Is Peyton Manning the Most Valuable Player in the NFL? Yes.

As the 2011 NFL season draws closer and closer, the biggest story out there is the health of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning, who has started 208 regular season games in a row since his rookie debut in 1998, is battling back to the gridiron after neck surgery in the off season. Most NFL fans would be quick to bet money in the off season that Manning would be the starter on opening day (9/11 @ Houston), however this past Tuesday the Colts went out and signed veteran quarterback Kerry Collins as an insurance policy in case that Manning’s rehab was not going as previously thought.

The signing of Collins has sent a shockwave throughout the sports world, with many media outlets speculating that not only will Manning’s consecutive start streak end on week 1, but also that the “Manning Era” for the Colts was coming to an end. It is this thought that has gotten me thinking, is Peyton Manning the most valuable player in the NFL?

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To answer this, you first have to look at the team around Manning. Throughout his career, Manning has played with great players such as Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai. Although these players have all put up great numbers throughout their respected careers, they would have been nothing without Manning. James benefited as a running back from defenses playing against the pass, and the lethal Manning play-action-fake gave James an extra step on defenders when he actually did touch the ball.

Marvin Harrison, the third member of the Colts early 2000s dynastic three-headed monster never even landed with another team after leaving Indianapolis in 2008. Manning has taken undrafted free agents like Pierre Garcon and turned them into pro bowl caliber receivers. This is not a knock against the skills of Garcon or any of the other previously mentioned players, its just proof that Manning makes the people around him that much better.

The most perfect way to determine how valuable a player is to a team is by seeing how the team does without that player (try saying that 5x fast). There is not much regular season data to determine what the Colts would be like without Peyton Manning, but just look at how Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky did running the offense throughout this pre-season. Also, if you want a small sample of regular season data, the quarter and a half of football Painter played against the Jets in week 16 of 2009 (4-11 for 44 yards and an interception). If that’s not convincing enough, take the 141-67 (.678) record the Colts have amassed since 1998 (not to mention those two Super Bowl appearances [1-1]).

Opposing NFL fans will be quick to pull the trigger and say that Tom Brady is a better quarterback than Manning (that’s a whole other article in itself). However, there is just no way that Brady is more valuable to his team than Manning. After Brady injured his knee and missed all but two quarters of the 2008 season, Matt Cassel stepped in and led the Patriots to an 11-5 record and near playoff birth. Now, I’m not going anywhere saying that Cassel and Brady are on the same level, but the Patriots sans quarterback have a better team than the Colts, with the likes of Wes Welker and (then) Randy Moss, which greatly helped Cassel and Brady succeed even greater as quarterbacks. Put 2008-Matt Cassel on the Colts with wide receivers like Austin Collie, Anthony Gonzalez, and even Reggie Wayne and he is not coming close to 11 wins.

Whether the “Manning Era” ends this season or four more from now, he will still go down as one of the top 3 best quarterbacks in the history of football. Because of Manning, the Colts put together the best record in football from 2000-2010, they won one Super Bowl in two tries, and he’s made pro bowlers out of players named James, Harrison, and Addai. He has the stats and the trophies, but when it is all said and done Peyton Manning will be able to say that he was also the most valuable player in the NFL for the years that he played. Now, whose excited for the Kerry Collins-led 2011 Indianapolis Colts! Week one can’t come soon enough.