Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers
If the truest definition of MVP is to find the player who means more to his team than any other, Smith might have retired the trophy by now. Can you imagine the Panthers without Smith? Carolina fans would prefer to skip that mental exercise.

Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
Voters should pick Johnson just to see what kind of celebration he could concoct.

And here's the darkest horse of them all:

Randy Moss, Patriots
What if? What if the first MVP receiver is the new Randy Moss, rebounding from a once-stellar career to lead the Patriots back to the Super Bowl?

Stranger things have happened, though not lately.

Q: How can the Eagles be any better after releasing Jeremiah Trotter? He was a veteran leader that had the opportunity to play with one of the best in [Takeo] Spikes.
— James, Scottsdale, Ariz.

A: It wasn't an easy decision, but Trotter was a liability in any kind of pass coverage and that had to be weighed against his leadership and his run-stopping ability.

He was essentially a one or two-down player between the tackles and the Eagles needed more. Teams were exploiting the Eagles' defense by passing on first down. It's a bit of a gamble, since Omar Gaither is the replacement and he has almost no experience in the middle. Teammates predictably complained about Trotter's unhappy fate, pointing out that he was a loyal leader who still looked plenty effective to them.

But decisions like these make the difference between winning teams and also-rans. If players made the decisions, nobody would ever get fired.

Q: Do you think the AFC South is going to improve this year? At the end of last season, it looked like most of the AFC South teams were getting their act together compared to how they perform in the past. Tennessee and Houston especially looked stronger I thought.
— Keith Sinders, Indianapolis

A: You don't have to wring your hands in Indianapolis about the Colts losing their grip on the AFC South. Jacksonville still poses the most dangerous threat but the Jaguars still must prove they can stay out of their own way. The Titans and Texans both will improve, but the gap is so great between them and the Colts that no one-year jump to the top can be reasonably expected.

As long as Peyton Manning stays healthy — and he has yet to miss a game — the Colts will stay ahead of the pack.

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Q: The Rams have enough firepower on offense. Is the defense going to be the downfall again?
— Chuck, Breese, Ill.

A: The plan is for the defense to pull its weight this year and complement the offense rather than compromise it. A lot depends on rookie lineman Adam Carriker, who moved from his college position of end to tackle, where the Rams are in dire need of a big run-stopper. Carriker, fellow rookie Clifton Ryan and holdovers Claude Wroten and LaRoi Glover will rotate inside and will determine how much the defense can improve. If they are so-so, the defense will be so-so and so will the Rams as a team.

So far this preseason, the offense has sputtered, but coach Scott Linehan has no reason to worry about it.

Q: What is the deal with the lime green stickers on the back of quarterback's helmets? I see all the teams have them so it's a league-wide thing. It's distracting to say the least.
— Matt, Tampa, Fla.

A: New NFL rule. The league wanted all the radio-wired helmets readily identified because only one helmet on offense is allowed on the field at the same time. Officials wanted a way to quickly determine who was wearing them. With some teams occasionally using two quarterbacks at a time, with one flanking out, officials wanted to make sure only one was wearing the radio helmet.

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