The numbers were in his favor, but I still didn’t think Shaun Alexander would win the MVP over Peyton Manning. Guess I was wrong.
Looking back, it was probably kind of foolish to doubt Alexander’s chances. The Seahawks classed the NFC at 13-3 while Alexander broke the single-season TD record with 28 and led the NFL in rushing. Sounds like an MVP to me. Sure, Peyton was great and the Colts made a legitimate run at undefeated history, but he only tossed 28 touchdowns, 21 fewer than last year, and six QBs threw for more yards, including Kerry Collins. Granted, he’s not going to throw 49 TDs a year, but Manning didn’t set himself apart in any one category. Alexander did it in two.
Now, if Seattle had only won nine or 10 games, then Peyton would’ve been the better choice. And please don’t say Matt Hasselbeck’s career season (3,459 yards, 24 TD) made it easier for Alexander to shine; it’s the other way around. Everyone played the run against Seattle, which opened things up for Hasselbeck, and yet Alexander still blew up. Besides, don’t forget that Peyton had Edgerrin James (1,506 yards, 13 TD) in his backfield.
All of that said, there certainly is a strong case to be made for Manning and even Tom Brady, who finished third in the voting. But Alexander’s record-setting performance during a dominant team season makes him the logical choice. At least, I would’ve voted that way.
