



The most valuable person in the NFL this season has yet to take the field.

And won't.

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Through the first four weeks of 2012, there have been a number of great performances. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt have been MVP-worthy. Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III has made the Washington Redskins competitive in every game. Running back Adrian Peterson has helped the Minnesota Vikings to a surprising 3-1 start and quarterback Kevin Kolb has come off the bench to help the Arizona Cardinals get to 4-0.

Even the regard for referees (the regular ones) is higher than ever.

But if you're looking for truly the most valuable individual in the league, you won't find him anywhere near a game on Sunday.

Sean Payton's value, sort of like Peyton Manning's last season, has been established in absentia.

At 0-4, the New Orleans Saints are a wreck, a shell of what they are capable of being because of Payton's loss. Sure, the defense is a mess and has been dating back to the 2010 season, when erosion first started to show. New Orleans has allowed at least 27 points in each of the first four games.

And while there was no shame in losing to the Green Bay Packers on the road Sunday, the schedule hasn't been tough. The Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers were all games the Saints should have won. Even a 2-2 record to this point could have been considered an acceptable disappointment.

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But 0-4 is a testimony to one overriding factor: Payton's coaching and administrative brilliance. Or as one NFL source told esteemed colleague Peter King for his Monday column: "Sean was as good as I've seen at putting his foot on the throat of the team when they needed it. This team has no one to put a foot on the throat."

Another NFL team executive went even further on Monday night.

"When you really think about the whole organization and where it was for so long, where it got to and where it is today, Sean might be the most valuable non-player in the league," the executive said. "He's not a better coach than [Bill] Belichick, but Belichick has [owner] Bob Kraft. Sean has won in New Orleans without a great owner."

In fact, there are quite a few people around the league who are worried that New Orleans' regression this season is going to be further fuel for Payton's considerable ego. As engaging as Payton can be, he also has a control-freak side that makes him downright combative. He has called reporters to complain about stories or played manipulative games with them when he feels like it.

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That said, Payton's force of will and overarching organizational skills have brought the Saints to a place the franchise had only dreamed about before. And they got there in the post-Katrina aftermath, a time when many people (yours truly included) thought the team was best off moving.

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