Peyton Manning

Pros: You can easily make the case that the 8-4 Colts would have two or three wins if it wasn't for Manning. He defines the word value. The quarterback made game-saving plays in the fourth quarter to beat Minnesota and Houston on the road in contests where the Colts were outplayed for the vast majority of the games. He threw five touchdowns and zero picks in huge, back-to-back wins against New England and on the road in Pittsburgh. Manning was dominant against the incredible Ravens defense, throwing for three touchdowns, zero picks and 271 yards in a lopsided win against Baltimore. Plus, Manning had to deal with injuries all across the Colts offense ranging from center Jeff Saturday to running back Joe Addai while trying to re-establish chemistry with an aging Marvin Harrison.
Cons: Manning's had a few clunkers this year (Tennessee, Green Bay, Cleveland) and his own reputation of being flawless and putting up eye-popping stats (he's only tied for eighth in touchdowns) may hurt the perception of how great and valuable a season he's actually had. -- Adam Schein