Philip Rivers, Not Peyton Manning, Should be 2013 NFL MVP

Philip Rivers and DJ Fluker - Courtesy of San Diego Chargers

Last night, the San Diego Chargers defeated the supposedly Super Bowl-bound Denver Broncos, 27-20, in a nationally televised beat down at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. In the one-sided game, Philip Rivers, the Chargers' untiring quarterback, outplayed presumptive league Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning, secured a Pro Bowl berth, and kept the Chargers in the playoff hunt. 

Rivers was flawless, again. And after reviewing this game and every game played by Denver and San Diego up to this point in the season, I submit that Rivers is the one who should be named league MVP - despite Manning's gaudy numbers, and especially if the Chargers finish at 9-7 and sneak into the playoffs.

Yeah, I know, Manning has been mostly great this year and Denver has a better record. Manning has 47 touchdown passes. But let's take a closer look at the numbers and other pertinent facts. While Manning has far more offensive weapons with which to work, Rivers has played at an equally elite level all year without his two starting, towering wide receivers, Danario Alexander and Malcolm Floyd, both out for the year.

And while Manning has played all year behind an offensive line that ESPN recently said was the best in the NFL, Rivers has played all season with a patchwork offensive line that has suffered one injury after another after another. While demonstrably improved over last season, the Chargers offensive front is now led by DJ Fluker, a rookie who will be a Pro Bowler. But not this year.

And while Denver has a lot of weapons on defense, including former Chargers pass-rusher Shaun Phillips and sack-master Von Miller, Rivers has played on a team this year that has had a mostly awful and unreliable defense -- though certainly not last night.

Manning has more touchdown passes this year, but Rivers has a higher completion percentage. Manning also has more interceptions than Rivers (10 to 9), and has far more fumbles lost than Rivers (6 to 1). And head-to-head, Rivers wins out. 

Manning has been throwing the ball this year to Demaryius Thomas, one of the league's elite wideouts, Wes Welker, a future Hall-of-Fame slot receiver, and Eric Decker, a proven veteran wideout. Rivers lost his two best wide receivers early and has been throwing all year to Keenan Allen, an overachieving third-round rookie, Eddie Royal, an often-hobbled veteran, and Vincent Brown, a somewhat disappointing second-year receiver. 

Here's the deal: Manning was given the keys this year to a Porsche Carrera GT, while Rivers was forced to drive a sporty economy car. And yet Philip has been every bit Manning's equal. None of the Chargers' seven disappointing losses this year can be hung on the good-natured, widely misunderstood quarterback, who's played one of the best seasons I've ever witnessed by a QB on a team without any superstars.

Well, yes, the Bolts still have Antonio Gates, but even the future Hall-of-Fame tight end has had an uncharacteristic number of key drops and fumbles this year. 

The Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer almost gets it. He suggests that while Manning will get all the awards at the end of the season - if not a Super Bowl ring - in terms of durability, productivity and efficiency, "Rivers has been No. 2 with a bullet in ‘13, and by no means is it a distant second."

In my view, he's not second: he should be MVP. No one means more to his team than Rivers means to the Chargers. Not even Manning, whose team is stacked with talent on both sides of the ball.

There are a few other quarterbacks who've had great years, too, including the Philadelphia Eagles’ Nick Foles, who only has one pic. He's been phenomenal since stepping in for Michael Vick, but he’s not played a full season. New Orleans’ Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the former Charger, should also be in the MVP conversation. But like Manning, he enjoys more offensive weapons than Rivers, a better ‘O’ line and a much-improved Saints’ defense.

Of course, the subtext of this rant is the fact that this has been a heartbreaking season for the Chargers, because this team has the potential to beat anyone. Beating the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver on the road are obviously huge accomplishments this year. But there are so many games the Bolts shoulda-coulda-woulda won. 

San Diego will miss the playoffs again this year unless the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins both lose two of their remaining three games and the Chargers win their last two. It's possible. It could happen. But the games San Diego really should have taken, especially the Dolphins game at Miami and the Redskins game at Washington, in which the Chargers had the ball on the one-yard line on first down and could not punch it in for the win, will haunt the team and its fans for a long time. 

Still, there is room for optimism for first-year Chargers head coach Mike McCoy -- largely because of the play of Rivers. And I'm not the only one who thinks he is having an even better year than Peyton. David Marber of Bolts from the Blue wrote a piece this week in which he suggests that football fans should appreciate both Manning and Rivers this season because "they're both elite players having career years simultaneously." 

A day after after Marber wrote that insightful passage, it proved prophetic: Rivers went out and outplayed Manning. Need we say more?  

If I had an MVP vote - and I don't - I'd give this one to Rivers, with Manning a close second. But because of all the media hype, groupthink mentality and "conventional wisdom" in professional sports, it won't happen. Even if San Diego does beat the odds and makes the playoffs.

Giving Thanks to Native American War Veterans This Thanksgiving

I've always loved Thanksgiving. That's not exactly a revelation, I know. But for me, the holiday is all about the Native Americans. Even as a young boy, I was far more curious what the American Indians were thinking about the Pilgrims during that historic feast than what the Pilgrims were thinking about the Indians. 

After all, the Indians were here first. The Pilgrims were the guests at this dinner, not the other way around.

The point of all this is to remind you that not only is this Thanksgiving week, it's also National Native American Heritage Month. And as we gather with our family and friends to give thanks, it would be nice for us to remember just how big a contribution Native Americans have made to our country. And, specifically, to our military.

According to statistics released this week by the Department of Veterans Affairs:

• 14,000 American Indians fought in World War I.
• 44,000 served in World War II, including code talkers from more than 30 tribes.
• 10,000 served in Korea.
• More than 80,000 served in Vietnam.
• And 30,000 serve today in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world.

Just a couple of days after the 9/11 terrorist attack, I went with my wife and some friends to a concert at the Viejas Casino near San Diego to see the rock band Chicago. The casino is owned by the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians. 

America was still in a collective state of shock over the despicable act of cowardice against our country. But leave it to a stoic, charismatic Native American to put it all in perspective and remind us what's important.

Just before the concert started, one of the tribal leaders walked out on stage, and a big American flag was unfurled. The crowd went wild.

The tribal leader, whose name I have forgotten, stood there for several minutes just trying to gather his emotions. The crowd continued to cheer, and many of us were in tears. 

He then proceeded to give one of the most touching and patriotic speeches I have ever witnessed.

It never ceases to amaze me how much the native Americans I have met in my life love this country. It's a bit surprising given how atrociously their ancestors were treated.

I have never met a person in this country who does not feel some sense of regret for how the American Indians were treated throughout our history. But that has not stopped the American Indian population from proudly serving this country during all our wars.

A few days ago, the White House hosted the fifth annual Tribal Nations Conference, where tribal leaders engaged in government-to-government discussions with President Obama and senior officials from the administration regarding issues affecting Native Americans.

VA Secretary Shinseki addressed tribal leaders during the conference, and shared information about American Indians who have long served the country in every war of the last century. 

Stephanie Birdwell, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the granddaughter of World War I and World War II veterans and the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran. She writes a poignant blog this week for VA in which she talks about her personal connection to the legacy of bravery and tenacity that Shinseki addressed at the conference. 

"Growing up," she writes, "I observed first-hand the challenges our veterans experience upon returning home from service. I remember my father accepted many late-night phone calls from the men he served with. They all shared experiences in combat that forged permanent bonds and relationships that would see them through not only their time in Vietnam but throughout their lives."

When the opportunity arose to help establish VA’s Office of Tribal Government Relations, Birdwell notes, "It opened the door to combine two of my passions: Working collaboratively with tribes to achieve opportunities for Indian people and serving our nation’s heroes. Since then, our office has managed relationships between the VA and tribal governments across the country. We focus on implementing VA’s tribal consultation policy, promoting economic sustainability and facilitating increased access to care and benefits for veterans living in tribal communities."

Birdwell says these native American veterans include Senator and Northern Cheyenne Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal member PFC Charles George – both of whom served in Korea. George was posthumously presented the Medal of Honor; the VA medical center in Asheville, N.C. is named in his honor.

They also include Hopi Specialist Lori Piestewa, a 23-year-old mother of two who, Birdwell writes, was the first Native American woman to die in combat and the first American woman to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

It's great to see VA reaching out to our Native Americans. But as I said, I'm a little biased. Most of my heroes in movies were the Indians, not the cowboys. 

What can I say? I'm a patriotic American, but in Kevin Costner's American epic "Dances With Wolves," I, like a lot of you, I suspect, rooted for the Indians, not the cowboys.

So this Thanksgiving, how about let's remember and give thanks to ALL who have served our country, including those who were here first!