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It's a tough one.
No, seriously, it is.
The Steelers are struggling at the left tackle position, and second-year Matt Kalil would fill very nicely in a black and gold jersey. He's curiously a little off this season in comparison to his rookie year where he emerged as one of the best all-around tackles in the NFL. Slow start, perhaps.
Jared Allen is one of the premier pass rushers of his generation, and his relentlessness and toughness inspire those around him.
All that said, there's still the MVP. The best running back of his era, outside of quarterbacks, if there's a current player who's a lock for the Hall of Fame, it's Adrian Peterson. While this will no doubt draw cat-calls of every kind in regards to who he's running behind, anyone who's watched Peterson play throughout his career knows it makes little difference the level of blocking he's getting.
There are running backs you can put into the one singular elite group, and Peterson is one of them. There may be runners who are better at one aspect of the game or another (his generally blah hands make him a little too sharp in the well-rounded category), but the full package is hard to top.
Peterson runs with violence in mind, like a bucking bronco who isn't trying to flip off a rider, but rather, find a rider to put on his back so he can flip him off, trample him and out-run everyone else.
Some men are born to be football players. Some are born to be solid contributors. And some are born simply to be Hall of Fame players, the likes of which the game has rarely seen. Peterson, along with Troy Polamalu, are in that group.
It's really hard to pass on the MVP.
More from Behind the Steel Curtain:
- Bell felt rusty last week, ready to go vs. Vikings
- Ben to offensive line: 'Be tough, be nasty'
- Cutler earned respect by not sliding
- 5 Burning Questions
- Ben calls Bell out
- Special teams a bright spot so far
- Message to Steelers rookies: Don't get too comfortable
- Polamalu back to old self
- 2014 NFL Draft: Looking at offensive tackles after a month in CFB