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2015 NFL MVP: Andy Dalton vs. Tom Brady for the Win!

By Dan Salem

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After a third of the season, we have three strong candidates for 2015 NFL MVP. Multiple surprises, all quarterbacks, and a litany of debate. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Check out more of the brothers in Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

We are in the midst of Week 6 of the NFL season, which begs the question, do we have an actual grip on the league yet? The standings seem to be taking shape, but another pertinent questions remains; who, through a third of the season, is the NFL MVP?

Important MVP caveats for football, number one: unlike baseball or other stat-driven sports, a football MVP has to be on one of the best teams. There isn’t any argument for the best player elsewhere if his team stinks.

Thus removed from MVP contention: Russell Wilson, Aaron Donald, Sean Lee, JJ Watt, Josh McCown (Weeks 4-5 only).

Important MVP caveats for football, number two: a player has to have been good for the large majority of the year (or of the five weeks in this instance). So if Josh McCown hadn’t been removed from consideration in that last group, he would fall out of contention here.

Thus removed from MVP contention: Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman.

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Important MVP caveats for football, number three: a player has to play the quarterback position. Let’s get real here.

Thus removed from MVP contention: DeMarcus Ware, Rob Gronkowski, Brandon Marshall.

That leaves us with the following group (and here’s hoping Josh McCown keeps rolling and gets his name back in the fold!): Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton, Tom Brady

So, who ya got?

Brady has the lowest QBR of the bunch, but the best touchdown-to-interception ratio and completion percentage. I think I’d slide Brady in first right now, with Dalton second and Palmer third. It’s ridiculously tight though. Good thing we have a few more weeks to settle this, and for Josh McCown to climb up the rankings.

Oct 11, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) celebrates after his team defeated the Seattle Seahawks at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated Seattle 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

Bravo, your Josh McCown humor was spot on! I’ll go as far as to say, your irony was so well placed it almost seemed like you were voting for Josh as a real NFL MVP. Lost amid the sarcasm was Aaron Rodgers, who you inexplicably eliminated with your second caveat, despite his team being undefeated without its best wide receiver.

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If winning every game is not dominance at the quarterback position over an extended period of time, then call me confused. Rodgers belongs in the final group of candidates, although he is not a serious contender right now. Matt Ryan also deserved, past tense, honorable mention in our final group, until he pooped the bed in losing to the Saints on Thursday night.

It’s hard to argue against Tom Brady as MVP right now, but I don’t like him as the winner. Yes, the Patriots are undefeated. Yes, Tom Brady is playing excellent. But he doesn’t feel most valuable to me.

I’m about to say something I NEVER thought would ever be uttered in the NFL. I believe Andy Dalton of the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals is the NFL MVP right now. The Red Rifle continues to impress me with his ability to get better, lead a team that nobody continues to believe in, and absolutely own the NFL regular season. Cincinnati still has playoff demons to overcome, but Andy Dalton and the Bengals are regular season masters. He gets my MVP vote through a third of the season.

Dan Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp, and a New York Jets Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also a Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp, a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.

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