Shoud Troy Polamalu Be NFL's MVP?

By Derek Lofland.

I have never seen a MVP race materialize quite like this one.

With just three weeks left in the season, there are about a dozen players that could lay claim to the MVP award.

The teams that are doing well are teams in every sense of the word with no one clear player leading the way.

The players that are putting up gaudy statistics are doing so on average teams.

With each strange loss or development, names keep being thrown into the equation.

The last four years have been pretty easy in terms of MVP voting.

In 2004, Peyton Manning had 49 touchdown passes on a 12-4 Colts team.

In 2005, Shaun Alexander had 27 rushing touchdowns on a 13-3 Seahawks team.

In 2006, LaDainian Tomlinson had 31 touchdowns for a 14-2 San Diego Chargers team.

Finally, in 2007 Tom Brady had 50 touchdowns for a 16-0 Patriots team.

Pretty hard to argue with handing out MVP awards for those players.

The last time we really didn't have a consensus record setting winner was 2003 when the Colts' Peyton Manning's 29 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions tied the Titan's Steve McNair's 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions on teams that shared the AFC South supremacy with 12-4 records.

I think that this may the year where the league should look at awarding a defensive player over an offensive player.

The best unit in the NFL, bar none, is the Pittsburgh defense this year. They are doing things that haven't been done in a long time. The last time a team led the NFL in total yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, and passing yards allowed was the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles. The Steelers also rank first in points allowed at 14.1. The Eagles were only able to rank fifth in the NFL in their historic 1991 season...

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