Adrian Peterson vs. Peyton Manning

There is a lot of talk around the NFL regarding the MVP and Comeback Player of the Year awards, and almost all of that talk centers around the same two players. Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson.

First off, let me say that what these two are doing is truly fantastic and worthy of all the talk they are getting. And secondly, I will state that since I am a Minnesotan, a Vikings fan, and an Adrian Peterson fan, this might be a little biased, but I have always been a fan of Manning too, so I will hopefully prove that I am not just your typical rube.

Let's first talk about the Comeback Player of the Year award. So far, through the first 14 games each has played this year, both players are putting up some of the best numbers in their career. Peyton has come back from an injury that sapped the strength out of his throwing arm, yet he is posting numbers that rival his two best seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. 2004 was obviously his best year, with 2005 being easily his 2nd best year, and this year he is performing just as well as he did in back '05. Granted, Peyton's main strength is his mind, and as long as he keeps putting in the film study and game study that he is a legend for, he will always be a phenomenal quarterback in this league. But having lost his arm strength, and to come back after a full season away and perform like his 2nd best season ever is truly remarkable. Now, for Adrian, he only missed 1 full game last year. And like Peyton losing his arm strength, he had his knee blown up, and you'd have to say a running back tearing up his knee is similar to a QB losing his arm strength in how it affects both of them. And where Peyton is putting up numbers that rival his 2nd best season ever, Adrian is throwing down perhaps the best season ever by a running-back. He is currently ahead of the pace Eric Dickerson set in his record breaking season way back in 1984. Now, the medical field in all of it's advancing technologies has made it possible where tearing up a knee usually only takes about 9-months to come back from. However, most athletes say it still takes an additional year to start feeling like their original selves again. Adrian has said screw that additional year and is making his previous seasons (which have been excellent) look pedestrian. Both players have very similar stories here, which is why this is such a highly debated topic in the NFL. With everything said above, I'm going to have to say I'd give the Comeback Player award to Peyton this year, simply for the reason that he had to sit out a full season.

Now lets talk about the MVP award. Peyton went to the Denver Broncos during the off-season. A team that won it's division last season with Tim Tebow at quarterback. Let's let that sink in for a bit. The Broncos were good enough last year to win their division with Tim Tebow at quarterback, a guy that can't even unseat Mark Sanchez. Adrian Peterson is the ONLY option on the Vikings. Every defensive coordinator, every opposing defensive player, every fan at the stadium, every fan with their ass glued to their couch knows Peterson is going to be handed the ball. And he is still putting up the best season in NFL history. You take Manning off the Broncos, they are still the AFC West Division Champs. You take Adrian Peterson off the Vikings, and they are looking for their 3rd win instead of exceeding all expectation laid upon the team heading into the season. As tough as a decision the Comeback Player award is, the MVP award HAS top go to Adrian Peterson this year.

Where Will Tebow Go?

I can't remember ever seeing anything like this Tim Tebow "phenomenon" that is going on now with the draft just one day away. Most people know the story by now. When it comes to the intangibles (leadership, desire to win, coachability, on/off field personality), every team in the league would take him with the first pick in the draft. But despite having better college numbers than, say, either of the Mannings, no one wants to waste a pick on him as a QB.

So where does that leave us? Let's look at the teams that absolutely do not need a QB right now. New Orleans (Brees), San Diego (Rivers), Dallas (Romo), Green Bay (Rogers), NY Giants (Eli), Atlanta (Ryan), Baltimore (Flacco), NY Jets (Sanchez) and Detroit (Stafford).

I left a couple of teams off that list that might surprise most. Indianapolis and New England. These two teams obviously have two of the best QB's in the game in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Peyton is 34, and Brady, while only 32, has been getting beat up recently. Both of these teams have been outstanding at finding and drafting talent in the later rounds of the draft, and both of these teams could afford to draft Tebow and let him learn behind two of the best QB's ever for a few years.

How about some teams that are absolutely horrible in their QB situation that really can't sit around and wait for Tebow to develop? Buffalo (Brian Brohm), Oakland (Gradowski) and San Francisco (Smith).

OK, so that is now 12-teams that I'm pretty sure wouldn't draft Tebow unless he was still sitting there in the 4th round.

As for the other teams in the league, here's how I think they'd play it (listed in order of when they draft, and excluding the teams I've already mentioned).

St. Louis Rams: If they don't take Stafford with their first pick and go with Suh, the Rams would have to take a QB with their 2nd pick, but I'm not sure they'd go with Tebow just based on how they need a QB NOW.

Tampa Bay Bucs: They seem to be pretty set on seeing what Freeman can do, so I don't see them taking Tebow.

Washington Redskins: Now this is an intriguing pick. Again, I don't think they'd do it first round, but could see it happen with their 2nd round pick. They have McNabb to hold down the fort for a few years and then hand over the franchise to Tebow.

Kansas City Chiefs: This team is kind of in no-mans land with their QB situation. There are too many questions around Cassel, and I think in that situation you don't bring in a player like Tebow.

Seattle Seahawks: This is a team that I believe might be aggressive in getting Tebow. I don't have anything to base this on other than a gut feeling. Matt Hasselback is on his last legs and might be able to squeeze one or two more years out. And with Pete Carrol coming in, I could really see this team take Tebow and give Carrol a couple of years to teach this kid the ropes of the position. The fact that they have the 6th AND 14th picks in the first round, I might actually be surprised if they don't take Tebow with that 14 pick.

Cleveland Browns: It's no secret that this team has a pretty shitty QB situation. It's also no secret that Mike Holmgren loves Tebow as a football player. The Browns have Jake Delhomme at QB right now, and just like Seattle, they could let Tebow learn for a year behind Delhomme. Their issue is do you take Tebow with the 7th pick, or hope he is still there for their 2nd round pick? I'd guess here that if the Browns want him, they will try to trade down to the last third of the first round, get another draft pick in the process and take Tebow there.

Oakland Raiders: This team is in such a disarray, I'd hate to see Tebow end up here. The Raiders have so many holes to fill, most people would think they'd focus on players that could help this year. But if any team is a wildcard in all of this, it's Al Davis and his Raiders. After all, when was the last time this team made a good pick in the first round?

Jacksonville Jaguars: With David Garrard as their starting QB, this team very much could use an upgrade at the position. And with the Florida ties, a lot of people are saying this could be a good fit. I'm not so sure with this one though. If you want your young QB to learn the mechanics of the position, do you really want him learning from Garrard?

Denver Broncos: This team does need an upgrade at QB, but with two young guys still trying to prove themselves (Orton and Quinn), adding a 3rd project at QB would be a messy situation.

Miami Dolphins: I might have just missed seeing it, but I have not seen much talk about Tebow and the Dolphins. But I think this is a pretty good fit here. No team excels like the Dolphins do in running the Wildcat, and just think how much better it could be with Tebow, an actual QB taking the snap? He has the rushing skills to just take off with the ball, and his current QB skills would open up the ability to pass out of the formation. The Dolphins currently have a young QB with Chad Henne, but the book is still out on him. I think Parcells is drooling over the chance to add Tebow to his roster. This might be a place where a 1st round pick makes sense.

Pittsburgh Steelers: This teams only QB issue is 'character'. For an owner like Rooney who takes pride in having a 'family' atmosphere in his team, these incidents by Ben Roethlisberger, one would think that he'd love to get someone like Tebow on his team. But Rooney lets his front office guys handle things so I don't see the Steelers taking Tebow just to get a character guy.

Cincinnati Bengals: This is another team I could see going after Tebow. Carson Palmer has been heading in the wrong direction, and the team will probably address the QB position. My thoughts with this team is they will go after Clausen in the first round instead of Tebow.

New England Patriots: As I mentioned above, I could see them taking Tebow, but not with their current first round pick. Watch out for any moves by this team trying to slide up in the 2nd round.

Philadelphia Eagles: This is a team in a transition phase. They have let a lot of big names go this offseason. I'm not saying it's a rebuilding year because they still seem to have a strong team, but I don't see them bringing in a QB in this draft.

Arizona Cardinals: This team needs to let Leinart develop and play this year so they can see what he can do. Adding any QB would be a bad decision for the Cardinals this year.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have an above average QB in Tony Romo, and the only thing keeping him from being a top-tier QB is consistency. When he is on, it's VERY tough to stop him, so there is no need for Dallas to look at a QB right now.

Minnesota Vikings: This is one spot where taking Tebow actually makes sense. Tebow could watch and learn with Favre for a year, and possibly get some playing time in short-yardage or 'wildcat' formations.

When it comes down to it, this is my top three spots I think Tebow could end up:

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Miami Dolphins (If they trade down)
3. New England Patriots.

My Futile 2009 NFL Divisional Round Playoffs Prediction

Before I start rambling on about my thoughts on these games, I have something I need to get off my chest. And that something is this: Why the HELL do people bet money on these games? I mean, would these people also drop a few Benjamin's on a coin flip? I'm looking at all four of these games and its very easy to make a case for all eight teams winning this weekend. But yet billions of dollars are changing hands betting on these games. I know I'm here making an attempt at predicting these games but trust me, in no way would I even bet $1 on these games.

Especially after my prediction last week that New England would make it to the Super Bowl.

(That sound you just heard was a rush of people leaving this blog)

All four games this weekend are outstanding match ups. It's not just eight good teams playing football this weekend. The way those eight teams match up with their opponents are absolutely perfect.

Case in point, lets discuss the New York Jets at San Diego Chargers game. This game has by far the best defense in the AFC against by far the best offence in the AFC. These two teams also have the top two W/L records over the last five weeks of the season. The Jets 'D' is just sick. Darrelle Revis is by far the best cover corner in the league. Unfortunately for the Jets, San Diego doesn't have a #1 WR for him to shut down. San Diego simply has too many weapons on offence, and Philip Rivers uses them all. Everyone is all over San Diego this week. They did close out the year on that amazing 11-game win streak. Despite that I really want to pick the Jets. But I won't. Wait... yes I will. New York wins by 3. 27-24.

The next game I'll talk about is the Arizona Cardinals at the New Orleans Saints. I'll start off by saying this: As a Vikings fan, I would LOVE to have Ken Whisenhunt as our coach. I think he's fast becoming one of the best coaches in the league. But, in saying that, he's coaching by far the most unpredictable team in the league. When he has his team on top of their game, they can beat anybody. But when they are not on top of their game... phew, they stink. Kind of the same thing as New Orleans. They looked outstanding starting off the season 13-0. And then... man, did they stink those last three games. Here's my take on the Saints. If Drew Brees takes their offense and puts up a couple of quick scores, forget about it. That puts their defense in position to do what they do best, which is create havoc for the opponents QB's. But outside of that, if they are in a close game, I don't think their D can stop any of the teams left in the playoffs. Which also leads me to say I believe these are the two worst teams left in the playoffs. Not that that's a bad thing, but they are. The winner of this one? If Arizona couldn't stop Aaron Rogers last week, no way can they stop Drew Brees. New Orleans wins 38-23.

Now lets talk about the Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts game. Are the fans in Baltimore over the Colts leaving them yet, or is this game festering in all of their hearts? OK, just like the other AFC game, we have one team with a shut-down defense (Baltimore) playing on the road against a team that can light it up (Indy). Up until their coach pulled the starters in week #15, Indy was unbeatable. Not only were they looking unbeatable, but they were also winning close games, which is a good lesson to learn come playoff time. Despite the turnover in coaches and players the Colts went through, Peyton Manning just knows how to make his team win. Baltimore looked outstanding in knocking the Patriots out of the playoffs last week. But outside of that huge victory last week, take a look at Baltimore's record against this years playoff teams: 1-7. That's why I'm going with the Colts this week. Baltimore played out of their minds last week and I don't think they can do it again. Indy wins 23-21.

And finally, lets talk about not only the game I'm most looking forward to, but the game that I believe features the two best teams playing this weekend. The Dallas Cowboys at the Minnesota Vikings. This game might be one of the best playoff games we've seen in a long time. Being a Viking fan that hates the Cowboys WAY more than the arch-rival Packers (dating back to the Drew Person out of bounds catch and push-off game), it pains me to say that the Cowboys are the only team left in the playoffs that scare me. I'm not saying any of the other teams left couldn't beat the Vikings, the other teams just don't scare me. The thing that makes this match up so good is how evenly matched these two teams are. Two teams that can dominate the physical game. Two teams that have enough skill players to score at a moments notice. Two teams that can stuff the run as good as anyone in the league. And two teams that have fans wishing for better coaches despite their successes this year. For all the national talk about how DeMarcus Ware will eat up Bryant McKinnie, it's laughable that no one is talking about the other side of the ball. Jared Allen gets to tee off on Flozell Adams, the most penalized tackle in the game, and a player that has obviously lost a step or two. I obviously hope the Vikings win, but nothing will surprise me with this game except for it not going down to the last play of the game. Since this is my prediction report, I have to call it, and I'm going to say Brett Favre carries the Vikings to a victory. Vikings 23, Dallas 21.

Enjoy the games. This should be a great weekend of watching football.