How is Chris Johnson not MVP of the NFL?

Honestly, I'm torn on this issue. Chris Johnson becomes only the sixth running back to top 2000 yards in a season and he breaks the record for most yards from scrimmage and got 0 votes for MVP. Granted the Titans were only 8-8, but without him, they would have been nothing. His season was clearly the most extraordinary this year.

Revis’s work shutting down top wide receivers is probably the second most notable season. This is partially unique because I don’t think that a db has ever been used like this to exclusively remove a receiver from the game. Yes, he did a great job of it, but we don’t know that a few other dbs couldn’t be used in the same fashion.

Peyton Manning leads his team to a 14-0 start and gets yanked before he can complete a perfect season. As I recall, only Bob Greise and Tom Brady have started the season 14-0. Peyton wasn't given the opportunity to take it further. He did this with little running game and breaking in 2 new receivers. His passing numbers were very good, but nowhere near record breaking. He wasn't even the best passer in the league. He was 6th in passer rating, second in yards, fourth in completion percentage, second in TDs, and first in MVP votes.

It isn't extremely rare for a non-QB to win the award. Three of the last 10 were won by running backs. The last non-QBs to win MVP were LT and Shawn Alexander when they broke the TD record in back to back years. Before that it was Marshall Faulk with one of his amazing years.

Most valuable player is a bit of a nebulous term. It isn't the best player or the player with the most extraordinary season. It isn't the player that carried their team the most. It isn't the player that got the most out of what was around them (which would almost always end up being a QB because of the nature of the position). I guess MVP in MLB, NBA, and NFL is defined as the best player from one of the best teams. It’s kind of sad that over half of the players in the league are excluded from an individual award just because their team is not good enough.

Since this is the case, Peyton Manning, Favre, and Drew Brees, who’s passing numbers were a little better than Peyton's, are the most logical choices and since Peyton never lost a game that he was given the opportunity to finish, you kind of have to give it to him based on how the MVP seems to be given. I take nothing away from Peyton. He enabled the team to win those games. He engineered late game comebacks. Congrats to Peyton.

Chris Johnson did get the Offensive Player of the Year which is proper, but I don’t like that he doesn’t even get in the MVP discussion because the rest of his team didn’t get their act together until week 7.