There is no easy, obvious or logical choice for NFL MVP.

As a voter for The Associated Press, I'm going to file a ballot Sunday night with my selection for NFL MVP. Who will it be? I don't even know yet.

There are two ways to view the term "most valuable" player. Either you consider him the most productive player in the league or the player most indispensable to his team. Do you go with the stats, or do you go with team success?

I lean toward team success.

But I won't make my decision until after the Denver-San Diego game Sunday night. That's because Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is one of the candidates I'm considering. I'm also considering Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, who's been a one-man gang for Denver.

But I can't say that either has been more valuable to his team than quarterback Chad Pennington. He was the key addition to a 1-15 Miami team a year ago that has done an about face in 2008 and now sits atop the AFC East at 10-5.

I'll also factor into my decision Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison, the best player on the best defense in the NFL; Baltimore safety Ed Reed, the NFL's best big-play maker on defense; and the Cowboys' DeMarcus Ware, who could set an NFL season sack record Sunday.

I've got plenty of candidates, and I can build a case for any and all of them. . .

Rising stock

Johnnie Lee Higgins

WR, Oakland

The third-round pick from Sweeny, Texas, had been invisible. But in the last two weeks, Higgins has been a huge factor. He caught a 56-yard TD pass against New England on Dec. 14 and a 29-yarder last Sunday against Houston. He also returned a punt for a touchdown against the Texans. With six touchdowns in 2008, including four of 80 yards or more, look for Higgins to have a vastly increased role in the Oakland offense in 2009. Remember, Al Davis loves speed.

Falling stock

Bret Favre

QB, NY Jets

Older players tend to start fast and finish slow. At 39, Favre is an old player. Since Thanksgiving, Favre has only one TD pass in four games. He also has thrown six interceptions and has been sacked nine times as the Jets have dropped three of those four games. If Favre retires at the end of the season, the Jets would have little to show for their investment.

Around the Ranch

The Cowboys need to defeat the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday to qualify for the playoffs as an NFC wild card. But the Eagles, more than any other team, underscore the problems the Cowboys have in December. The Eagles have toppled the Cowboys the last five times they've met in December. You'd have to go all the way back to 1999 to find a Dallas victory over the Eagles in December. That was the first season of the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb era.

I'm buying

an NFL

ticket this

week, here's how

I spend my money:

LUXURY BOX $$$

Miami at New York Jets:

After the Jets acquired Brett Favre, they dumped incumbent QB Chad Pennington, who brings the first-place Dolphins to New York to play the fading Jets.

LOWER BOWL $$

Denver at San Diego:

The Chargers were victimized by an atrocious officiating call against Denver in Week 2.

Upper deck $

New York Giants at Minnesota:

The Giants have already clinched home-field advantage in the NFC. Most teams would play their starters sparingly in such a meaningless game. But the Giants aren't most teams.

From the wallet

DRAFT WATCH The Sam Bradford Derby

With a two-game cushion on Kansas City and St. Louis with one game to play, the 0-15 Detroit Lions will have the first overall selection of the 2009 draft. You name it, the Lions need it. But if Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford skips his senior season at Oklahoma, the Lions would have to strongly consider him. If not, Detroit has a crying need for defense. The Lions have allowed more points and more yards than any other team in the NFL this season. If the Green Bay Packers score 14 points Sunday against the Lions in the season finale, it will be the first time Detroit has allowed 500 points in a season in franchise history.

Commish for a day

NFL teams sell season tickets on the premise that they will field a team that will compete for a playoff berth. With the average ticket costing in excess of $100 per game in many NFL stadiums, that's an expensive investment. Only 12 teams make the playoffs each season, so 20 teams aren't living up to their end of the bargain. Yet there is little or no accountability. If I were the commissioner, once a team is eliminated from playoff contention, I'd order the franchise to cut its ticket prices in half for the remainder of the season. That would include writing refund checks to the season-ticket holders.

If Super Bowl were

played tomorrow

The New York Giants and Tennessee Titans both captured top seeds with home victories last weekend against the second-seeded teams. The 12-3 Giants edged the 11-4 Carolina Panthers in overtime, and the 13-2 Titans defeated the 11-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. In a tip of the hat to the Giants and Titans for their accomplishments, let's project them as the Super Bowl matchup. That would give the Giants back-to-back Super Bowl appearances and Tennessee its first appearance since the 1999 season.

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