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Tim Tebow. Should he win the MVP? Not too many people are discussing this - probably partially because there's little to no chance of his actually winning the award. But a very compelling argument can be made in his favor.

Generally, the MVP goes to whichever quarterback or running back happens to put up the flashiest numbers in the season. Only three times has the NFL given out the MVP to a non-quarterback or running back since the award was first given in 1957 - once to a linebacker, once to a defensive tackle, and once to a kicker (boy, that would be the day). So the question every year is this: What quarterback or running back is the most valuable in the league?

There are very few instances when one can say that a player's team would be nothing without him. A good case could be made for Peyton Manning. He's been out the whole year, and his team doesn't have a win. (Not that his absence is the only reason why they're losing, but it's a pretty drastic contrast.) But he's been out the whole year, so he can't win the award.

Other players must be approached with caution. People have finally realized that great numbers - record-breaking numbers - don't necessarily mean that a given player is the most valuable in the league. A perfect example is Tom Brady. After breaking records and embarrassing opponents in 2007, he missed pretty much the entire year in 2008. Replacement Matt Cassel, who hadn't started a game since high school, also broke records. So a quarterback with flashy numbers isn't automatically indispensible.

That brings us back to the question of Tebow. Does he deserve the MVP? There's no question that his team is better with him than without him. The Broncos were 1-4 with Kyle Orton as starting quarterback, but they have gone 7-1 with Tebow at the helm. The message? The Broncos cannot win without Tebow and win like crazy with him. If he beats the Patriots on Sunday and ends the season 10-1 with his team in the playoffs, it's difficult to argue that he shouldn't win the MVP.

However, there are three things that stand in his way. The first is that he hasn't started the entire season. This would be a better argument if the response wasn't as simple as "Exactly! He didn't even need the whole season to get his team into the playoffs." The second is his lack of flashy statistics. Yes, his numbers are pretty awful. But he has little talent around him - and he doesn't need flashy numbers to win. Finally, Aaron Rodgers stands in his way. If the Packers go 16-0, there's little doubt that Rodgers will win the MVP. Unfortunately, Rodgers is not as clear a choice as Tebow for the valuable part of the award. Brady didn't have the Packers' incredible receiving core in 2007 and he still went 16-0 - and then Cassel was also very successful the following season. Flashy numbers? They don't mean anything.

Tebow will probably not win the MVP award simply because his numbers aren't pretty like Rodgers'. But it's pretty clear from a common sense standpoint that he should win the award. After all, he's the one who rescued his team from a fight for Andrew Luck to a fight for the division and possibly double-digit wins. And who knows? If he had Jordy Nelson catching his passes, he might just have numbers every bit as beautiful as Rodgers'.

Hydra
6-4-3 double play... Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeee Yankees win!