Big Ben for MVP

A little recognition for our star QB. Michael Silver at Yahoo writes this about the MVP race:

So far this season, I’ve heard a ton of talk about Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Redskins halfback Clinton Portis as the early MVP frontrunners, whatever that actually means. Both men are hard workers who have put up some impressive statistics – Brees is on pace to finish one yard shy of Dan Marino’s single-season record for passing yardage (5,084 in 1984), and Portis had 175 rushing yards on 27 carries in Sunday’s 14-11 victory over the Browns to increase his league-leading total to 818. But if you’re asking me which player has had the biggest impact so far on the ‘08 season, I’m going with Big Ben in a big way. Ben Roethlisberger had another strong game for the Steelers on Sunday, completing 17 of 28 passes for 216 yards and two TDs in a 38-10 victory over the Bengals, as the fifth-year quarterback continues to shake off severe shoulder pain and show how insanely macho he is. Despite the recent absence of star halfback Willie Parker and an offensive line that has been shaky on occasion, Pittsburgh is 5-1 – and I shudder to think where the Steelers would be without their deceptively mobile and exceptionally tough quarterback. I don’t really care what his numbers are, but I will give you one stat that illustrates Roethlisberger’s value: Sunday’s victory over Cincinnati pushed his career record in games against AFC North opponents to 20-4 (including the playoffs).