field mishaps to become one of the league’s very best players.
7. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints: Is No. 7 overall a little high for a player who hasn’t played in a postseason game in two years? Perhaps. But there’s no doubting Brees’ skills, leadership and ability. Brees is a top-five quarterback in the league, and with some defense — just a little tiny bit — the Saints could be a top-five team in this league.
6. DeMarcus Ware, DE/LB, Dallas Cowboys: A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, Ware is only getting better with every passing year. The loss of free-agent DE Chris Canty could hurt, but the addition of former Falcons LB Keith Brooking may actually free up Ware even more.
5. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings: A.D. had an incredible sophomore season, tossing the Vikings on his back down the stretch and carrying them to an NFC North title. There’s no player in the league who has greater big-play potential, and he brings that big-play potential 25 times a game. Hands down the best running back in the league, he will be in the MVP conversation over the next decade of his career.
4. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals: Fitzgerald is the best receiver in the league. When it’s all said and done, he might end up being the best wide receiver to ever step on a football field. Yeah, I wrote it. If ‘08 was his breakout campaign and the Super Bowl his “Hello, America” game, I can only imagine what he has in store for us in ‘09. Gifted with superhuman hands, an uncanny skill set and leadership qualities of a field general, Fitzgerald is the single-most valuable non-quarterback heading into the 2009 NFL season.
3. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Say what you want about the strength of the Super Bowl champions’ defense, but Big Ben is unquestionably the true leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With two Super Bowl rings and three AFC championship game starts in just five NFL seasons, he’s one of the top three quarterbacks in the league. Win another one and he could be No. 1 on this list next year. Kick and scream all you want about it — Roethlisberger’s the real deal.
2. Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots: Without Brady in ‘08, the Patriots had an impressive 11-5 season, just missing the playoffs by a nutty tiebreaker scenario. The ‘08 season was a testament to Bill Belichick, backup quarterback Matt Cassel and offensive guru Josh McDaniels. Two of the three won’t be back in ‘09. But Brady will be. That fact, alone, makes the Patriots the no-brainer favorite in the loaded AFC East.
1. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts: Though not the best in a statistical sense, Manning’s ‘08 campaign was arguably the most impressive season of his decorated 11-year career. Working behind a makeshift offensive line with injuries scattered across the depth chart at just about every position for much of the year — Manning led the Colts to the playoffs and another 12-win season after an uninspiring start to the season.
I don’t think you can argue much (okay, so there’s always room for arguing in sports) with his top 9, although he certainly didn’t go out on a limb in his top 5 did he? I don’t know about Peppers at No. 9 either. I know he’s in a contract year and could step it up a notch, but that’s an awfully high ranking for a player that takes his fare share of plays off during the season.
Schrager also has Shawne Merriman rated No. 19, which I think is a reach. He’s got John Abraham (who is often a one-man wrecking crew when he’s healthy) and Adrian Wilson (a massively underrated stud in Arizona’s secondary) rated No. 92 and No. 95, respectively, but he’s got Merriman (a player doctors believed may never play again after having knee surgery last year) at No. 19? Yikes.
He has several players rated way too low (No. 83 Calvin Johnson, No. 77 Chris Johnson, No. 56 Roddy White, No. 41 Reggie Wayne), and others way too high (No. 30 Ray Lewis, No. 24 Jordan Gross, No. 22 LaDainian Tomlinson, No. 16 Philip Rivers). But as with any player rankings, you can nitpick this to death.
After failing to come to terms on a restructured contract, Marvin Harrison has decided to ask the Colts to release him.
As much as the team would rather not — and Colts president Bill Polian acknowledged Sunday that it’s a tricky situation — Harrison is a luxury that Indianapolis can no longer afford.
Now that Harrison has declined to restructure his contract, the Colts have little choice but to let him and his $13.4 million salary-cap number go. It will mark the end of an illustrious 13-year career in Indianapolis, where Harrison and QB Peyton Manning formed one of the greatest quarterback-receiver tandems in NFL history.
Already the speculation about where Harrison will land is beginning. For starters, Harrison is determined to continue playing. A logical landing spot would be the receiver-needy Philadelphia Eagles, where Harrison would be reunited with his former Syracuse teammate, QB Donovan McNabb, while getting to play in the city where he lives.
This simply comes down to money. Harrison is 36 years old and the Colts already have a viable replacement at No. 2 receiver with Anthony Gonzalez. Center Jeff Saturday is expected to bolt in free agency and Indy still has holes on the defense that needs to be addressed.
I’m sure they would love to see Harrison finish his career in Indy, but he’s too expensive at this point. This is just speculation on my part, but along with Philadelphia, Jacksonville is another team that makes sense for Harrison if/when the Colts eventually release him. The Jags are always in need of wideouts and Harrison already knows the division.
NFL.com’s Adam Schefter reports that the Indianapolis Colts will cut 36-year old Marvin Harrison soon.
It’s no longer a question of if Harrison, 36, will be let go. It has become a question of when. It will happen in the coming days, certainly before the new league year starts a week from Friday, but few are sure exactly when.
But make no mistake: It is happening. The Colts no longer can afford to carry Harrison, who is scheduled to have a $13.4 million number for an Indianapolis team that is starving for more salary-cap room to deal with free-agents-to-be such as CB Kelvin Hayden.
If the Colts were to release Harrison, his $13.4 million number instantly would come off the books, saving the team $7 million against the cap. Harrison still would count $6.4 million in dead money, but more importantly, there would be the $7 million savings.
Plus, the Colts have been bracing for this day, drafting Anthony Gonzalez in the first round and grooming young WRs Roy Hall and Pierre Garcon.
This day was coming. Harrison can still play and he can still play effectively in the Colts’ offense, but this decision comes down to money. Indy can’t afford to pay a 36-year old wide receiver $13.4 million when they’ve got holes on the defensive side of the ball. Plus, Reggie Wayne is a true No. 1 and Anthony Gonzalez is more than capable of being a solid No. 2.
- For the second straight day, Colts’ wideout Reggie Wayne missed practice due to a knee injury. If he doesn’t practice Friday, there’s a good chance he won’t play against New England Sunday night. (Rotoworld.com)
- Steven Jackson’s status for Week 9 is still up in the air after being “limited” in practice on Thursday. Jackson is battling a quad injury. (Belleville News-Democrat)
- Cowboys’ TE Jason Witten will be a game-time decision this Sunday in New York. He did not practice on Thursday as he continues to nurse a rib injury. (DallasCowboys.com)
- Rookie Darren McFadden apparently has turf toe on both of his feet and isn’t expected to play Sunday against the Falcons. (ESPN)
- It might not be this week, but the Lions are expected to give Drew Stanton a shot at quarterback sometime this season according to beat writer Tom Kowalski. (Mlive.com)
The Love of Sports ranked the top 10 Miami Hurricane players currently in the NFL (with YouTube highlight clips, by the way).
2. Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver
Wayne was a rare four-year starter at Miami and set a school record with 173 career receptions. This wide receiver’s been an integral part of the Colts’ vaunted aerial attack since the team drafted him in 2001, and his receptions have increased in each of his seven seasons in the league. He was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2006 and followed it up with 104 receptions for a league-leading 1,510 yards last season. He’s recently supplanted Marvin Harrison as Peyton Manning’s favorite target and hasn’t missed a game since 2002.
1. Ed Reed, Safety
Reed set Miami’s all-time interception record while leading the Canes to a national championship in 2001. He’s now the best defensive player on a Ravens unit that’s surrendered the second-fewest yards per game this season. He reads quarterbacks as well as any safety in the league and is regularly among the league leaders in interceptions. He’s made four consecutive Pro Bowls and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2004. Good ole #20’s also a menace on special teams, where he’s blocked four punts in his career and returned one for a touchdown last season as well.
It’s amazing how many good NFL players the Canes have produced over the years.
