AP Matt Ryan

As the debate heats up for the league's Most Valuable Player, I'm going to give you my take on the award. By that I mean, what player is worth the most to his team? There's really no arguing that the man is Matt Ryan.

The former Boston College quarterback, who was the third overall pick in last year's NFL Draft, has done just enough to lead his team to a shocking 8-5 record heading into this weekend's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Attendance is down to 63,810 fans per game from 68,395 fans per game last year, but remember, most of the tickets were sold last year before it was clear that Michael Vick wouldn't play and before their coach Bobby Petrino left with some season still left to coach at Arkansas.

Add to the fact that Atlanta hasn't proven to be the world's most fabulous sports city (they seemed to get tired of the Braves winning) and the fact that there's more than a 50,000 ticket average is a minor miracle.

Ryan didn't come cheap. His six-year, $72 million contract guarantees $34.75 million, but given that this team could have crumbled and fan interest could have fallen to new lows, he's turning out to be worth it.

Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan

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