So, I was doing some thinking and discussing with friends about this year's game, and the subject of the "true" MVP. Was it Peyton? Rhodes? Addai? Well, I decided to think outside the box, and I thought maybe this could have been the one year that an offensive lineman wins the award. Here is my reasoning:
1. O-linemen are in the game on every single snap, and have an important job to do on every play. QBs get to "take a play off" on handoffs, RBs sit out plays occasionally, and WRs blocking on rushing plays are not as important as OL blocking. The contributions of O-linemen are generally underappreciated.
2. The Indianapolis O-line did an exceptional job in the is game. Against a tough Chicago defense, they opened sizable holes for Addai and Rhodes, and provided good protection for Manning.
3. No "skill position" offensive player piled up the stats or made a large enough number of big plays to stand out above the rest.
4. No single defensive player had enough of an impact to be considered MVP.
So then, if I were to give somebody on the O-line MVP, who would it be? Well, Tarik Glenn missed a few big blocks, and Ryan Diem left the game with an injury. Thus, I would give to either one of the guards, or Jeff Saturday. Probably
Jeff Saturday, because making clean exchanges with Peyton was difficult in the weather conditions (the Bears obviously had some trouble with their C-QB exchanges), and Saturday also did an excellent job of blocking.
Here are other potential candidates, and the "reasoning" for them winning:
Peyton Manning: The QB touches the ball every play, he as efficient and took what the defense gave him. Forced one ball into coverage early, then learned his lesson and went short the rest of the game. Makes all the offensive play calls.
Dominic Rhodes: Led the team in rushing in a "field position" game, and wore down the Bears defense in the second half, putting the game out of reach
Joseph Addai: With the Bears playing a very deep Cover 2 defense, Addai took advantage, catching passes on short routes and picking up good gains in the ground. The overall leader in yards from scrimmage.
Kelvin Hayden: On the radio yesterday, I heard a guy saying that the MVP should go to the guy who makes the single biggest play of the game, and this was Hayden, whose Pick-6 INT put the game essentially out of reach. I totally disagree with this line of thinking. So, who's more valuable: A guy who barely plays and makes one big play, or a guy who was on the field for 81 plays and did lots of little things whose "value" probably accumulated over the course of the game and exceeded the value of Hayden's one big play? I'll take the latter.
Anthony McFarland: The much-maligned Indy rushing defense came to once again, and save for Jones's one long run, the Bears usually strong rushing game averaged only 3.1 yards per carry. Stopping the run starts from the play of the DTs, and the Colts ability to stop the run was a major reason why they won. Before the Colts went up by 12 and the Bears were forced to pass all the time, Jones and Benson had 14 combined carries, 6 of which went for 2 yards or less, and only three went for more than 4 yards (a 6-yard run, an 8-yard run, and the 52-yarder).
Adam Vinatieri: He actually scored the most points in this game (11), and the points he put on the board were basically the difference in the final score. If he hadn't missed that one before halftime, I think you could have given him serious consideration.
Linear Mode
