The MVP of the AFC?

Who should the MVP of the AFC be?

Well, most of you think that I'm going to taut the greatness of Tom Brady. Now, while I could make an argument as to why Brady could be the MVP that is not the intention of this post.

The rumors are flying that, should the Indianapolis Colts complete this season 16-0 that Peyton Manning should be the MVP. I highly disagree!

Do you recall any of my arguments regarding the MLB MVP debacle? The question you have to ask when determining MVP is "how would the team be doing if this person was not on it?"

Let's look at the poor, poor talent that surrounds Peyton on the Colts: For Wide Receiver, he only has Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, and Brandon Stokley. Running Back? Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes. Tight End: Dallas Clark. Not to mention Mike Vanderjaqt as the Colts kicker. With such defensive names as Dwight Freeney, Dexter Reid, and Robert Mathis! Man, with nobodies like that on his team, how do they keep winning?!

My word! You could put Jake Delhomme or Kyle Orton on that team and they'd be undefeated! MVP my BLT!

No, the MVP of the AFC should not be Peyton Manning. But here are a few good candidates:

Tom Brady: New England Patriots. Ok, I'll get him out of the way. Yes, his team is currently 7-5 and will either end the season 11-5 or 10-6 and will go to the playoffs. Why should Brady be considered? Because nearly everyone on his team is injured and yet they still lead their division (as weak as the AFC East may be.) Heath Evans? Hank Poteat? Where is Earthwind Morland (That's his real name, I didn't make that up)? With two rookies on his blind side and 0 defense Brady has hoisted the Patriots on his shoulders and is carrying them to the postseason!

Carson Palmer: Cincinnati Bengals. He leads the league with TD passes. 2nd highest passer ratings in the NFL. 2nd most passing yards. And his team has erupted to lead the division (2nd in the AFC to the "cake walk" schedule Colts) after a decade of sub .500 seasons! No really standout receivers. The Bengals don't have a lot of superstars. He is carrying his team right now!

LaDanian Tomlinson: San Diego Chargers. This player truly is my favorite for MVP. He leads the NFL in touchdowns with 19 (17 rushing, 2 receiving, and he's even tossed 2 touchdowns)! 2nd in the AFC in total rushing. (1st is Edgerin, again helping the Colts be undefeated and taking away from Peyton's MVP points) Averages 97.7 yrds per game. 2nd most 20+ yard carries in the AFC. Averages 3rd most carries per game. Highest average yards per carry for backs averaging 20 or more carries per game. This man is carrying his team!

Manning MVP? Not likely! But hey, that's just my opinion.