Yesterday marked the end of week four
in the NFL, which means we are officially a quarter of the way through the
regular season. There there, I know it’s sad, but you don’t have to cry! Dry
those eyes! Getting through a full quarter of the season means that we can
start predicting who will win awards like MVP. You’re clever, that IS why we’re
here! Starting today, I’ll have a running Redding Report MVP Watch™ to keep you
updated on who’s turning in the most valuable performances in the league (see
what I did there?). Without further ado…
1. Tom Brady- Chalk this up to a mixture
of Brady’s greatness and my overbearing bias to everything Patriots. However,
you can’t ignore the fact that Tommy Boy has led the Pats to a 4-0 start
without Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Brandon Lloyd, Danny
Woodhead, or even Danny Amendola for the most part. Last Sunday night, Brady
and his ragtag rookies, along with the newly instated running back committee,
scored 30 points in a win over the Falcons, the most points Atlanta has allowed
all year. That was not a coincidence.
2. Peyton Manning- Look, we all know
Peyton is one of the greatest regular season quarterbacks of all time, and
obviously the ridiculous blowout of the Eagles doesn’t have anyone selling his
stock, but Peyton is completely receiver dependent. I don’t believe that he is
the absolute most valuable player on that team. However, I’m almost certain
that AP completely disagrees with me.
3. Richard Sherman- It’s almost
impossible to even imagine a defensive player, much less, a cornerback, winning
the MVP award, but I think Sherman at least deserves consideration for his
efforts so far this season. Through four games, he has already managed two
clutch pick-sixes to help keep his team undefeated. That’s got to be worth
something. On a side-note, Aqib Talib has four interceptions in four games, and
is basically on pace for 16 interceptions this season. Am I getting carried
away? Sorry, just make you support Big Sherm for MVP.
4. Sean Payton- Can a coach win the MVP
award? It may be time for the NFL to set a precedent in this area, because it
is blatantly obvious that Payton is the special ingredient for this undefeated
Saints team that went 7-9 just a season ago in his absence. If not Payton, Drew
Brees is a great option as well, just saying.
5. Brian Hoyer- If Cleveland keeps
winning, don’t we have to at least entertain this possibility? The Browns
traded away what we all thought was their best offensive option, benched their
starting QB, and hasn’t lost since. The Bengals took down Green Bay last week, I’m
sure losing to the Browns was not in their plans. Also, let me just take a
moment to point out that Brian Hoyer was afforded that benefit of learning
behind Tom Brady, who happens to be #1 on this list. Go Patriots.
6. Honorable Mention- Reggie Bush looked
like he had a Trojan on his helmet this Sunday against the Bears, juking and
jumping like he did in his college days. You may have forgotten because he didn’t
play in week 2, but Bush racked up 191 total yards in Detroit’s season opener. If
he keeps this up, Bush may make it as far as #3 on this list in the near
future.
Isn’t it exciting? I can’t wait to
move player up and down the list, adding and dropping guys as the weeks go on. Soon
we’ll also take a look at the contenders for Offensive Player of the Year,
Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive/Defensive Rookie of the Year, and maybe
even some of our very own Redding Report awards! But, as Anakin said when he
and Obi-Wan got trapped in the ray shields while rescuing Chancellor Palpatine
from General Grievous’ ship, “I say patience”. Until next time!
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