USA TODAY International Edition
Each team’s Most Valuable Person
NFL season hinges on these standouts
It’s the NFL’s version of the chicken or the egg: Is Tom Brady considered the NFL’s best quarterback because of head coach Bill Belichick, or is it the other way around? Which man, the player or the coach, is more valuable to the New England franchise?
We polled the USA TODAY Network staff this month and the answer was unanimous. At least for 2018, Belichick is the Patriots’ Most Valuable Person.
This isn’t to say that Brady doesn’t matter. But after a tumultuous 2018 that started with Belichick benching a starting cornerback in the Super Bowl (and losing) and included the loss of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, the free agent departures of core offensive players such as Nate Solder and Danny Amendola and the suspension of receiver Julian Edelman, 2018 could be Belichick’s most important season yet.
We sought to identify each team’s most important person, and just like in voting for the season-ending MVP award, value can be judged differently. Is it the best player? Is it the player — on this case, person — the franchise could not survive without? Is it the man who builds the roster or calls the plays? For the preseason voting, our staff picked the one person we believe will be most responsible for each team winning or losing this year.
In some cases, the answers were obvious.
Other teams were more complicated, either a sign of quarterback instability (like in Arizona), a team trying to rebuild (like Denver) or a team trying to establish a new identity (like Dallas).
Arizona: David Johnson. The running back was out for all but the first game of last season, and his healthy return (while in a contract year) should be the difference in a revamped Cardinals offense. With a new head coach and starting quarterback (likely veteran Sam Bradford, with a push from firstround pick Josh Rosen), the Cardinals need Johnson to shoulder the load as a rusher and receiver.
Atlanta: Matt Ryan. Last season was a step back from Ryan’s MVP season in 2016, part of an adjustment to a new offensive coordinator (Steve Sarkisian) following Kyle Shanahan’s departure. The Falcons have a stacked roster but need Ryan to be back at an elite level every week, which starts with reestablishing the red-zone connection with receiver Julio Jones.
Baltimore: Joe Flacco. With the arrival of first-round pick Lamar Jackson, Flacco is under pressure unlike he’s ever faced before in his career. Will he be able to revitalize the Ravens offense and give Baltimore reason to keep him after 2018? Buffalo: Sean McDermott. He deserved praise for leading the Bills to a wild-card playoff spot in his first year as a head coach, but his job in 2018 might be even more difficult. He will have to figure out who will be the Bills’ quarterback — Nathan Peterman, rookie firstround pick Josh Allen or former Bengals backup AJ McCarron — and then develop him into a legit NFL starter. Carolina: Norv Turner. The biggest question facing the Panthers is how well the new offensive coordinator will mesh
with former MVP quarterback Cam Newton. Turner has been successful in running offenses in many places, but his scheme doesn’t seem to be a perfect fit for Newton’s style.
Chicago: Matt Nagy. The Bears are clearly trying to follow the blueprint set by the Rams last year, with a rookie head coach and second-year quarterback. Nagy brings innovated offensive ideas with him from Kansas City, but now he and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky must implement them quickly. Cincinnati: Marvin Lewis. This was a tough choice, with Lewis, director of player personnel Duke Tobin and star receiver A.J. Green all receiving votes. But ultimately Lewis, one of the NFL’s longest-tenured head coaches, is under a unique spotlight after nearly being fired after last season. Tobin has led a roster overhaul in recent years, but it’s up to Lewis to get more out of the Bengals.
Cleveland: Hue Jackson. Another year of turnover in the Browns’ front office puts even more pressure on Jackson, who has coached the Browns to one win in the two years since he was hired. The roster seems to be in a much better place in 2018, especially at quarterback, so if the Browns don’t make a jump, that’s on Jackson.
Dallas: Ezekiel Elliott. This was one of the most interesting teams, with Elliott edging out quarterback Dak Prescott, while neither owner Jerry Jones nor head coach Jason Garrett received any votes. It’s a sign of just how much the Cowboys offense has changed, and how much Dallas will need to rely on Elliott’s on-field production and gamble on his off-field maturity improving.
Denver: Case Keenum. The Broncos have gone all-in on Keenum as the starting quarterback, and while they’ve been impressed with his leadership and steady play in training camp, he’ll need to perform in the regular season as he did during his surprising breakthrough season in Minnesota, or else John Elway could regret not taking a quarterback at No. 5 or bidding on Kirk Cousins in the offseason. Detroit: Matthew Stafford. This was another close race, with Stafford getting the edge over new head coach Matt Patricia. The Lions won nine games last year, and with optimism that Patricia can improve the defense, it will be on Stafford, with a solid supporting cast around him on offense, to take the Lions back to the playoffs. Green Bay: Aaron Rodgers. This was a unanimous vote as the former league MVP returns after missing nine games last year with a shoulder injury. Outside of Tom Brady, no quarterback means more to his team than Rodgers, and the expectation is that with a healthy Rodgers, the Packers are a serious NFC contender. His contract situation, with the potential for a record-setting deal, also bears watching.
Houston: Deshaun Watson. If there was any doubting his value, all you had to see was the tremendous drop-off in the Texans offense after Watson suffered a torn ACL midway through last year. Before his injury, Watson was leading the league’s highest-scoring offense.
Indianapolis: Andrew Luck. It’s pretty simple. When Luck has been healthy, the Colts have been one of the most dangerous teams in the AFC. Much has changed in Indianapolis since the last time Luck played — a new general manager, a new head coach, a mostly new offensive line — but it’s clear who the Colts’ most important piece is, and he’s finally back on the field.
Jacksonville: Tom Coughlin. The Jaguars made a significant leap in 2017, Coughlin’s first running football operations, and now his fingerprints are all over the roster. That includes the decision to bring back quarterback Blake Bortles, invest in the defense and add new offensive pieces. .
Kansas City: Andy Reid. This was a difficult choice between the head coach and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is taking over from Alex Smith. Ultimately, it will be up to Reid to make sure Mahomes can be successful in his first year under center.
L.A. Chargers: Philip Rivers. Even after another string of preseason injuries (to tight end Hunter Henry and cornerback Jason Verrett), this looks like the best Chargers team to surround their quarterback in years. Still, Rivers is the most critical piece to getting the Chargers not just back atop the AFC West but toward making a serious run deep into the playoffs. L.A. Rams: Sean McVay. The biggest question in L.A. is how McVay will follow up his brilliant rookie season as the Rams head coach, a year in which he took a dormant offense and turned it into the highest-scoring unit in the NFL. McVay must now oversee the continued development of former No. 1 overall pick quarterback Jared Goff while managing a complex set of characters on defense. Miami: Ryan Tannehill. It took a year longer than anyone was anticipating, but Tannehill is finally healthy after a series of ACL injuries, and he needs to prove he’s the Dolphins’ long-term quarterback, or if they’ll need to move on after this season. Minnesota: Kirk Cousins. As the NFL’s first player to sign a fully guaranteed contract, Cousins will need to show that he can improve a team that made it to the NFC Championship Game last year while playing behind an offensive line that is battling preseason injuries
and with a new offensive coordinator. New England: Bill Belichick. This could be the most challenging season for Belichick in years, as he is facing questions about his coaching decisions in the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to the Eagles and dealing with plenty of roster and coaching staff turnover. Even at age 41, the NFL world knows what to expect out of Brady, but this is a rare chance to see how Belichick can respond as well. New Orleans: Sean Payton. This was hardly a unanimous decision, with quarterback Drew Brees, running back Alvin Kamara and general manager Mickey Loomis receiving votes. But the head coach is the one common thread through all aspects of the roster and offensive play calling. N.Y. Giants: Saquon Barkley. It’s rare that a running back, and especially a rookie, can have such an impact on a franchise, but the Giants are hoping Barkley will be transformational — much like Elliott was for the Cowboys two years ago, only without the off-field drama. N.Y. Jets: Sam Darnold. Sure, Darnold hasn’t won the starting job yet, but the Jets desperately need him to become the leader of their offense. You could also make an argument for Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates in their role in accelerating Darnold’s development and managing a complex quarterback room with veterans Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater. Oakland: Jon Gruden. In his first year back on the sideline after nearly a decade in the broadcast booth, no coach will be under a bigger microscope this year. Among the biggest questions facing Gruden: What will his new offense look like? Will he be able to return quarterback Derek Carr to Pro Bowl form? And how will he handle the lingering holdout of his best defensive player Khalil Mack?
Philadelphia: Carson Wentz. You could make a case that the Eagles’ team of doctors might be their most valuable employees, with Wentz, left tackle Jason Peters and running back Darren Sproles among the important players returning from season-ending injuries. Yet Wentz deserves the nod because of the leap he took into the MVP conversation last year before his injury and also what the offense was able to do in the playoffs without him.
Pittsburgh: Randy Fichtner. The Steelers’ most valuable person was one of the most interesting debates, with so many important offensive players such as running back Le’Veon Bell, wide receiver Antonio Brown and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger likely playing their final season together. That’s why the nod goes to Fichtner, the longtime assistant coach who will now run the offense.
San Francisco: Jimmy Garoppolo. He hasn’t lost a game as a starting quarterback in the NFL, which, combined with a five-year, $137.5 million contract, might be placing unrealistic expectations for his first full season as a starter. Yet after all the Niners have invested in him, there is no question that Garoppolo is the most important person to watch in Santa Clara.
Seattle: Pete Carroll. With the departure of so many familiar names on defense (and the preseason absence of another, safety Earl Thomas), the head coach is rebuilding the Seahawks, and we’ll soon learn if former Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman was right that the Seahawks had “lost their way.”
Tampa Bay: Jameis Winston. He be suspended for the first three games as punishment for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, but he remains the most important player for this season and the Bucs’ future, as he works to show that his coaches can trust him both on and off the field.
Tennessee: Marcus Mariota. With a new head coach (Mike Vrabel) and more stability at running back (with starter Derrick Henry and third-down back Dion Lewis), now is the time for Mariota to take a major step forward, though his ability to stay healthy will be something to monitor.
Washington: Alex Smith. The quarterback is getting his shot with a third NFL team, but will he finally get respect? The Redskins seem excited about Smith’s leadership and locker room demeanor, and his abilities as a runner give coach Jay Gruden the chance to update his playbook.