Chad Pennington Should Have Won Most Improved Player
And just like that, we registered our first correct pick of the playoff season. It only took us four fucking games to do so. Now that, my friends, is a resume builder. If in the next three years we’re not cleaning streets for a living, then this country deserves all the misfortune it’s currently receiving.
Speaking of which, you know what was really unfortunate? Having to sit through that Miami-Baltimore game. Or rather, sitting through the Miami-Baltimore game because you’re too lazy to do anything else and someone in your house is already watching it. What an eyesore. At the very least can’t we all agree that Chad Pennington finishing tied for second in MVP voting is utter bullshit. He had a nice season and all, was the second highest rated passer in the league and was integral to leading a 1-15 team from a year ago to an 11-5 season. On the other hand he threw for 17-8, his passer rating was 97 and the team’s offense was primarily ground oriented. These are not the makings of someone who should be in serious contention for MVP.
A nice, efficient season can get you in the running for MVP. If you're a quarterback.
Look, he had a nice season and competition for MVP was fairly paltry in 2008. Virtually everyone who had a chance at it either played themselves out of contention or their teams did it for them (Clinton Portis, Drew Brees, Kurt Warner, Jay Cutler, etc.) and the award was given to Manning by default. But if we’re going to start putting quarterbacks in the running solely because they never fucked anything up significantly, then we might as well have named Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson MVP’s of their respective Superbowl victories. I mean, they are the quarterback’s, that’s the most important position.
Really this is all moot because Manning won in a landslide. And let me state that I believe it is very much deserved (though I don’t know why these awards are only for the regular season). But when Pennington can get more votes than Adrian Peterson, who put the offense on his back and carried them into the playoffs with over 1,800 yards of total offense and Gus Ferotte and Tavaris Jackson doing nothing to distract opposing defenses from him, something is wrong.
I am of the opinion that running backs are easily replaceable, expendable commodities. But Peterson is a game changer and proved it throughout the course of the season. They’ve staged fourth quarter comebacks just by handing him the ball. Do you know how rare that is? Do not give me the fumbles statistic, either. He only lost four of them (nine total), and that’s in part that his team is so reliant on his production. Let me put it this way, if you’re a (fill in mediocre NFL team here) fan you don’t want Peterson because of his four lost fumbles, then you deserve to watch your team lose.
Basically what this vote says, is that no running back will be eligible for the MVP until he goes over 2,000 yards rushing. If Terrell Owens couldn’t come within an inch of winning the award in his first year with the Eagles then no receiver has a realistic shot. No lineman or defensive player has even sniffed the MVP, much less actually win it (we wouldn’t have complained if Jerome Harrison had won). So basically what we’re looking at is an award for best player of the year being specifically for quarterbacks. We’ll see if statistical production is improved throughout the league next season and if that has any effect on league perspective, but if this proves to be emblematic I’m really going to dislike the trend.
Back with recaps of the two games later.
January 5th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
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