Wow bold prediction , I guess guys like Faulk and Manning are great but if you look at who means the most to their teams it has to be Rich Gannon , Plus he is gold playing in any Stadium , Proof? The Raiders are the NFL's only Undefeated ROAD (4-0) team including Wins at Indianapolis and Kansas City . It's always a debate, a controversy and, really, a lot of fun to select an MVP at the midseason point. The other night, on "NFL Monday Countdown," I threw out two names -- Rams running back Marshall Faulk and Viking quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Worthy candidates, absolutely. Mort's Midseason Awards MVP Raiders QB Rich Gannon Top offensive player Rams RB Marshall Faulk Top defensive player Saints DT La'Roi Glover Top offensive rookie Redskins LT Chris Samuels Top defensive rookie Saints DE Darren Howard Top coach Dennis Green, Vikings Then I started thinking about it. I made a few select phone calls to trusted coaches and scouts. I put my formula to the test. Which player, if removed from the lineup, would cause a collapse to his first-place team? Three guys began to surface, and they weren't Faulk or Culpepper. One is Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts. Another is Curtis Martin, running back for the New York Jets. The midseason MVP is Rich Gannon, quarterback of the Oakland Raiders. Gannon is not the best quarterback, let alone the best player, in the NFL. Manning is the best quarterback in football. Faulk is the best player, with Martin and Randy Moss close behind him. But, so far, Gannon has been the most valuable to his team -- no way the Raiders would be 7-1 at the midway point without this quarterback's clutch playmaking this season. "I don't like to get into campaigning for a guy, but anybody who has watched us play understands what (Gannon) has done for this team," said Raiders coach Jon Gruden. "There are guys with better statistics, guys who throw prettier passes, but I don't know if anyone has done what he's done the first half. He is hurting people on sheer guts. He just plays and he just wins." Really, Gannon's statistics are nice, but hardly Warner-esque. He has 10 touchdown passes and five interceptions. But he also has 236 yards rushing (4.8 average) and four rushing touchdowns, with an uncanny knack to make plays under duress. Two of the more remarkable wins for Oakland came on the road when Gannon brought the Raiders from behind against the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs. "What he did against both teams was ... well, just ask those teams," said Gruden. "That second half in Indianapolis, it might be the best he's ever played in his life." It's possible the Raiders would be 3-5 without Gannon. Even Sunday night, against a desperate Chargers team that clung to a 13-12 lead for a possible first victory, he showed his value when he drove the Raiders the length of the field to set up Sebastian Janikowski's winning field goal on a night the Raiders were decimated by injuries. "He's 5-for-5 on that drive, throwing balls to guys I don't even think the general public knows we have," said Gruden. "Both our San Diego games, we lose if he doesn't make a bunch of plays in the last two minutes. I can't imagine anybody who's more competitive." Gruden notes that the Raiders have allowed just 14 sacks, which he credits to Gannon's "ability to move around ... not just that, but to move around and make decisions." http://espn.go.com/chrismortensen/s/2000/1101/850708.html ------------------ I dont know how to sign nature
