Why Glen Toonga is the clear-cut European League of Football MVP

By Jordan Pryor, Fourth Down Fiasco

The ELF regular season has come to a close, but the drama is far from over! As now five teams gear up for the playoffs and make a final push for the championship trophy, fans are speculating about who will take home the MVP award. The midseason race featured a wide range of potential candidates, from edge rusher Kyle Kitchens to wide receiver Reece Horn. However, as the season has progressed, the MVP race has narrowed down to four candidates: The Undefeated, The King, The Magician, and The Glass of Brandy.

When considering the ‘Most Valuable Player’ award, it is crucial to focus on the ‘value’ aspect. Some of our previous candidates, such as Wentland and Kitchens, are not on playoff teams, so their incredible individual play is overshadowed by a lack of team success. This award is for those who impact winning to the highest degree through their play, thereby reinforcing the value proposition.

Ben Holmes – The Undefeated

The Case For: Being the quarterback of the only undefeated team can take you far in this world, and Ben Holmes has certainly seized his opportunity. The Vikings’ quarterback has thrown 34 touchdowns in just 10 games and boasts the highest touchdown percentage among all quarterbacks who qualify (minimum 50 attempts). The fan-proclaimed “BenVP” is decimating every team he and the Vienna Vikings face, securing the #1 seed with their undefeated season. Holmes is a high-IQ player with a rifle for an arm and killer instincts. He is a pass-only quarterback, having little to no impact on the game with his legs, but when you’re as good at throwing the ball as Ben Holmes, that doesn’t matter much. He is the purest of arm talents. Expect him to lead Vienna on a deep playoff run.

The Case Against: Much of the argument against Ben Holmes is beyond his control. The same point made during the midseason can still be made now: Vienna is such a meticulously crafted roster that other quarterbacks could also win and flourish on this team. Ben has been dominant in every facet of his game, but Eppler’s success in his absence is a testament to how good Vienna is as a team. It is also notable that Vienna has benefited from a weaker conference, and while they have shredded the competition, this has not given Holmes the opportunity to have a marquee performance.

Glen Toonga – The King

The Case For: If I told you an NFL running back eclipsed 30 rushing touchdowns over a 17-game season, you would assume they were the clear-cut MVP. That would break LaDainian Tomlinson’s record of 28 and would be the most mind-boggling number we as fans would have ever seen. Now, if I told you that same player reached 30 touchdowns in 12 games, you wouldn’t believe me. This alone shows how dominant Glen Toonga has been, and he has done all this while only fumbling the ball twice. It doesn’t matter what defenses throw at him either, as he has had big games against playoff teams like Paris. Much like a king, he sits on the thrown of every category at his position and continues to rain fire on his opponents.

The Case Against: It’s hard to make a case against Toonga. He has more rushing touchdowns than Jakeb Sullivan, Steve Duncan, and even his own teammate Jadrian Clark have through the air. If there were a case to be made against Toonga, it’s that Rhein arguably has the most talent in the ELF. Their defense is phenomenal, with stacked talent at all three levels, their offensive line is the best in the league, and Jadrian Clark is an absolute dawg in his own right. Similar to the case against Ben Holmes, Rhein is a perfectly constructed team.

Zach Edwards – The Magician

The Case For: A magician never reveals his secrets, so we’ll never know how Zach Edwards is always able to get out of trouble. Edwards is number two this year in passing yards and top-five in rushing, highlighting how much of a threat he is for defenses. Not to mention, Edwards has hit some huge career milestones this year, eclipsing 10,000 career yards and 100 career touchdowns, categories in which he leads all-time. He has also had marquee performances, such as his six-touchdown game against the Jakeb Sullivan-led Berlin Thunder, which is why the Musketeers were able to eke out a 40-37 victory. Really, the screenwriters couldn’t have whipped up a better script because this season has been movie magic from Zach Edwards.

The Case Against: There isn’t much to argue against Edwards except that he has not had the same season as Toonga. The matchups against Rhein are blemishes on Edwards’ record, as he has struggled against Rhein’s elite defense. Multiple picks and interceptions in those games show there is still room for the 26-year-old to grow. Overall, he has done a better job of cleaning up his interception/fumble numbers compared to previous years, but he still struggles to take care of the ball against elite secondary talent.

Reilly Hennessey – The Glass of Brandy

The Case For: Reilly Hennessey would be the first to tell you that he does not care about winning MVP, but he deserves every bit of MVP discourse he has received. Among the quarterbacks who qualify (50 attempts or more), Hennessey is the most efficient in the league, with a QBR of 129.59. He also leads the league in completion percentage, is tied for total touchdowns on the season, and is tied for third in most yards. Am I getting the point across? Hennessey is your quarterback’s favorite quarterback, and we may not see efficiency like this for a while in the ELF (unless Hennessey decides for the second time this isn’t his last year). Hennessey not only has the coolest last name, but he relaxed demeanor on and off the field reflect it.

The Case Against: While still a stout team, the Stuttgart Surge have lost some of their charge in recent weeks, including a loss to Raiders Tirol in Week 12, which saw some sloppy play at the beginning of the game, spotting Raiders Tirol 10 points in a game decided by three. Don’t get it twisted; 11-1 and many decisive wins are worthy of consideration. It’s just that Stuttgart has not felt quite as dominant as Vienna or Rhein against middle-of-the-pack teams. Whoever they face in the semi-finals with be a tough match up.

Honorable Mention – Chad Jeffries – The California Kid

The Case For: We still need to recognize Chad Jeffries, who leads the league in touchdowns thrown for a Munich Ravens team that has been hot down the stretch. Jeffries has been dynamic in the pocket and is one of the reasons why Munich was able to slide head-first into the playoffs after beating Raiders Tirol in a matchup that decided both teams’ postseason fate. There is no question that Jeffries is a very good quarterback with a lot to offer his team. In the Wild Card loss to Paris, he still had an impact, completing 24 of 27 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns.

The Case Against: Some of Jeffries’ numbers feel inflated, as his biggest games have come against the league’s worst in Barcelona, Milano, Helvetic, and Prague. Against the Stuttgart Surge and Raiders Tirol, Jeffries has looked average at best, averaging 173 yards and less than two TDs with a turnover per game. Jeffries is still a very good quarterback, but not quite in the elite tier needed for MVP.

Final MVP Rankings:

1. Glen Toonga
2. Reilly Hennessey
3. Zach Edwards
4. Ben Holmes
5. Chad Jeffries

Yes… I can sense the eyerolls at #4.

I believe 2-4 could be interchanged; this is just where it fell for me. The main point in all of this is to name who is first and in totality. So I will.

Glen Toonga is the runaway MVP.

No player in this league possesses the same gravity on the field as Toonga has this year. There were questions about whether he could simply repeat last year’s production, but those questions were immediately put to rest. Then people wondered if he could maintain the ridiculous pace he was on, and he proved that was light work. There have been so many weeks where we have sat here and said “if X team just stops Toonga…” and nobody has found a way to stop him. Glen Toonga is inevitable. No matter how the postseason shakes out, Fire fans need to soak it in. While the ELF is still young, this has been a performance for the ages, and witnessing greatness like we have this season is a privilege.

The King is MVP.