Never too Early: MVP Candidates Through Week 5

Who said it was too early to look forward to the Most Valuable Player of the 2012 season? It's never too early to talk MVP! Through five weeks of play there are numerous players in the running for the league's most coveted individual award. Here are All-Out Blitz's nominees:

Matt Ryan, ATL: 68.3%, 1,507 yards, 13 TD, 3 INT, 106.1 rating

Ryan has struggled to stay consistent, especially in the postseason, in recent seasons. But from the looks of the Atlanta offense this season, 2012 could end up being Matt Ryan's time to shine. Obviously the Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees' will still be in the hunt for the MVP, but I decided to keep Ryan as the only quarterback on this list. The signal caller of one of two remaining undefeated squads, Ryan has played near-perfect football and has possibly created one of the best trios (Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones) in the league right now.

Jamaal Charles, KC: 551 yards, 2 TDs, 5.4 Y/C

One year after suffering a season-ending ACL, Charles has broken out as the league's leading rusher. His three total TDs (2 rushing; 1 receiving) doesn't top the charts, but 5.4 Y/C and a league-best five runs of 20+ yards certainly gives the Chiefs an edge over the opponent and, with Matt Cassel struggling under center, Charles has been carrying the load for Kansas City.

Arian Foster, HOU: 532, 5 TDs, 4.0 Y/C

Fitting that the top two leading rushers are the two backs to crack the list of top MVP candidates, but I didn't just look at the top of the stat list to make these choices. Foster, despite his 4.0 yards per carry, has helped Houston's offense immensely. Thanks to his 106.4 yards per game and 5 rushing TDs (in addition to 1 through the air), Houston has managed to stay balanced on offense and put up nearly 30 points per game.

A.J. Green, CIN: 36 Rec., 493 yards, 4 TD

There are other wideouts out there that could be substituted in for Green, but I give the second-year receiver the edge over guys such as Victor Cruz, Wes Welker and Reggie Wayne. Sure Brian Hartline and Demaryius Thomas each have better numbers than Green, but do you really expect them to keep up this pace? Green, on the other hand, is quickly blossoming into a superstar wide receiver before our eyes. And the crazy thing is, he's in just his second season with a second-year quarterback in Andy Dalton throwing him passes. If he can keep up the numbers throughout the season, especially against teams such as Baltimore and Pittsburgh within the North, it would be a well-deserved MVP.

J.J. Watt, HOU: 26 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 8 PD, 2 FR

In just his second professional season, Watt is leading the league's 4th overall scoring defense. Fellow Houston Texan Brian Cushing has been lost for the season after tearing his ACL on Monday night, but the crazy thing is they may not even skip a beat. Watt is making an impact in every aspect on defense, recording 26 tackles and a league-leading 8.5 sacks. His 8 passes defensed ranks at No. 3 (tied with five others) among a group of cornerbacks and safeties. Coming off the edge, Watt will make an impact in some sort, whether it's getting to the quarterback or disrupting the play by throwing up his huge hands and knocking the ball down. Just an overall impressive first five games.

Clay Matthews III, GB: 21 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 1 PD, 1 FF

Matthews is having a great start to the season, on pace to top his career-high 13.5 sacks set in 2010, his second season in the league. Yet he's still five tackles, a half a sack and seven passes defensed behind Houston's Watt. Defenders don't win the MVP very often at all, but if I were to choose two defenders that could compete for it this season, it would be Watt and Matthews (in that order). The 26-year old Matthews is as scary as ever.

Other top performers by position:

Quarterback

Drew Brees, NO

Eli Manning, NYG

Aaron Rodgers, GB

Tom Brady, NE

Running back

Frank Gore, SF

Alfred Morris, WAS

LeSean McCoy, PHI

Stevan Ridley, NE

Wide receiver

Demaryius Thomas, DEN

Brandon Marshall, CHI

Reggie Wayne, IND

Marques Colson, NO

Note: The last non-QB/RB to win the Associated Press Most Valuable Player award was LB Lawrence Taylor in 1986. Since the award started in 1957, there have been just three non-QB/RB winners of the award (Taylor, Washington PK Mark Moseley in 1982 and Minnesota DT Alan Page in 1971). So, a wideout has never won and only two defenders have ever been awarded an MVP award.

What does this mean? Well, basically we can eliminate A.J. Green, J.J. Watt and Clay Matthews. Unless of course they end up tripling their current numbers by the end of the season––and even if Green did so, he still probably wouldn't have numbers good enough to compete.

Our Early Favorite: Matt Ryan

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Houston Texans Free Agency Frenzy: Who Will Stay and Who will go?

Today marks the first day that NFL teams can place the franchise tag on one of their free agent players this offseason. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that every team will place the tag on a player today, because they have until the beginning of March to do so. But we could see a couple teams start to make a decision.

This also means we can start to focus more on the actual offseason, meaning free agency and scouting for the upcoming April draft (Scouting Combine in Indianapolis begins on Wednesday).

One key team I will be watching closely this offseason, in addition to Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, would have to be the Houston Texans.

The defending AFC South division champions have two huge impact players lined up to hit the free agency market, and there's a slight chance they could only bring one of those two players back for the 2012-13 season.

Bouncing back after a season-ending injury this season after just five games seems likely for free agent DE/OLB Mario Williams, who is looking to sign a long-term contract with his rookie contract expiring. The two-time Pro Bowler would cost Houston $23 million if he was to be franchise tagged, so it's highly likely he could test the free agent waters, in my opinion.

Houston's other impact player that could walk is running back Arian Foster, also coming off his rookie contract. Foster is a restricted free agent, but he may still receive offers from other teams. If he isn't franchised for some odd reason, Houston could still match any offers he gets from other teams.

All this being said, I would like to think that Houston will retain Foster, the 25-year old back who has run for 2,840 yards and 26 TDs the past two seasons, and let Super Mario walk. Again, Williams played just five games this season before suffering a season-ending torn pectoral muscle in a 25-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders. In six seasons, Williams started 82 games, recording 192 tackles, 53 sacks, 11 passes defensed and 11 forced fumbles.

One of the team's best pass rushers will certainly be missed if they let him go, but there's no question they have proven this season that they can still play top-tier defense without him in the lineup.

Thanks to some breakout performances from young guys such as rookies J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed, in addition to hard-hitting inside linebacker Brian Cushing, the Texans ranked second in overall defense (yards) and fourth in scoring defense on their way to a franchise-record 10-win season.

As for the offensive side of the ball, Matt Schaub should return as the opening day starter at quarterback in 2012 despite rookie T.J. Yates doing a fine job filling in for the injured Schaub. With the duo in Foster and Ben Tate continuing to gain ground, the only huge hole on offense seems to be at the receiver position.

Andre Johnson, Houston's 30-year old five-time Pro Bowl wideout, battled a right hamstring injury all season long, starting just seven games in 2011. He, aside from veteran Kevin Walter and tight end Owen Daniels, is pretty much the only all-star caliber talent Schaub has in the passing game. None of the receiving corps will hit the market, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Houston go after a target or two either in free agency or through the draft.

On the line, center Chris Meyers is a free agent as well, but I have no reason to believe that he wont be brought back this offseason. Other than that, Houston's line seems to be pretty solidified for 2012, with tackles Duane Brown and Eric Winston, and guards Wade Smith and Mike Brisiel anchoring the offensive line for Gary Kubiak's squad.

Don't be surprised if Mario Williams signs a record-breaking contract with a team other than Houston, and we see Houston with a top three rushing attack led by Foster and Tate again in 2012.

Photo credit

Williams: Bob Levey/Getty Images

Foster: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Mr. Heck's Regular Season Awards

With a crazy 2010 regular season finally in the books, it's time for my annual "Regular Season Awards." I know what you're saying, and yes my title for these awards isn't very creative, but it will have to do until I can come up with a fancier name, sorry.

Most Valuable Player: Tom Brady

Everyone seems to wanna give this award to Michael Vick. But, the truth is Brady was far more consistent throughout the season than Vick. While Vick went his first seven games without an interception, he threw six in the last five games of the season. Brady through four all season and ended up playing the final 11 games without an interception. Twelve of Brady's 16 games he threw for multiple touchdowns and had a quarterback rating of 100 or better in 12 games. Vick was an all-around solid player this season, but Brady put up numbers reminiscent of New England's undefeated regular season in 2007.

Runner ups: Michael Vick, Phillip Rivers

Rookies of the Year: LeGarrette Blount (offense) and Ndamukong Suh (defense)

For Blount, the road to the NFL was a rocky one after his punching incident in week one of the college football season last year after his Oregon Ducks fell to the Boise State Broncos. He was suspended indefinitely and his chances at going pro were put in jeopardy. Tampa Bay, looking for a consistent runner who could play on first and second downs, claimed Blount off waivers (from the Titans) on September 6. It wasn't until week four against the Cardinals that Blount broke out and raised some eye brows with a 120 yard, two TD performance. He went on to break 1,000 yards rushing with four 100-yard games and a couple of highlight reel plays (jumped completely over two defenders on two separate occasions this season). Blount's Bucs just barely missed out on the playoffs this season, unfortunately.

Suh, a Heisman trophy finalist in 2009, made an immediate impact in the NFL this season. The 6'4'', 307 pounder was first among defensive tackles with 10 sacks as he started all 16 games this season. Suh's 66 total tackles was seventh-best among defensive lineman. The former Nebraska Cornhusker forced fear in to his opposition with a big hit he put on Cleveland Browns' quarterback Jake Delhomme in the preseason. Suh was fined $7,500 by commissioner Roger Goodell for the hit in which he slammed Delhomme down to the turf. Suh, unlike my offensive rookie of the year Blount, was awarded a Pro Bowl selection this season. This is the first of what should be many in the years to come for Ndamukong.

Runner ups: Sam Bradford (offense) and Eric Berry (defense)

Breakout Player: Arian Foster

Houston seemed to be lost for words as soon as they learned that their rookie running back Ben Tate would miss the rest of the season after suffering a leg injury in the very first preseason game. A couple weeks later they would discover a guy who would carry the workload for a majority of the season. Foster, who ran the ball just 54 times for 257 yards and three touchdowns in his rookie season last year, ran all over the Indianapolis Colts in week one (a franchise-record 331 to be exact). Foster put up seven 100-yard games and five multi-TD performances throughout the season, and ended the 16-game schedule with a league-high 1,616 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. Foster is on the radar in 100 percent of fantasy leagues after this season.

Runner ups: Peyton Hillis, Cameron Wake, Brandon Lloyd

Comeback Player of the Year: Michael Vick

He didn't get my MVP vote, but the fact that he went from not playing in the league at all in 2007 and 2008, to just 13 pass attempts and 24 rush attempts in 2009, to a Pro Bowl selection and an MVP-type performance in 2010 warrants this award. Vick's career-high 3,018 yards and 21 touchdown passes showed the NFL world that Vick can--and will--throw the ball. His 676 rushing yards and nine TDs sure did help too. I look forward to seeing what he and the Eagles do in the playoffs.

Runner ups: Brian Urlacher, Braylon Edwards

Biggest Disappointment: Brett Favre

What can I say? After last season's career year, we probably should have been expecting a letdown in 2010, but yet we're still all disappointed that it had to end this way. His consecutive games played streak was ended and the last image we may have of Favre is of him being slammed in to the turf by a rookie defensive lineman, causing a concussion on a rock solid Soldier Field surface in a 40-14 loss. Favre's 19 interceptions and Minnesota's 6-10 record sure didn't help matters. There's still a chance he could come back in 2011, but I really do not expect it to happen. I think he has finally discovered that his body can't take the beating any longer.

Runner ups: Donovan McNabb

Coach of the Year: Lovie Smith (Chicago)

Green Bay and Minnesota made all the headlines and front pages this off-season, but it was in Chicago where all the hard work finally paid off during the 2010 season. Quarterback Jay Cutler put up over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdown passes for the fourth straight season and was able to protect the ball a little better than last year, going from 26 int's from '09 to 16 this season. He had to adjust to yet another offense as Mike Martz was brought in as the coordinator. But it was really Lovie's defense that was able to get the Bears' its first division title since the year they played Indy in the Super Bowl back in 2006. Good luck to Lovie and his Bears in the playoffs.

Runner ups: Todd Haley

If you have any other awards you would like to "hand out" feel free to inform me of them in the comment section.

Photo Credit
LeGarrette Blount: AP Photo/Bill Haber
Arian Foster: AP Photo/Dave Einsel
Brett Favre: AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt

Must-win for Houston Tonight at Lincoln Financial

Houston has been very lucky this season? If Peyton Manning wasn't having an off year they would not have a shot in hell to make the playoffs right now with a 5-6 record (2-2 in division). But, coming off a 20-0 defeat of division rival Tennessee, Houston seems to be on track to put themselves in the middle of the playoff hunt in the South.

Just one game behind the first place Colts and Jags (both 6-5), the Texans have the ability to put themselves atop the division--temporarily, at least--with a convincing win over Michael Vick and the high-flying 7-4 Eagles.

Tonight, at 8:20 on NFL Network, Michael Vick will test the Texans' 28th-ranked defense in front of NFL fans all over the country. This is Houston's chance to show the nation that they truly do deserve to be considered a playoff contender coming out of the South. Whether they will manage to beat out Indy for this division title is yet to be seen, considering they still have Baltimore, Denver and two more divisional matchups (TEN, JAC) left on their schedule.

Despite having the seventh-best offensive attack in the league (seventh in rushing, 15th in passing) and one of the game's best runners in Arian Foster, I really don't think Houston will manage to contain Vick.

Unfortunately for Houston, Philly is poised to put a beating on Houston. This is actually unfortunately for me as well--I had Houston making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history this offseason.

Vick puts the ball in the end zone four times tonight, three through the air and one on the ground. Philly wins the game 38-17. That's my prediction. Bold, I know, but hey someone's gotta do it.

Whatifsports.com says...

Philadelphia 21, Houston 18

Not quite as big a margin as I was predicting, but same outcome nevertheless. Vick didn't have any rushing yards on five attempts (Houston did manage to contain him), but threw for 198 yards and tossed two TDs. LeSean McCoy ran all over Houston for 112 yards and a score.

Jeremy Maclin's 15-yard catch and run from Vick, which he put in the end zone, allowed Philly to extend its lead to 21-10 early in the fourth quarter. Foster ran the ball in from 13 yards out with four and a half minutes to play, but Philly's defense stopped Matt Schaub's late-game surge.

This loss may be the end to any playoff run Houston was hoping to make this season, putting to waste their solid 4-2 start this year.

Photo Credit

Arian Foster: AP Photo/David J. Phillip