Congratulations are in order for James Harrison of the Pittsburg Steelers, who was awarded the Associated Press Defensive MVP on yesterday........But......And yes there is a but......How does Ed Reed finish 3rd?
The final order for the award went as follows:
2) Demarcus Ware
3) Ed Reed
4) Albert Haynesworth
5) Troy Polamalu
Harrison is one heck of a player, but the best Ed Reed could do is third? and all you ever hear about is how much of a "game changer" he is, and how is a first ballot Hall of Famer and etc. Ware had a great season too...If the season were 10 to 12 games. The case can be made for Reed because all year we have heard about how the Ravens defense is getting old and how they aren't as feared anymore. On top of that, you have the great campaigns that the Titans and Steelers put on. If you take Harrison out of the equation, there is a good chance that another Steeler could put up his stats. If you take Ed Reed out of the equation, the Ravens are not in the Divisional Playoffs.
As for the Offensive Player of the Year, it brings up what is becoming an increasingly suspect process of awarding MVP's.
Writers Note: I know Drew Brees won AP Offensive Player, but when the MVP is an offensive player, it sort of negates the award.
When Peyton Manning, who is already one of the best to do it, won the award late last week, my initial reaction was congratulatory. But the more I thought about it, a legitimate argument can be made as well.
Peyton had a great second half of the season. But were we really surprised? I feel that what put him over the top is that no one else could really separate themselves from the pack as a legitimate challenger. Pennington, the second place winner, led a productive campaign that produced one of the greatest turnarounds in league history. He had a lot to prove, because he was tossed from New York for God Favre, who ironically, had his season ended by Pennington's Dolphins. Peyton Manning is a superstar, great player, and backed by a powerful media machine that is going to continue to provide the slight edge when you have season's where a lot of players who weren't expected to blow up like they did, did. Peyton is as vanilla as the National Football League wants (not in a racial undertone, but in his simple presentation).
Is it Manning and Harrison's fault, by no means. They did their job, but the system and process is flawed and has the credibility of the BCS.
To go a step further, lets look at the NBA and how they award MVP. Last year, Kobe Bryant was awarded his first MVP trophy. As argued on here countless times, what about the years before? Kobe had to earn his way back into the good graces of the Machine. Did he deserve it last year? Not really. CP3 was the Most Valuable Player of the year. Nobody expected the Hornets to do what they did, due to the outstanding play of Paul. Paul was cheated because the Machine felt Kobe had been a good enough boy to finally get his treat.
Lets look at this years' race. They have already made it 1 man race, before the clock hit 12 on New Year's Day.
Writer's Note: If your name is not Lebron James, King James, or any variation of #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers, please continue to play well. But do not expect that hardware.
Lebron is having a great year as always, but we are being force fed Bron Bron. Call me a hater, but I am not understanding why his chalk routine is being marketed the way it is. Kevin Garnett has being doing that for quite some time. Call me salty, but why did NBA TV have 24 hours of Lebron James footage on his birthday last week? If you compile Lebron's highlights, its the same "get the outlet pass due to the phantom defense he plays, take 3 dribbles from half court, and dunk". Dont get me wrong, Lebron will go down as top 5 (once he can establish a consistent jump shot), but the propaganda is a bit much.
He is supported by an even bigger machine then Peyton Manning. The league has put all of its eggs in the Lebron basket. He has been tailored to carry the league on his shoulders. The same way with Jordan. It was Jordan, then the rest of the legends. Its Lebron, and the rest of future legends. Who on the basketball horizon will even be able to chip away at the throne? No one is receiving the hype that James did back at the start of the decade. Think about it.
All of the citizens of the sports media world who carry the voting power are creatures of habit. I honestly believe that they have already voted and that the rest of the season is a mere formality. Does Lebron win this year do to how valuable he is, or how visible he is?
The slim contrast between sports and entertainment has an adverse effect on who is the best player at the end of the season. The DNA of an MVP is 70% skill, 30% image. And with the right machine behind you, those percentages can be skewed. Ask D. Wade when the season is over. The acronym for MVP has an inconsistent meaning when a lot of times the Most Valuable Person to the League is crowned instead of the the Most Valuable Player. They are two different things.
No problem with Harrison or Ware both had monster years hard to complain about that.
I am the real MVP
Screw Harrison,Ed Reed deserved that award.the Ravens will put the Peelers out of the playoffs -if the Peelers make it to the AFC championship game.
I had a much better season than Harrison not my fault that Tony Homo sucks