Chad Pennington's Case For NFL MVP

Chad Pennington was cleaning out his locker at the New York Jets practice facility on Long Island with no destination in sight. He was just released as the Jets had traded for Brett Favre to bolster their offense and lead them to the playoffs.

The 32-year old, who is the Jets all-time leader in passer rating and completion percentage, was thought to be past the prime of his career. With such a weak arm and an injury-riddled past, there were questions if Pennington could still be a productive starting quarterback in the NFL.

Even with those concerns six teams throughout the league contacted Pennington with interest. The quarterback quickly signed with the Jets AFC East rival Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins, under rookie head coach Tony Sparano, were in dire need of a veteran quarterback to direct their offense. They were not satisfied going into the season with Josh McCown, John Beck, or Chad Henne at the helm.

No one expected that Chad Pennington would be the answer to all of Miami's problems. After all, the Dolphins were the NFL's worst team last season finishing with a 1-15 record which earned them the No. 1 overall selection in April's draft.

But even with the addition of Pennington and rookie offensive tackle Jake Long, no one believed that the Dolphins could be a contender this year. The organization was in such disarray that they needed much more than a simple upgrade at the quarterback position.

The season began and the Dolphins suffered two straight losses to the Jets and the Arizona Cardinals with the offense not generating many points. It looked like Miami was on the same bleak path it headed down last season.

Then in Week 3, Pennington and running back Ronnie Brown decimated the New England Patriots defense in a stunning 38-13 victory.

Since that game the Dolphins have surged through their schedule going 8-3, which has led them to a current tie in the AFC East standings with the Jets and Patriots. 

This was unfathomable at the beginning of the season. But because of the leadership and outstanding play of Pennington, the Dolphins find themselves in the thick of the playoff race.

Pennington is currently ranked fourth in the league with a passer rating of 95.1 and he has only thrown six interceptions thus far. In that stat, Pennington is ranked third, as Jeff Garcia and Jason Campbell are the only two starting quarterbacks who have thrown less interceptions then him.

All of this considered Chad Pennington should definitely be one of the few considered for MVP this season. But Kurt Warner, Adrian Peterson, and Drew Brees all have made strong cases as well.

While they all have had amazing seasons, none of them was put into the situation that Pennington was. He took the NFL's worst team and has turned them into a legitimate playoff contender in less than one season.

Although Pennington has already made his case for the award, he has the opportunity to solidify his argument in the last two weeks of the season. With the Dolphins fighting for a playoff spot and the division title, they will most likely need two victories to achieve those goals.

In the last game of the season, Chad Pennington will lead the Dolphins into the Meadowlands for a showdown with Favre and the Jets. The game will most likely determine which of those two teams advances to the playoffs and it could decide the division champion.

Nothing would be sweeter and more ironic for Pennington to walk into New York and upset the Jets with the playoffs on the line.  Would that be enough for him to be named MVP? It should be, but it does not have to be. Pennington has already done enough to prove his critics wrong and take home the hardware.