Mid Season Report Part 2

MVP Canidates

1. Peyton Manning QB(IND)

2. LaDainian Tomilson RB(SD)

3. Donovan McNabb QB(PHI)

4. Tiki Barber RB(NYG)

5. Julius Peppers DE(CAR)


1. Peyton Manning QB

Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL, and when it is all said and done with maybe of all-time. He is off to an amazing start this season. Not only is he playing at a MVP level every week, he is doing with so many set backs. Edgerrin James leaving last off-season really left Indy in a difficult spot. Because not only was he able to run for 1500 yards but he was a great blocking back and he could catch the ball extremely well. To fill in for Edge, the Colts have Dominic Rhodes and rookie Joesph Addai. Addai is about a year away and Rhodes....is just okay. Peyton is doing it all this season, he's doing it with his arm and his legs. So far he has led his Colts to a 6-0 start.

Manning's numbers...
169-245/1,965/66.5%/15 TDs/2 INTs/107.9 rating/2 rushTDs

2. LaDainian Tomilson RB

What more can be said about LT that hasn't already been said. He is the best runningback in the league and one of the best receiving backs also. He is one of the few players that has ran for TD, caught a TD and threw a TD. He can simply do it all. Much like Peyton, alot of pressure is on LT, because he is playing with a 1st year starter at QB and really no receivers(except Gates). He is comming off of a great game against the rams where he rushed for 183 yards and caught another 57 all for 4 TDs(3 rush, 1 pass).

Tomilson's numbers...
150 att/656 yds/9 TDs/4.4 avg/35 rec/303 yds/2 TDs

3. Donovan McNabb QB

Once again Donovan didn't get the respect that he deserves. With losing T.O., alot of "experts" said that he wouldn't have anyone to throw to. But when the Eagles went out and got Donte Stallworth from the Saints and Reggie Brown becoming the #1 receiver, he has been brilliant all year. So far, Donovan has racked up 4 300 yard games(2 for 350+) and before yesterday, Donovan has thrown for at least 2 TDs. He is my pick to win the MVP and lead the NFL in passing yards and maybe even touchdowns.

McNabb's numbers...
162-277/2,312 yds/58.5%/16 TDs/5 INTs/97.3 rating/28 att/200 yds/3 TDs


4. Tiki Barber RB

Tiki Barber is a future Hall-of-Famer in my mind. He has decided that he will retire at the end of this season and he will likely get 10,000 yards rushing, 5,000 receiving yards and 1,100 return yards. Enough said. Anyways back to this season. Barber is leading the NFL in rushing and has rushed for 100 yards in 4 games including 185 yards against Atlanta. The only downfall with Barber this year is he is yet to score a touchdown.

Barber's numbers...
155 att/715 yds/4.6 avg/29 rec/242 yds


5. Julius Peppers DE

It's very rare for a defensive player to get MVP hype(unless your named Ray Lewis) but this young man out of North Carolina deserves it. He is probably the most disruptive defensive end in the NFL today. He is a freak of an athlete, big, strong, fast and smart. A scary combination for any QB. I doubt he will win the MVP but I do think he will win the Defensive Player of the Year.

Peppers' numbers...
41.0 Tack/8.0 sacks/3 FF/4 PD


PD- Passes deflected
FF- Forced fumbles
avg- Average per carry