Editor's note: Peyton Manning won his record fourth MVP award Saturday.
By definition, Most Valuable Player is the most prestigious individual award in the National Football League.
In the past five seasons, players like Shaun Alexander, LaDainian Tomlinson, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning (more on him later) for a second and third time have taken home the top hardware. However, of those named NFL MVP, none has gone on to win the Super Bowl (the most glorious trophy in all of sports) during the corresponding postseason.
So, who will take home the title of NFL MVP following an explosive 2009 season? Should Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers be included in the discussion?
Here's a quick look at some of my frontrunners, followed by an in-depth look and explanation as to why Rodgers deserves consideration.
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning -- Finished the season with 4,500 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, a completion percentage of 68.8 and a quarterback rating of 99.9. The Colts went 14-2 during the season, but Manning was on the sideline in the second half during their two losses; the final two games of the season.
Titans running back Chris Johnson -- Became just the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards (2,006). He also recorded 11 consecutive 100-yard rushing performances to finish out the season (12 total) and scored 16 touchdowns. The Titans rebounded after a 0-6 start to finish 8-8; one victory away from being an AFC wild card playoff team.
Vikings quarterback Brett Favre -- Returned to the NFC North to throw for 4,202 yards, 33 touchdowns and a career-low seven interceptions. Also recorded 10 multiple-touchdown games and finished with a career-high quarterback rating of 107.2; the first time he has ever gone above 100 in his illustrious career. The Vikings went 12-4, and currently sit as the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers -- Very quietly became one of the top passers in the NFL as he recorded his second consecutive 4,000-plus yard season (4,254), threw for 28 touchdowns and was the only quarterback to record at least one touchdown in every game this season. The Chargers went 13-3, and are currently the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees -- Led New Orleans to a 13-0 start and threw for 4,388 yards and 34 touchdowns despite missing the entire last game of the season. Brees also recorded an NFL season-high quarterback rating of 109.6 and completed an unbelievable 70.6 percent of his passes. The Saints finished 13-3, and are the top playoff seed in the NFC.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers -- Where can you even start with Mr. Rodgers? He's had to play in the shadow of Brett Favre since No. 4 departed two seasons ago and has done so with great success, to say the least. By recording 4,434 passing yards, Rodgers became the first quarterback in NFL history to start his career with two consecutive 4,000-yard seasons. Then, there is Rodgers' 35 total touchdowns, which placed him second overall behind Brees (36). He threw seven interceptions, tying Favre for the lowest of any starting quarterback who appeared in 16 games. He also led league quarterbacks with 316 rushing yards. He was sacked 50 times, tying Ben Roethlisberger for most in the NFL.
Want more?
Rodgers led a Packers offense that averaged 28.8 points per game (third in the NFL) and scored fewer than 21 points just once (in a 17-7 victory against the Cowboys). Rodgers had an astonishing 10 games with a quarterback rating in the triple digits. The only other quarterback to accomplish this was No. 4 himself, while Manning had seven, Rivers had eight, and Brees had nine games of a 100-plus quarterback rating. And I'm not done yet.
Within the Packers' five losses, Rodgers led the offense to score 24, 23, 26, 28, and 36 points -- while the defense gave up 31, 30, 38, 38, and 37. Better yet, he recorded at least one touchdown pass and threw for at least 260 yards in each, including two games of 350-plus yards. In three of the Vikings' four losses, Favre his team to 17, 17, and 7 points, while Brees led his Saints offense to 17 and 17 points in two of their three losses.
What's my point? Even though the Packers lost five games, Rodgers held up his end of the bargain, produced consistently and showed outstanding leadership considering the circumstances.
Wait, there's more.
Zero. It's the number of other Packers offensive players who were nominated to the NFC Pro Bowl team. The Vikings are sending four, including two offensive linemen, while the Saints are sending two, both offensive linemen as well. In the AFC, the Colts are sending three besides Manning, one of whom is center Jeff Saturday, while the Chargers are sending two more, with one being guard Kris Dielman.
Now, don't get me wrong, the Packers have good supporting talent at the skill positions, including two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,200-yard rusher, but offensive line play was suspect at best early in the season, yet Rodgers was able to keep the offense going and his team contending.
The bottom line here is that it's almost impossible to argue against Peyton Manning. Everyone saw what happens when you take him out of the game, not to mention he has the statistics to lock up a fourth MVP title.
When you consider all the factors, though, Rodgers clearly has done enough this season to be mentioned in the same sentence as frontrunners like Manning, Brees and Favre.
History shows that having Rodgers come up short in the MVP voting may be a good thing and could increase the odds of the Packers winning the Super Bowl; a title that I'm sure No. 12 would much rather add to his young collection, anyway.
