Now that we are in the second half of the season, it’s time to start thinking about the MVP race. I might get some criticism here, and I welcome it. The guys I will list are all enjoying monster seasons, and it’ll probably come down to a combination of team record and statistics. Peyton Manning has won four MVP awards in his career and is looking to wrap up his fifth as he enjoys another superb season. Tom Brady has an MVP award and is the general of arguably the best team in the league. Matt Ryan is having a terrific bounce-back year after he suffered a combination of a sophomore slump and an injury-plagued season in 2009. Raiders running back Darren McFadden has completely wiped off his bust label as he’s leading the NFL in rushing yards per game and is putting his team on the map. Then we have Michael Vick, who has taken over the Eagles and is simply amazing after his long absence from the game. Did any of you football fans see this coming out of Vick? I certainly did not.

The Top 5

1. Peyton Manning: 6-3 record, 2,663 yards passing, 64.2%, 16 TD, 4 INT, 12 sacks, 1 fumble lost. He’s the best QB in the NFL and has been without Austin Collie for a few weeks, and Dallas Clark has been on IR for a while now. He also doesn’t have much of a running game.

2. Tom Brady: 7-2 record, 2,176 yards passing, 64.5%, 17 TD, 4 INT, 13 sacks, 1 fumble lost. He’s leading arguably the best team in the NFL during a rebuilding season. His numbers aren’t eye-popping, but it’s clear he’s the reason for their record given their young and inconsistent defense.

3. Matt Ryan: 7-2 record, 2,265 yards passing, 62.7%, 16 TD, 5 INT, 16 sacks, 3 fumbles lost. He’s finally putting it together and enjoying an elite season to this point. It doesn’t hurt that he has a playmaker at the WR, RB, and TE positions.

4. Michael Vick: 4-2 record, 1,350 yards passing, 62.7%, 11 TD, 0 INT, 341 yards rushing, 4 TD, 15 sacks, 0 fumbles lost. This is where I may get some criticism. The knock (in my opinion) on Vick is that he’s only played in six games. If he played all season, he’d be my #1 choice. He needs to keep winning and put up more gaudy stats to move up on this list.

5. Darren McFadden: 5-4 record, 757 yards rushing, 5.4 YPC, 4 TD, 24 receptions, 242 yards, 2 TD, 1 fumble lost. He has put the Raiders back on the map and is thinking playoffs. We are finally seeing the dominant running back we envisioned coming out of Arkansas. The Raiders’ patience has paid off, and they look a little smarter for selecting him in 2008.

On the Bubble

Philip Rivers, Roddy White, Ahmad Bradshaw, Chris Johnson, Josh Freeman