There are two weeks left in this here NFL season. You would think that we know who the frontrunners are for the NFL MVP, right? Wrong. It’s more jumbled out there than it has bee in some time. Who are the candidates? What are the factors that make them the candidates? What factors will make the difference in who wins? To get your answer jump around, jump around, hit jump, hit jump, and scroll down. Jump!So let’s do a quick rundown of the preliminary candidates…

First, you should know that it is highly unlikely for a team that is lower than 8-6 right now to have an MVP candidate. So even though Clinton Portis is a warrior of a man, he misses out. Let’s go through the teams…

New York Jets - Kris Jenkins is the defensive anchor but doesn’t affect the game enough. Brett Favre is not the reason this team is winning, they may be winning despite him (especially lately). Neither Coles nor Cotchery is dominant enough at receiver. Thomas Jones is the call for this team.

Miami Dolphins – Defensive MOP candidate Joey Porter must get consideration if any defender does. They have no dominant wide receiver and Ronnie Brown splits carries enough with Ricky Williams to disqualify them both. Chad Pennington leads this team on and off the field and therefore gets the call as well.
New England Patriots – With committee being the word at running back and no real individual great player on the other side of the ball we narrow it down easily. Neither Wes Welker nor Randy Moss can accumulate enough (because of the other) to be a real factor in this discussion. Matt Cassell throws the ball to both and is among the league leaders in a bunch of categories.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Big Ben is on a down year, Santonio Holmes is not living up to expectations and Hines Ward is mediocre. Fast Willie Parker doesn’t look so fast anymore and missed time. Defense is where this team thrives and Troy Polamalu is what drives that thrive.
Baltimore Ravens - Forgive me if I don’t nominate anybody from the heralded “big 3″ of Joe Flacco, LeRon McLain, and Mark Clayton. Defense is winning the games for them and while Ray Lewis is still a factor, I’m nominating Ed Reed.
Tennessee Titans – While I considered Collins, the numbers just aren’t there. If your QB doesn’t have the numbers, you can be pretty sure that no receiver has them either. Smash and Dash are both great running backs but neither has the individual numbers. Again, credit the defense. Albert Haynesworth is the culprit here.
Indianapolis Colts – Peyton Manning has been alright this year but not what MVPs are made of. Joseph Addai has been killing fantasy teams across the country by being a huge disappointment. Reggie Wayne just doesn’t have the numbers to warrant consideration. This team’s defense is week-to-week and really isn’t home to a great defensive player. No nomination here.
Denver Broncos – Despite his hot start, Brandon Marshall simply hasn’t pushed himself over the hump. The Broncos have used as many running backs as Tatum Bell has baby-mommas. Jay Cutler has cooled off but still has the numbers to get him into this discussion.
New York Giants – Brandon Jacobs might have been in this space had he not missed time and split a few too many carries. As their best wide receiver shot himself, he won’t get votes. Eli Manning is the candidate in this bunch. Justin Tuck could have competed but other better defenders give him no chance.
Dallas Cowboys – Tony Romo has been choking as of late, TO and Witten don’t have the numbers, and Marion Barber has been missing games. The only reason this team is still around is their defense. The only reason the previous statement makes any sense is DaMarcus Ware.
Philadelphia Eagles – Donovan McNabb is not having a good season. They have no great receiver. Westbrook is always good but just hasn’t logged enough time to get mention. Defense is pretty good but has no star, therefore; no nomination.
Minnesota Vikings – They don’t really have a QB and Berrian hasn’t done enough. The defense is by committee of Williams. What stands out here? That’s obvious: Adrian Peterson.
Chicago Bears – QB? Not really. Receivers? See: QB? Defense? Not what it used to be. Running back? Look! An actual question! Still not a yes though. Forte has been good but he really isn’t one of the top guys in the league…yet. No nomination.
Carolina Panthers – Inconsistent QB play from Jake Delhomme has been their weak spot. Running back play has been their strength. Unluckily for them, Stewart and Williams Identity and Theft have split nearly evenly. With no receiver or defense to speak of, one of the best teams goes nominationless.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Antonio Bryant might have worked his way in here, but came up a few TDs short. Garcia has been serviceable and is therefore not MVPable. Warrick Dunn for MVP? Umm… no. Ronde Barber has made a resurgence, but that’s not enough to get him in here. No nomination.
Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan has been great for a rookie. Qualifying statement: for a rookie. Roddy White has helped a lot, but only six TDs won’t pass for admission here. Defense is good with John Abraham, but not as good as Michael Turner has been on the ground. Near the tops of pretty much all categories, the Burner, is a true MVP candidate.
Arizona Cardinals - Boldin and Fitzgerald (with a little help from Breaston) are reaping the habits Kurt Warner’s passing offense. Hightower took over for Edge in the middle of the season to disqualify them both. They don’t play defense. Kurt Warner is the pick.

So that’s it. There are 13 guys left with a chance. Let’s get rid of a few…

Only two defensive players have ever won the award; LT and Alan Page. We don’t have a crazy dominant defensive player this year so there goes Polamalu, Ware, Reed, Porter, and Haynesworth. That leaves us with…

Adrian Peterson
Michael Turner
Thomas Jones
Kurt Warner
Jay Cutler
Chad Pennington
Eli Manning
Matt Cassell

Next, we should consider that the voters always lean towards the guys on better teams. That would eliminate Peterson, Warner, and Cutler.

Also take into account that if you don’t make the playoffs you aren’t winning the MVP. That leaves us with three candidates.

Michael Turner – Void if the Falcons don’t make it
Eli Manning – the only steady candidate as of now
Cassel/Pennington/Jones – whoever wins AFC East

Keep in mind that the Giants haven’t looked good recently and that whoever occupies that third spot will most likely have to look good in order to have their team get in. Turner will lose out if the Falcons miss the post-season. That leaves us with any number of possibilities. It could be a one-man-race if Cassel leads the Pats to the playoffs, the Falcons fall short, and Eli and the Giants don’t show up for two more weeks. It could even theoretically be a four-man race is two of the AFC East teams win out (Pats and Jets/Fins because they play each other) and they get some help and both make it combined with the Falcons getting in and the Giants reclaiming their glory.

Basically, wait two more weeks. But in the meantime, you can debate it in the comment section and vote in the poll.

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