Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9...

You know, I DID do the required research to boast of the reasons why Drew Brees deserves the MVP Award over guys like Warner and Favre, but it turns out Sports Illustrated's Don Banks did it all for me. Besides, I already broke a bottle enraged over a certain old, balding MNF announcer who verbally massaged the Jets quarterback while Brees was putting on a clinic and didn't even mention Drew Brees and the term "MVP" in the same sentence.

And in the case of Kurt Warner, Banks makes an interesting point that has not been given enough discussion: the NFC West is, as the Ralpha Dog would say, "a tire fire." No, scratch that; "it's a chemical spill." No, wait, let me think; ah yes, it's "a nuclear wasteland." Yeah, that is definitely a more apt description.

And I was listening to the replay of "Pardon the Interruption" and I heard Michael Wilbon say something to the effect of: "I don't just want to go with passer rating, there are other things to discuss besides passer rating." Which is fine, I can respect that argument. I wouldn't base an argument on just one number either. The subject then turned back to Warner and the fact that he had "only" eight interceptions on the year. This is where Tony and Michael failed to remember that Warner has fumbled the ball nine times and turned the ball over on six of those occasions. Drew Brees? Six fumbles, one lost. So, to put it another way: Kurt Warner has TURNED THE BALL OVER a TOTAL of 14 times while Drew Brees has TURNED THE BALL OVER a TOTAL of 12 times.

I know it sounds like I'm contradicting what I said earlier about the whole, "don't use one number" routine, but I'm making a point: you cannot use one set of numbers (like interceptions) without looking at a larger data set (to include fumbles), because if you want to say that Kurt Warner deserves the MVP because he's protecting the football, well, he's not protecting it better than Drew Brees has.

In fact, if somebody had the wherewithal, I'd like to know just how many interceptions Brees and Warner have thrown that have come off of pass deflections or tips.

Anywho...BREES/MOORE in '12! That's long range accuracy you can believe in!