Don Pierson

The Most Valuable Player award in the NFL is tarnished. Its meaning has been reduced to little more than a popularity contest. For the last 20 years, it has rewarded only the outstanding quarterback or running back, as if no other position is important enough to consider.

Last season marked the 50th time an MVP has been chosen by Associated Press balloting. It has been shared three times. There have been 32 quarterbacks, 16 running backs, two linebackers, one defensive end, one defensive tackle, and one kicker.

A kicker? Yes, in 1982, Washington Redskins placekicker Mark Moseley was the MVP for making 20 of 21 field goals. It was a strange year, with seven games wiped out by a 57-day player strike, but at least voters showed some creativity in honoring Moseley as the one player the Super Bowl champions couldn't get along without.

The league used to be more balanced between offense and defense. In 1958, the award’s  second year, Baltimore Colts defensive end Gino Marchetti was named MVP. In the fourth year, Detroit Lions middle linebacker Joe Schmidt shared the award with Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Norm Van Brocklin.

In 1971, Minnesota Vikings' defensive tackle Alan Page was cited and in 1986, New York Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor was honored. Since Taylor, only quarterbacks and running backs have won.

Despite an era that rewards passing and celebrates receivers, no wide receiver has ever won. Neither has an offensive tackle, although everybody knows that no team has a chance if it can't protect its quarterback.

Why can't Seattle's great left tackle, Walter Jones, be the league's MVP? Because voters have no imagination. Jones has been called in various polls the NFL's single best player regardless of position, so why wouldn't he qualify for what is supposed to be the league's most prestigious award?

Because odds are roughly 2-1 that a quarterback will beat out a running back for this year's MVP honors, here are the preseason favorites — Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning, New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady and San Diego Chargers' running back LaDainian Tomlinson, last year's winner.

Since Manning shared it in 2003 and won in 2004 and Tomlinson won last year, Brady would have to be the sentimental and consensus early pick, assuming the Patriots will be as good as advertised.

But there are other candidates, or should be. Here they are:

Steve McNair, Baltimore Ravens
When McNair was in Tennessee, the quarterback shared the honor with Manning in 2003 and if the Ravens go 13-3 again, McNair will get plenty of backing again if he can continue to will this team to win. But the Ravens are built on the league's No. 1 defense, so why shouldn't linebacker Ray Lewis get consideration? Or safety Ed Reed.

Shawne Merriman, Chargers

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He led the league in sacks last year despite a four-game suspension. If he's indeed the new Lawrence Taylor, then it follows that he should get votes as the league's MVP. If the Chargers are to take the next step, their defense is going to have to catch the Ravens.

Champ Bailey, Denver Broncos
Coach Mike Shanahan traded running back Clinton Portis to Washington in 2004 for the league's best cornerback with the idea that cornerbacks were more important in winning championships than running backs. Yet if the Broncos play as well as they expect this season, new running back Travis Henry might get more MVP attention than Bailey.

Josh Brown, Seattle Seahawks
The placekicker won four games for the Seahawks in the last minutes last season, something not even Moseley did. Without Brown, the Seahawks would have been just another Super Bowl loser that failed to make the playoffs the following season.

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

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Yeah, he's a quarterback, but with all due respect to his buddy Tomlinson, Brees should have been MVP last season. All he did was catapult one of the worst franchises in sports from 3-13 and the despair of Hurricane Katrina to 10-6 and the first NFC title game appearance in team history. The Saints were the sports story of the year because Brees.

Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears
The centerpiece of the NFC's best defense remains the middle linebacker. This could be coach Lovie Smith's best defense yet and Urlacher is surrounded by more good players than ever. It's a defense that likely will be playing with big leads as the offense also looks good enough to make quarterback Rex Grossman the unlikeliest MVP candidate of all.

Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys
Here's one MVP candidate more unlikely than Grossman. But don't laugh yet. True, a receiver never has won an MVP trophy and Owens is often considered as much liability as asset. Yet despite his annoying persona, Owens led the league in TD catches last season, a little-known fact. If new coach Wade Phillips is able to get the Cowboys to the next level and quarterback Tony Romo can fulfill all the expectations heaped on him, Owens is likely to be a primary reason.

There are other legitimate receiver candidates, of course, including at least one very valuable tight end:

Antonio Gates, Chargers
If tight ends open up running lanes and control the middle of the field, who does it better than Gates?

Marvin Harrison, Colts
Manning does have weapons and nobody is better than Harrison, who preceded Manning to Indianapolis, by the way.

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