Not Manning, Brady or Brees: Brett Favre is the 2009 NFL MVP

The summer of 2009 could be labeled “The Summer of Brett.”

After all, the one-time Green Bay Packer and more recently New York Jet Brett Favre kept fans in several NFL cities on the edge of their seats.

With the Packers settled with Aaron Rogers, it was clear that if Favre came back at all, it wouldn’t be with the Packers.

But that didn’t mean the Packers weren’t willing to pay. In fact, the team from the frozen tundra reportedly offered Mississippi’s pride and joy a staggering 20 million dollars to just stay away from the NFL entirely. I would love a former employer to call and offer me money to not work anywhere else.

But Favre didn’t stay away.

Instead, he opted for less money and the chance to play with the Packers’ Division rival, the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota’s home dome stadium offered Brett a chance to get out of the cold for at least half of the team’s games.

And now, through 11 games, Favre has taken the Vikings from a 10-6 team that exited in the first round of the playoffs last year to a team that sits atop the Division, has a 10-1 record and finds themselves just a couple wins away from clinching a playoff spot.

Add the mindboggling statistics from the 40-year-old to the wins he has compiled this season, and it is no wonder why Favre is atop my NFL Most Valuable Player list.

That’s right. I choose Favre over Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and even the perfect Drew Brees.

Sure, Manning’s killer instinct has led the Colts to an 11-0 record—through which he has compiled 3,171 yards and 21 touchdowns.

I get that Brady is everybody’s little darling and has bounced back from last season’s devastating knee injury to pick up 20 touchdowns and rack up 3,049 yards.

Brees and the perfect Saints have been impressive and Brees’ 22 scores and 2,746 yards are quite impressive, but they don’t do it for me (and bear in mind that he is my fantasy football quarterback).

Even Chris Johnson’s eight touchdowns and 1,242 yards, that have been a huge driving force during the Tennessee Titans’ current five game winning streak, don’t equal MVP for me.

Nope, my MVP comes in the form of a 40-year-old, good ol’ boy from the South who wears Wranglers, a cut off t-shirt and a raggedy ball cap to a post-game press conference. A guy who loves taking the field so much that he can’t drag himself away from it. A guy who put his reputation on the line by choosing to play again following a drama-filled summer.

A guy who ran into Lambeau Field in Green Bay as an opposing player and took it to his former team in the form of a 38-26 score that saw him rack up 244 yards and four touchdowns.

But it was while standing in my bedroom Sunday afternoon watching Favre and the Vikings that I made my decision.

Favres’ 392 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday’s 36-10 victory over the visiting Chicago Bears spoke loud. His patience in the pocket, willingness to take a hit, and his accuracy and control this season have sealed the deal in my book.

Through 11 games, Favre has racked up 2,482 yards and has thrown 21 touchdowns. But even more impressive than his usual offensive output is the fact that Favre has put the ball in the opponent’s hands just three times this season.

Three times!

Favre, the NFL’s all-time leader in being intercepted, entered the 2009 season having averaged 17.2 interceptions a season throughout his career. Last season with the Jets he threw 22 picks—the most since his career high 29 picks in 2005. In his last year in Green Bay, 2007, he tossed 15 balls to the other team.

But get this:

Even when Favre became the only NFL player to win the MVP award three consecutive times in 1995, ’96, and ’97 he tossed 13, 13, and 16 interceptions respectively.

That’s right, when the 19 year NFL veteran was in his “prime”, leading the Packers to the Super Bowl and being a constant in the playoffs, he was prone to the interception.

Sure, there are still six games this season, but I haven’t seen anything that would indicate Favre would catch the interception bug this late in the season. In fact, ESPN.com is projecting Favre to finish with just five interceptions on the season—by far a career low (with the exception of his rookie season in 1991 in which he threw two interceptions in just two games and four passing attempts).

I don’t get a vote, but when the NFL season is complete, I see no reason why jersey number four doesn’t add MVP number four to his Mississippi mantle.