After almost ten full weeks of pro football action the competition for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is heating up. Last weekend we saw several performances that will have to be taken into consideration for the award.
Eagle’s backup quarterback Nick Foles threw his hat into the ring along with the seven (7) touchdown pass that he threw last week against the Oakland Raiders. Foles went 22 for 28 passing racking up 406 yards, without a doubt an MVP performance for the second year player out of the University of Arizona.
This week Foles and Philadelphia will have another opportunity to shine at Lambeau Field against the Packers. And best of all, in 118 pass attempts, Nick Foles has yet to throw a pick. Yet it is unlikely that Foles will make the MVP candidate short list, .unless he puts up 8 TD’s this week!
Actually, those 7 TD’s by Foles last week tied a record by yet another MVP candidate, none other than Peyton Manning. Peyton did it in the first game of the season and has been putting up extraordinary numbers this year while leading the Broncos to the top of their division. His professionalism and leadership both on and off the field makes the MVP award his to lose.
The only time that Manning and the Broncos have lost a game all year long was when they went to Indianapolis to play the Colts, Peyton’s old team. The story goes that it was Peyton himself that suggested that the Colts hire Andrew Luck. That turns out to be a bit ironic because it was Luck and the Colts who handed Manning and the Broncos their first and only defeat of the season.
No doubt Mr. Luck will be among the finalists for the NFL’s MVP. He has shown uncanny intelligence and coolness under fire that belies his relatively short time in professional football. Andrew Luck is a leader and a motivator and may well be the guy who proves to have the most longevity in the NFL. Three 4th quarter come-from-behind victories so far this year makes Luck a very valuable guy.
Any discussion of MVP’s in the NFL would be incomplete without mentioned Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. The value of Brees to the Saints organization is undeniable as it has been since he led them to victory in Super Bowl XLIV.
Other viable candidates for the MVP award include Calvin Johnson of the Lions, Jamal Charles of the Chiefs and Jimmy Graham of the Saints.
