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It should be a quiet morning, followed by a busy late afternoon and evening around these parts.

That’s because we’ve got a couple of major events coming later Saturday. Late this afternoon, we’ll find out who has been selected to the Class of 2012 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former New Orleans offensive tackle Willie Roaf appears to have a good chance to get in. If he does, I’ll be back with full analysis.

In a new twist, the NFL’s major awards will be announced Saturday night. I’m expecting Carolina quarterback Cam Newton to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Most Valuable Player also will be announced. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees may be a long shot because Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers appears to be the favorite.

As soon as the awards are announced, I’ll be back with analysis.

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees may not win the Most Valuable Player award, which will be announced the night before the Super Bowl. That probably will go to Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.

But Brees is picking up his share of hardware. The latest came Friday night in Los Angeles as Brees was announced the winner of the 46^th annual Byron “Whizzer’’ White Award during the NFL Players Association PULSE Awards.

White served as a Supreme Court Justice. The award is designed to honor a player who embodies White’s ideals of a “scholar, athlete, patriot, humanitarian and public servant." All 32 teams nominate a player and the list is then narrowed to three finalists. Pittsburgh quarterback Charlie Batch and New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson were the other finalists with Brees.

“It’s such a tremendous honor,’’ Brees said. “As I look at the list of names associated with this award, and certainly the namesake, Mr. Byron 'Whizzer' White, this award stands for so much.''

Brees also got pretty philosophical about his role as a football player and citizen during his acceptance speech.

“My head coach, Sean Payton, is a Bill Parcells disciple, and something that he has told us many times -- you’ll actually hear Bill Parcells say it as well -- as an NFL player, you get asked to ride on that train, and you try and ride it for as long as you can,’’ Brees said. “At some point, you’re going to be asked to get off, but you’re going to be better having had the opportunity to ride on that train. I think also, the mindset should be not only is it going to leave you better than when it found you, but I think your mission should be to leave the game better than when you found it. Not only does that mean what you do on the field, but that means what you do off the field.”

Brees has been extremely active in charitable and community events since arriving in New Orleans in 2006. Even before that, he was involved in charitable activities. As a member of the San Diego Chargers in 2003, he started The Brees Dream Foundation to advance cancer research and help children in need.

Brees also received another award Friday night. As the result of fan voting, Brees was chosen as the winner of the “Heart of the Game Award. That’s designed to honor a player for his “determination, enthusiasm and overall passion for the game and his teammates."

NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints are focused solely on their “Monday Night Football’’ game with the Atlanta Falcons right now. A victory will give them the NFC South title.

But fans and media have been getting ahead of the game and comparing the Saints to the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans’ quarterback Drew Brees to Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. There’s also been a fair amount of debate about which of those quarterbacks should win the Most Valuable Player award.

Well, the looking down the road continues. In this Insider post, Chris Sprow goes into great detail about how well Brees has played in the past six games. He says that if Brees continues playing the way he has been, the Saints can beat the Packers, even if it’s in the NFC Championship Game in Lambeau Field.

He then points to several other reasons why the Saints might be better than the Packers, including the New Orleans defense and the continued emergence of Jimmy Graham.

Colleague Ashley Fox has a column that says New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is a worthy candidate for the Most Valuable Player award. If that sounds familiar, it should. I wrote a column that made a similar point just about a month ago.

Before Packers’ fans start shouting, Fox and I both make it pretty clear that Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers will win the award. We’re not saying Rodgers is unworthy of the award. He absolutely is worthy. He’s had a great season and so have the Packers.

But the point Fox and I are making is that Brees at least belongs in the conversation. He’s on the verge of shattering Dan Marino’s record for passing yards in a season (5,084). And the Saints are 11-3. The Packers were undefeated until Sunday, but their loss at Kansas City takes away one strong argument for Rodgers.

He no longer is playing for an undefeated team. He’s playing for a great team and so is Brees. Both quarterbacks are having great seasons. Neither would be a bad choice.

But the reality is Rodgers will win the award. He plays for the Packers. Green Bay might officially be the NFL’s smallest market and New Orleans isn’t far behind. But, unofficially, the Packers are a national team with a huge profile and lots of history.

The Saints’ national profile has grown in recent years, but they don’t have the lore of the Packers. That pretty much guarantees Rodgers will win the MVP, but Brees definitely belongs in the conversation.

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan is not going to be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, but he at least is in the conversation.

Well, sort of. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers almost certainly will win the award, and you could at least make a strong case for New Orleans’ Drew Brees as the alternative choice. Beyond that, there aren’t any other realistic candidates.

But colleague Mike Sando does a weekly MVP Watch and he has Ryan at No. 5 this week, behind Rodgers, Brees, Tom Brady and Calvin Johnson. Each week, Sando sends out a note to all the division bloggers and asks us for input on players that may be worthy of being on his 10-man list.

For most of the season, my response has been something like, “I’ve got Brees and you know all about him. Beyond that, I’ve got nothing much to offer."

But that started to change last week, as Ryan was coming off a four-touchdown game against Carolina. I mentioned him to Sando and Ryan went out last Thursday night and added three touchdowns in an easy victory against Jacksonville.

When Sando’s weekly email came Tuesday night, he mentioned that several guys were falling off his list. I went to bat for Ryan, based on the fact he’s been much more consistent and effective recently and he also has a very good chance to finish with career highs in touchdown passes and passing yards.

Sando worked him in at No. 5, which I don’t think is out of line at the moment. But I liked the way Sando phrased his synopsis on Ryan’s candidacy. Essentially, Sando said a victory by Ryan and the Falcons against the Saints on Monday night, could move Ryan even higher up the list. But he also added a loss could move Ryan down the list -- or off it.

I’d say that’s fair.

By the way, when I emailed Sando on Tuesday night, I gave him a wild card besides Brees and Ryan. I suggested he take a look at Darren Sproles’ full body of work -- as a runner, receiver and return man -- and the overall impact he’s had on the Saints.

Sando listened and was intrigued, but couldn’t quite bring himself to put Sproles on the list. He said he’d keep Sproles in mind for next week. Just like Ryan, whatever happens Monday night could have a big impact on if Sproles is on the list next week.

Sports Illustrated’s Jim Trotter has a thought-provoking column in which he ranks the league’s starting quarterbacks.

I found his rankings on the four NFC South quarterbacks quite interesting and, after a bit of thought, very accurate.

He has New Orleans’ Drew Brees ranked No. 2. I can’t really argue with that. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers will win the Most Valuable Player award, but Brees at least deserves to be in the conversation. The guy is on pace to set the record for most passing yards in a season.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Trotter ranks Carolina rookie Cam Newton at No. 9.

At first, I wondered if Newton should be a top-10 quarterback. Then, I looked at the three guys ranked directly in front of Newton – Eli Manning, Tony Romo and Alex Smith. After seeing that, I no longer have any doubt Newton belongs in the top 10, maybe even up a few spots from where he is.

Atlanta’s Matt Ryan is No. 15. My first instinct was to argue that one, especially when I saw Matt Moore and Michael Vick ranked directly ahead of Ryan. But, then, I thought about Ryan’s performance in Sunday’s loss to Houston and his inconsistency for much of the season. He’s right about where he belongs.

Trotter put Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman at No. 25. That’s one spot behind Seattle’s Tarvaris Jackson. If you’re talking purely about talent, there’s no comparison between Freeman and Jackson. Freeman’s way better. But Trotter is talking about production and Freeman hasn’t produced this season.

NEW ORLEANS -- Maybe the reason Drew Brees is such a good quarterback is because he can see things the rest of us can’t.

Take the case of Monday night’s 49-24 victory by the New Orleans Saints against the New York Giants at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It looked to be about as close to a perfect performance by a quarterback as there has ever been.

Brees threw for 363 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown, perhaps the most spectacular run of a career that hasn’t included a lot of runs. But the most impressive stat of all might have been that the Saints had 577 yards of total offense (the second-highest output in franchise history) without a 100-yard rusher or receiver and without a sack.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever witnessed that before.

Didn’t think so. It sure looked like perfection.

Instead of celebrating, though, Brees was ripping himself apart -- and apologizing to Michael Jordan -- for not doing enough.

“I’m always hard on myself,’’ Brees said. “I expect perfection. I just know deep down there are some things I still need to work on.’’

Really? What’s left to work on when you’ve put 49 points on the board and spread 25 completions among seven different receivers?

“He is his own worst critic and he is as hard on himself as anyone else could possibly be,’’ New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. “The time he’s been in our system, we’re on Year 6 now, and he’s throwing the ball with great rhythm and anticipation.’’

But let’s stop the tap dancing and the personal critiques. Let’s get right to the truth.

Brees has been a very good quarterback for a long time. But he now is playing better than he ever has. He should be a candidate for Most Valuable Player.

Go ahead and start the chants for Aaron Rodgers. I get it and there's no doubt Rodgers is having a tremendous season. But I think Brees is having every bit as good a season as the Green Bay quarterback. Maybe better, and I am not alone.

“Aaron Rodgers is on an undefeated team and obviously that means a lot,’’ New Orleans right tackle Zach Strief said. “Aaron Rodgers is an absolutely great quarterback, no doubt. But is anybody playing better than Drew Brees right now? Probably not.’’

No, definitely not. Brees is on a roll that has him on pace to break Dan Marino’s record for passing yards in a single season (5,084 in 1984). On his current pace, Brees would finish with 5,366 passing yards. He’s also got the Saints off to an 8-3 start and alone atop the NFC South.

Yeah, the Packers defeated the Saints in the season opener and Rodgers and Green Bay have kept right on winning. No knock on Rodgers, but he’s got a great team around him. So does Brees, but name another true superstar on the New Orleans roster?

I don’t think there’s one besides Brees. He’s surrounded by a bunch of good players, who he makes even better. If he wasn’t hitting running back Darren Sproles and tight end Jimmy Graham on underneath routes against the Giants, he was throwing downfield to Devery Henderson, Marques Colston and Lance Moore.

Could Brees end up as the MVP?

“He’s in that conversation,’’ said Colston, who had six catches for 78 yards. “As long as we keep winning, he’s got to stay in that conversation.’’

Colston came into the NFL in 2006, the same year Brees arrived in New Orleans. Colston has seen Brees in games and practices. They went to an NFC Championship Game in their first year together and won a Super Bowl in the 2009 season. Brees became only the second quarterback ever to throw for 5,000 yards in 2008.

“Drew Brees is even better now than he’s ever been,’’ Colston said. “The crazy thing is that we long ago came to expect great things from him. But he’s taken it to an even higher level. Heck, that touchdown run he had, I’ve never seen out of him.’’

Ah, yes, the touchdown run. If you haven’t seen it, check the highlights. It came with 5:48 left in the third quarter. That’s when Brees dropped to throw, tucked the ball, ran and dived across the goal line.

Shades of Tim Tebow from a guy who's never been known as a runner.

“When he’s throwing the football, you would say he’s very decisive,’’ Payton said. “On that play, you could say the same thing.’’

Brees was decisive on the run that gave the Saints a 35-10 lead. He even was decisive on what he attempted to do next, although that was the one moment of the night where Brees wasn’t perfect and that’s where the apology to Jordan came in.

After scoring, Brees made a run for the goalposts. His plan was to dunk the ball over the post, in the same manner he used to imitate Jordan’s dunks on a shorter-than-regulation basketball rim when he was growing up.

“I was a little more tired than I thought I would be,’’ Brees said. “I didn’t quite get the oomph and I turned it into more of a finger roll. I apologize to Michael Jordan.’’

But Brees didn’t have to apologize for anything else. Heck, Brees is so good that he forces Payton to defy every coaching handbook he's ever seen. When the Saints got the ball back at their own 12-yard line with 1:09 left in the first half, Payton didn't call for handoffs to run out the clock. He turned Brees loose. The Saints went straight down the field and scored on a pass to Moore with 40 seconds left in the half and a 21-3 lead.

"It's that confidence that players around have in him and, obviously, we have in him,'' Payton said.

In the locker room after the game, his teammates were still in awe.

“It’s weird to say this,’’ Strief said. “You play with lots of guys through the years and every guy you play with, you can remember him having a bad game at some point. I can honestly say I’ve never seen Drew Brees have a bad game. What he did tonight was simply amazing. He just keeps getting better and better.’’

“He’s the only quarterback I’ve really played with in the NFL,’’ Colston said. “But I look around at other quarterbacks and I just can’t imagine a better quarterback than Drew Brees.’’

Or a better MVP candidate.

Thursday’s going to be a very big day in NFC South land. Sure, the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers each will play their final preseason game.

But final preseason games are even more meaningless than other preseason games. What I’m talking about is much bigger than preseason games.

I’m talking about our predictions for the season. ESPN.com will be rolling out predictions from the entire NFL staff of writers. I’ll be giving my take on where each NFC South team will finish and I think you’ll see that some of my predictions are contrary to what you’ve seen from most media outlet predictions.

Part of it is because I like to be different and part of it is because it’s what I feel in my gut. Most of you know I generally avoid predictions, but this is the one time of year I do them. I can’t reveal them here. But, like I said, I think you’re going to see some surprises.

I’ll also be picking winners for all the other divisions and teams that I think will earn wild-card berths. I’ll also be picking a Super Bowl winner -- and that may or may not be an NFC South team.

Well also be predicting a Coach of the Year, Most Valuable Player and Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year. You just might see some NFC South representation in those categories.

Multiple readers have written to ask why we haven't heard anything on various awards for the 2010 season. That's because they've been pushed back to Super Bowl week.

The announcements will start coming tonight with The Associated Press' Defensive Player of the Year award. The Offensive Player of the Year will be announced Tuesday and Coach of the Year will come Wednesday.

The Pepsi Rookie of the Year will be announced Thursday and the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year will be revealed Friday. The Comeback Player of the Year will be announced Saturday and the Most Valuable Player will be revealed Sunday morning.

I'm thinking the rookie awards might be the place where the NFC South has its best chance for representation. Tampa Bay receiver Mike Williams and running back LeGarrette Blount have to be strong candidates, although St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford could be an obstacle.

Coach of the Year could go in any number of directions, but Tampa Bay's Raheem Morris and Atlanta's Mike Smith each could have a shot.

We've already presented the offense, defense and specialists on our All-NFC South team. Now, it's time for some division-wide awards.

Coach of the Year: Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons. There was strong temptation to go with Tampa Bay's Raheem Morris here. He did a fantastic job, but I'm also trying to spread things out. I'll go with Smith. Forget the debacle in the playoff loss to Green Bay. The Falcons won 13 games, and they did that by playing disciplined, smart football.

General Manager of the Year: Mark Dominik, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the league's lowest payroll and a slew of injuries, the Bucs managed to win 10 games. Dominik pulled some rabbits out of a hat by finding some impact players late in the draft, off the waiver wire and off the practice squads of other teams.

Rookie of the Year: Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Exhibit A of Dominik's success. Williams was a fourth-round draft pick, but he immediately was Tampa Bay's No. 1 receiver.

Coordinator of the Year: Greg Olson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams are bigger names. But I'll take Olson just on this season. With Josh Freeman in his first full season as a starting quarterback, a bunch of young guys playing at receiver and running back, and an offensive line that was hit hard by injuries, Olson still made this the most entertaining offense in franchise history.

Defensive Player of the Year: John Abraham, Atlanta Falcons. This was probably the hardest choice on this list. It was not a banner year for defense in the NFC South. I narrowed the list to Abraham and New Orleans' Jonathan Vilma and Malcolm Jenkins. Vilma might be the most consistent and best overall defensive player in the division, and Jenkins probably has the most upside. But Vilma didn't make a lot of big plays, and I'm hesitant to give Jenkins this honor in his first full season as a starter. Abraham had 13 sacks and made more big plays than any defensive player in the division.

Offensive Player of the Year: Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons. Yes, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Freeman got consideration here. So did Atlanta running back Michael Turner. All those guys are good. But when you look at their production this season only, can you really make a case that they were the best in the league at their position? I think you can do that with White, and that's why I'm going with him.

Special Teams Player of the Year: Eric Weems, Atlanta Falcons. He did it all for the Falcons, returning kickoffs and punts and also helping out on the coverage units. He became a big-play guy as a return man, and that's why he's going to the Pro Bowl.

Breakout Player of the Year: Malcolm Jenkins, New Orleans Saints. He moved from cornerback to free safety, and even made a brief return to cornerback when injuries piled up. He made some huge plays and showed signs he could become a force for the long term.

Equipment Manager of the Year: Jackie Miles, Carolina Panthers. Hey, I had to get the Panthers involved somehow, and there really wasn't a legitimate case for any of their players, coaches or executives. But the one guy with the Panthers who is the absolute best in the league at what he does is Miles. He might not be an owner, player, coach or general manager, but there are times you watch Miles do his thing and you feel like you are watching Ted Williams (the baseball player, not the guy with the big voice) taking batting practice.

Most Valuable Player: You'll have to wait a bit. That's going to be announced in a column that is to appear Friday afternoon.

Derrick in Marrero, La., writes: Pat-You know we all love Peyton Manning here in NOLA, but I really need some clarity on why every pundit around the network circle didn't even bat an eye when he ran away with the MVP award. Drew Brees led Manning in all passing categories with the exception of yards (Comp % which was an NFL record, passer rating which was I believe the 7th highest ever, yards per attempt, TDs and Ints) His team lost only 1 more game than Manning's? In addition everyone stated "Look who Manning is doing it with?" I ask , Who in the world is Drew throwing to? I just would like to see someone ask nationally just why was the vote so lopsided? The MVP cannot be a popularity vote?

Pat Yasinskas: You’re preaching to the choir here. I though the vote should at least have been closer. I don’t think there’s a player in the NFL who does more for his team than Brees. But I don’t have a vote. Also, and I am by no means saying this is fair or right, but I think the award, much like the Pro Bowl, is somewhat of a popularity contest. The Manning name does carry a lot of weight.

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Firat in Wesley Chapel, Fla., asks if the Bucs should take a safety or defensive tackle with the No. 3 overall pick.

Pat Yasinskas: I’m a big believer in that it all starts up front, and I think Tampa Bay’s defensive line was a weakness there. I think the Bucs almost have to go with a defensive tackle. You can find competent safeties later in the draft.

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Charlie in Union Beach, N.J., asks why the Panthers didn’t simply lock up Julius Peppers to a long-term deal several years ago.

Pat Yasinskas: That’s a good point because locking up Peppers earlier would have prevented the Panthers from having to use the franchise tag on him in 2009 and probably in 2010. I know for a fact there was an attempt by the Panthers to sign Peppers to a long-term deal in 2008. The Panthers offered to make Peppers the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. He turned that deal down. That was during a time when Peppers apparently wanted out of Carolina.

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Falcon Fan in Germany asks about the possibility of the Falcons drafting a tight end this year as an eventual replacement for Tony Gonzalez.

Pat Yasinskas: I don’t think it’s a huge priority because Gonzalez is still going strong. I doubt you’ll see the Falcons taking a tight end in the early in the draft, simply because they’ve got other needs that are more pressing. But I could see them looking for a tight end in the middle rounds and grooming him behind Gonzalez for a year or two.

ATLANTA -- We’re running a poll over on NFL Nation Live about who should be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. It’s very close between Drew Brees and Peyton Manning so far.

I’m not telling anyone what to do, but if you’re a New Orleans fan, you might want to cast a vote. Here’s the link.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Our friends over at SportsNation explore the idea of New Orleans safety Darren Sharper as a most valuable player candidate.

Take a look at what they have to say. My feelings are that Sharper’s at least a candidate at this moment. But I think it would be hard for him to win MVP over teammate Drew Brees, who’s putting up huge numbers and plays the glamour position of quarterback.

But, at the very least, I think Sharper’s the leading candidate, at the moment, for defensive player of the year.

Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments section below or hit my mailbag.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

TAMPA, Fla. -- Santonio Holmes got the automatic invitation and Ben Roethlisberger got an at-large bid.

The Pittsburgh wide receiver and quarterback will be part of a parade at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom late Monday morning, a Disney spokesperson said.

Holmes will continue the tradition of Super Bowl Most Valuable Players going to Disney World or Disneyland right after the game. But he'll have company. The Disney spokesman said an invitation also was extended to Roethlisberger and the quarterback accepted.

The exact time of the parade is subject to when Roethlisberger and Holmes arrive after the 90-minute drive from Tampa to the Orlando area. But the spokesman said the parade will start sometime around 11 a.m.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Time for the Saints' version of today's team-by-team mailbags.

Chazzy in parts unknown writes: Drew Brees is the 2008 leader of almost all of the passing catagories. Do you think he can win MVP even though the Saints are out of the playoffs?

Pat Yasinskas: Honestly, no. I think the winner will come from a playoff team. That's just the way it works. I think most people believe the Most Valuable Player should come from a playoff team. I tend to agree with that. I recognize Drew Brees has had a tremendous season and the Saints would be in horrible shape without his contributions. But they aren't in the playoffs with his contributions. I think, just from the NFC South alone, Michael Turner and DeAngelo Williams would rank ahead of Brees. Matt Ryan might, too.

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Paul in Knoxville writes: Hey Pat, given that the Saints D hasn't really improved...is the front office chalking this up to all the injuries they've faced..or will they acknowledge it to a lack of talent? How will they upgrade?

Pat Yasinskas: There's no doubt injuries played a role in the defensive struggles, but you never can blame everything on injuries. The Saints went out and overhauled their defense before this season and it didn't do the trick. Part of that was because they didn't get enough depth. There should be a lesson learned from that. Without a lot of draft picks, the Saints are going to have to be active in free agency. They need a ball-hawking free safety, at least one solid cornerback, some more speed at linebacker and some help up front. That's a lot of needs, but they've got to address them all heavily or next year will end up being just like this year and the year before.