As the Colts continue their turnaround from a 3-4 start to their current 10-4 record, many people are picking quarterback Peyton Manning as the league’s Most Valuable Player.
But Manning’s coach, Tony Dungy, has a different choice for MVP.
Dungy said on Sirius NFL Radio that he believes Steelers linebacker James Harrison is the league’s true MVP.
“To me, he does a lot,” Dungy said of Harrison. “He’s like Randy Moss or Dwight Freeney. You have to game plan for him in terms of how you’re going to block him in the passing game, so he puts that on the table even before the game starts. And then he does other things: He drops in pass coverage, he covers tight ends, you can move him around, and he’s not just a one-dimensional rusher. He’s a linebacker who also rushes, and he’s been the most dominant player on the best defense in football, and by next Sunday they might have the best record in football.”
Dungy may be particularly swayed by the way Harrison played against his own team: In the Colts’ Week 10 win over the Steelers, Harrison recorded nine solo tackles and a sack.