Conventional wisdom says Peyton Manning is the NFL's MVP. So do his accomplishments.
But the Colts finished 12-4 last season with Manning throwing 29 touchdown passes instead of 49 — plus whatever he throws today. They will finish 12-4 or 13-3 this season and again be the third-seeded team in the AFC playoffs.
But where would Philadelphia have been without Terrell Owens?
Yes, Owens is hurt, making the Eagles' chances of getting to the Super Bowl a lot shakier. And yes, they probably would have had the best record in the horrible NFC even without him — they didn't have Owens when they got to the conference title game the last three seasons.
Still, the V in MVP is "valuable," not prolific.
Peyton is valuable, very valuable, although the $34.5 million signing bonus and his $98 million salary are part of the reason the Colts can't afford any defensive studs beyond Dwight Freeney.
Yes, he has made Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley into receivers as dangerous as Marvin Harrison. And you can argue that he's the most valuable mind: Manning called the draw to Edgerrin James for the 2-point conversion that tied the Colts' game with San Diego last weekend (Indianapolis eventually won in overtime).
He's also an exemplar of the wholesome image the NFL prefers. Owens' tempestuous times in San Francisco aren't easily forgotten. -->
T.O.'s value is not only in his own play but in opening up things for the otherwise ordinary Todd Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell and making this probably Donovan McNabb's best season.
Besides, it's fun to have an MVP who's not a quarterback; the last non-QB who won was Marshall Faulk in 2000, and quarterbacks have won it 13 times since 1987. No wide receiver has ever won it, and the last non-RB-QB to win was Lawrence Taylor in 1986. (In the ESPN-driven "now" culture, there are millions of fans who probably think "LT" is LaDainian Tomlinson.)
So even in 14 games, the MVP is . . .
TERRELL OWENS Philadelphia, who won't win the real award.
Runner-up: Manning. Honorable Mention: McNabb; Drew Brees, San Diego; Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota.
COACH OF THE YEAR
This usually goes to a man whose team does well when it's not expected.
That automatically eliminates Andy Reid and Bill Belichick, although they won it the last two seasons — Belichick in 2003 after the Pats slid from a title to 9-7 and then went 14-2; Reid in 2002.
Neither the Patriots nor the Eagles slipped this year, so it comes down to Marty Schottenheimer, who's improved the Chargers from 4-12 to 11-4, and Bill Cowher of the Steelers (6-10 to 14-1).
Arguments?
Both got lucky with QBs. Tommy Maddox was hurt in the second week, so Cowher got to play Ben Roethlisberger. Rookie Philip Rivers held out, so the Chargers had to play Brees.
Make it the guy whose team was thought to be so bad that the Manning family shunned it.
MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER, San Diego.
Runner-up: Cowher. Honorable mention: Andy Reid, Philadelphia; Belichick; Jim Mora, Atlanta; Tony Dungy, Indianapolis (see Belichick and Reid); John Fox, Carolina (for not quitting on a 1-7 team).
Special mention goes to Jim Bates, interim coach of Miami, who will be replaced by Nick Saban and his royal "We." Always beware the royal "We."
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
PEYTON MANNING, Indianapolis.
Runner-up: Manning. Honorable mention: Manning; Owens, McNabb and Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia; Brees, Antonio Gates and Tomlinson, San Diego; Culpepper; Curtis Martin, New York Jets; Jerome Bettis, Hines Wards and Alan Faneca, Pittsburgh; Tiki Barber, New York Giants; Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina; Chad Johnson, Cincinnati; Derrick Mason, Tennessee; Eric Johnson, San Francisco; James, plus the Harrison-Wayne-Stokley combo, Indianapolis.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
LB Donnie Edwards of San Diego didn't make the Pro Bowl, demonstrating how silly that voting can be. That's despite four interceptions in his last three games, which means he plays tough down the stretch, and five INTs and three forced fumbles on the season.
There are three other candidates, none named Ray Lewis, who a lot of fans and some television commentators assume is always the defensive player of the year.
One contender is Lewis' teammate, safety Ed Reed. The others are Pittsburgh's James Farrior and the Colts' Dwight Freeney.
All are deserving, and Farrior is tempting — he's been in the NFL for eight years with relatively little acclaim. Edwards has had the same experience over nine years, and he was a fourth-round pick while Farrior was a first.
DONNIE EDWARDS, San Diego
Runners-up (tie): Reed, Baltimore; Farrior, Pittsburgh. Honorable Mention: Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis; Patrick Kerney, Atlanta; Bertrand Berry, Arizona; Shaun Rogers, Detroit; Brian Dawkins and Jevon Kearse, Philadelphia; Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh; Cornelius Griffin and Antonio Pierce, Washington; Richard Seymour, Willie McGinest and Tedy Bruschi, New England.
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE
No quarterback ever has been chosen offensive rookie.
Until now.
BEN ROETHLISBERGER, Pittsburgh.
Runner-up: Michael Clayton, Tampa Bay; Honorable mention: Kevin Jones and Roy Williams, Detroit; Steven Jackson, St. Louis; Chris Cooley, Washington; Lee Evans, Buffalo; Keary Colbert, Carolina; Larry Fitzgerald and Alex Stepanovich, Arizona.
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE
There are a lot of good rookies on defense this year, especially at safety, where four guys have been real standouts: Madieu Williams of Cincinnati, Michael Boulware of Seattle, and two New Yorkers taken in the fifth round — Erik Coleman of the Jets and, until he was hurt, Gibril Wilson of the Giants. Another who deserves special mention is Randall Gay, a free agent who didn't start at cornerback at LSU last season, but did much of the year for the Patriots, who always find these players.
The winner is a Jet, their first-rounder, JONATHAN VILMA, who has provided speed at middle linebacker the team has rarely had.
Runner-up: D.J. Williams, Denver. Honorable mention: Dunta Robinson, Houston; Chris Gamble, Carolina; DeAngelo Hall, Atlanta; Jared Allen, Kansas City; Kenechi Udeze, Minnesota; Vince Wilfork, New England; Tommie Harris, Chicago; Darnell Dockett and Karlos Dansby, Arizona; Sean Taylor, Washington; and Teddy Lehman, Detroit.
COMEBACK PLAYER
Comeback from what? Injury, illness, a bad year?
MARK FIELDS, Carolina, who missed the Panthers' Super Bowl season battling cancer, gets it for a REAL comeback.
Runner-up: Willis McGahee, Buffalo (injury). Honorable Mention: Michael Vick, Atlanta (injury); T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati (injury); Drew Brees, San Diego (benching).