One week, it is Saints quarterback Drew Brees. The next week, it is Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner. The next week, it is Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson, or New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

If Philadelphia sneaks into the playoffs, oft-injured running back Brian Westbrook would be a worthy candidate. If Miami makes the playoffs, look for quarterback Chad Pennington to garner support. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning also appears to be gaining momentum, and so on and so forth.

If there is a leader in the clubhouse with 47 games remaining in the regular season, it is Warner, who won the league's MVP award in 1999 and 2001 with the St. Louis Rams.

He has led Arizona to its first division title since 1975, when the franchise was based in St. Louis. Additionally, the Cardinals have secured down their first home playoff game since 1947, when the team called Chicago home. Much of the credit should go to Warner because it would be an entirely different story with Matt Leinart under center.

Warner's Achilles' heel is he can't win on the East Coast. The Cardinals are 0-4 in games played in the eastern time zone. That could turn to 0-5 after next week's game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., where they will be an underdog to the Patriots.

Though Brees is a lock to make the Pro Bowl, his MVP chances are expected to suffer if the Saints don't make the playoffs. Right now, the Saints appear to be dead in the water after losing at Chicago 27-24 in overtime Thursday night.

On the flip side, just imagine the Black & Gold without him.

The problem I have is the discrepancy in Brees' touchdown-to-interception ratio at home and on the road. It is 16:4 at the Superdome, where they are 5-1. It is 19:4 if you count their "home" victory against San Diego on a neutral field in London. It is 9:12 on the road, where they are 1-6.

Brees' raggedy performance against the Bears didn't help his case. He threw 43 passes, completing 24 for 232 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, for a 67.19 passer rating. In five of seven road games, his rating has been worse than 70.0.

Brees still has an iron in the fire. He is chasing Dan Marino's 24-year-old record for most yards passing in one season.

When Marino established the mark of 5,084 yards in 1984, he went on an absolute tear in his final two games. He threw for 874 yards, 404 yards against Indianapolis and 470 vs. the Los Angeles Raiders.

Brees doesn't have to be quite as prolific in the Saints' remaining games at Detroit and Carolina at home, but he will have to air it out. With 4,332 yards passing in the bank, he needs 753 to surpass Marino, an average of 376.5 yards per game.

It can be done. Even then, catching Marino might not be enough to sway the voters, of which I am one.

From this vantage point, the 2008 NFL MVP award looks to be Warner's to lose.

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Brian Allee-Walsh can be reached at ballee-walsh@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3805