Tom Brady Leads Midseason NFL Candidates

by Eric Fulton
The National Football League (NFL) season of 2015 is near its halfway point. With a midseason record of three teams remaining unbeaten, it will be interesting how the second half of the season will pan out. With that in my mind, it is time to take a look at who has played the best so far through the first half of the season.

This was kind of a tough top five to choose. There were a lot of guys who deserve a spot, but these were the guys in my opinion who deserved to be first-half MVP.

5. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings), 633 yards, 3 Touchdowns

Currently, Minnesota is tied with the Packers for first place in the NFC North. Plus, it is good for a young quarterback like Teddy Bridgewater to have a strong horse running back. Vintage Peterson looks to be back after a tough couple of years with a good Vikings team that has a chance to make noise in the second half of the season.

4.  Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers), 52 catches, 718 yards, 3 touchdowns

Antonio Brown had a monster day against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday with 17 catches for a whopping 284 yards. The final few yards, though, came without Ben Rothelisberger who left in the second half with a left foot injury. While Brown is having a great season, it seems as though he may have to carry the offense without their starting quarterback.

3. Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons), 70 catches, 892 yards, 6 touchdowns

Julio Jones is easily Matt Ryan’s favorite target in Atlanta. He is another guy that is coming back from injury.  However, the Falcons have not played well as of late. If Jones can stay healthy and the Falcons stay hot, Jones can have a career year.

2. Carson Palmer (Arizona Cardinals), 2386 passing yards, 20 Touchdowns 6 Interceptions

Had Carson Palmer been healthy in last year’s playoffs, Arizona probably would have made a deep run. He has been a valuable player to their whole team. With him, the Cardinals are a serious contender in the NFC. They could be the second best team in the NFC and as long as they have Palmer on the field, they have a great chance to unseat Seattle in the NFC West.

1. Tom Brady (New England Patriots), 2410, 20 Touchdowns 1 interception

OK, this has controversy written all over it. We know Tom Brady is coming off “Deflategate,” but he is still posting monster numbers that are in comparison to his 2007 season that nearly ended in a perfect season. Where would the Patriots stand right now had Brady served his four game suspension? Controversy or no controversy, hate it or love it, he is the best quarterback in the league. Yeah, plus he has a great core of receivers and backs to choose from. Also, his offensive line has been decimated with injuries all year long. Yet, he is on pace to have one of best seasons by a quarterback in NFL history. What can you say about that? He just gets the job done.

So that is my list. I am sure I left off some other names like Cam Newton, who has led the Carolina Panthers to an 8-0 start, same record as Andy Dalton with the Cincinnati Bengals. Also, the usual suspects like Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers.  However, let’s keep in mind that there is still a whole second half of football left to be played. We all know that anything can happen. So enjoy the wild ride that is the NFL. 

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