team mvps -- panthers: beason

from espn.com...

AFC East

New England: Tom Brady, QB. Can there be any question about this one? Brady is enjoying one of the best passing seasons in NFL history and he might as well clear some space in his home for the league MVP trophy as well.

Buffalo: Jason Peters, LT. He started his career as a right tackle, but he's already made the Pro Bowl after 23 starts on the left side. How good is Peters? He allowed just two sacks through his first 14 games.

New York Jets: Leon Washington, RB-KR. He provided a fair share of the big plays for a team that hasn't had many of those this season. His performance as a returner (he scored on three kickoffs) was also as good as anybody in the NFL.

Miami: Jason Taylor, DE. A lousy season in Miami didn't stop Taylor from playing with the same spirit that earned him NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2006.

AFC North

Pittsburgh: Ben Roethlisberger, QB. After an injury-plagued, error-filled 2006 campaign, Big Ben has proven that his troubles are behind him. He's going to his first Pro Bowl because he has shown that he can handle an offense built around his strengths.

Cleveland: Derek Anderson, QB. All you have to know about Anderson is that Browns general manager Phil Savage said he "saved our season." Anderson also happens to be the most improved player in the NFL.

Cincinnati: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR. There haven't been many positives for the Bengals this season. Houshmandzadeh's career-high and league-best 103 receptions (through 15 games) -- along with his first Pro Bowl appearance -- qualifies as one of the few.

Baltimore: Ed Reed, FS. He's still the best playmaking safety in the NFL.

AFC South

Indianapolis: Reggie Wayne, WR. He's been a reliable weapon in an offense that has been plagued by injuries to its receivers. If not for Randy Moss, Wayne would've been the most dominant wideout in the AFC this year.

Jacksonville: David Garrard, QB. It looks like the Jaguars made the right call when they dumped Byron Leftwich in the preseason and gave Garrard the starting job. Through Week 16, Garrard has thrown 18 touchdown passes and just three interceptions.

Tennessee: Albert Haynesworth, DT. Talk about a turnaround. Last season Haynesworth was known as the guy who served a five-game suspension for stomping on the head of Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode. This season he has been the key variable on a defensive line that had been dominant until a hamstring injury slowed him down. If you don't double-team this guy, he dominates.

Houston: DeMeco Ryans, MLB. The 2006 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year will go to his first Pro Bowl. Something tells us he'll be back in Hawaii many times before his career ends.

AFC West
San Diego: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB. The Chargers started turning their season around when they remembered that the league's best runner operated in their backfield. Tomlinson has been unstoppable recently with three 100-yard games in the last three weeks.

Denver: Champ Bailey, CB. On a defense that disappointed for most of this season, Bailey wasn't part of the problem. That's why he's heading back to the Pro Bowl.

Kansas City: Jared Allen, DE. He put last season's alcohol problems behind him by playing like a man on a mission (his 13 ½sacks through 16 games are a career-high). The Chiefs need more players with his combination of talent and desire.

Oakland: Justin Fargas, RB. With LaMont Jordan and Dominic Rhodes in the fold, he was supposed to be an afterthought. He wound up producing his first 1,000-yard season and proving that he was Oakland's best offensive weapon.

NFC East

Dallas: Tony Romo, QB. He's answered all the questions about whether he deserved a fat extension from the Cowboys this season. Even though he can still be a little too cavalier at times, he's going to be an elite quarterback for a long time.

New York Giants: Plaxico Burress, WR. You want to talk about tough? Burress produced every Sunday despite nursing an ankle injury so painful that he couldn't practice during the week. Giants quarterback Eli Manning should be grateful he has this guy on the roster.

Washington: Sean Taylor, FS. The fans, coaches and players honored him by posthumously selecting him to the Pro Bowl. It wasn't just a nice gesture. He really had been playing that well before he died on Nov. 27 following a gunshot wound sustained in a home invasion.

Philadelphia: Brian Westbrook, RB. He's been beaten up all season, but that hasn't stopped him from producing. In fact, it's hard to remember when his diminutive size was a major reason the Eagles were concerned about his receiving as many touches as he's had this year.

NFC North

Green Bay: Brett Favre, QB. Another no-brainer. If not for Brady, Favre would be running away with the league MVP award this season.

Minnesota: Adrian Peterson, RB. He's been the most dynamic player in the Twin Cities since Randy Moss was running past hapless defenders a few years back. If not for a knee injury that cost him two games, Peterson would've broken Eric Dickerson's NFL rookie rushing record of 1,808 yards.

Detroit: Jon Kitna, QB. His prediction of 10 wins for the Lions made people snicker, but his leadership kept them competitive for much longer than most cynics expected.

Chicago: Lance Briggs, LB. He' s been of the few highlights on a team that has disappointed all season.

NFC South

Tampa Bay: Jeff Garcia, QB. He's been exactly what the Bucs hoped he'd be -- a reliable, experienced leader who will limit his mistakes. Garcia's numbers haven't been spectacular, but his presence has been invaluable.

New Orleans: Drew Brees, QB. The Saints could have crumbled after opening the season with four straight losses. Instead, Brees led them back into playoff contention with his passing.

Carolina: Jon Beason, MLB. The Panthers fell out of contention so quickly that it was easy to miss Beason's contributions. He has a bright future in this league.

Atlanta: Michael Boley, OLB. He leads the Falcons with 106 tackles and he's also added three sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions. Those would be Pro Bowl-worthy numbers on a better team.

NFC West
Seattle: Patrick Kerney, DE. Kerney signed a six-year, $39.5 million deal in the offseason and then produced a league-best 14.5 sacks. That's a pretty good return on investment.

Arizona: Larry Fitzgerald, WR. The Cardinals played the quarterback shuffle (Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner) and they lost Anquan Boldin to injury at different points of this season. None of those problems affected Fitzgerald's productivity.

San Francisco: Patrick Willis, LB. This rookie seemed to be a perfect fit on a team that employs one of the greatest middle linebackers ever (49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary). It turns out that Willis was even better than advertised as he leads the NFL in tackles.

St. Louis: Torry Holt, WR. A lot of things went wrong for a Rams offense that was ravaged by injuries to stars like quarterback Marc Bulger, running back Steven Jackson and left tackle Orlando Pace. Holt wasn't one of them.

 

i'm not so sure that i wouldn't put warner in ahead of fitzgerald for the cardinals.

 

no argument?

 

the Beast.

 

I disagree with Tom Brady as MVP of his own team, let alone the league. There is one common factor between the season scoring records...both teams had Randy Moss. Look at Culpepper without Moss. Randy Moss is hands down the MVP of that team. Welker benefits from him, the running game benefits from him, Tom Brady benefits from him. It's no coincidence that 2 of the best scoring offenses of all time both had Randy Moss. Tom Brady has had a great season, but he rarely gets hit or even hurried. His numbers are gaudy because of the rest of his team. Brett Favre is MVP of the league, leading a very young team to the 2nd best record in the NFC. His WRs are Driver and a couple of rookies and 2nd year guys making plays. Nothing even near the quality of Randy Moss or close to the running game of the Pats.

 

sadly, nobody really came to play like he did. He came in, made MLB his from the moment he stepped in, and added a lot of instinct to a defense that's lacked it. This is his defense now.

 

in ironically related news:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sp...94FA4AE3757E2A16862573BE00194835?OpenDocument

That defense is awful, though the entire team is. But it's nice to see WW is still doing well.

 

hah. dang.

 

That's crazy talk. Brady is playing at a different level from every other quarterback, including Peyton Manning. Yes, Moss has been instrumental in his success, but if you actually watch New England then you see Brady avoiding pressure, making the right reads, and delivering the ball accurately time after time. This isn't that chuck and duck offense from Minnesota. This is a precious passing attack that surpasses anything the league has ever seen.

 

factually true, but let's not get all hyperbolic -- they didn't invent a new offense. it's marginally better than some offenses of the past. manning still has more TD passes than brady. Rice still has more TD receptions than moss. the '88 vikings scored more points.

all three records can be broken this weekend, but it's not like they are doubling the records. the patriots have scored 1 more td than the '84 dolphins.

heck, rice had his 22 TDs in just TWELVE games.

fantastic offense? absolutely.



i think what the OP was saying was that take moss off the pats and put him on the colts and watch manning's numbers explode. same thing with favre. that's a legitimate argument. give any great QB one of the top WRs of all-time and their offense will look unstopable.