MORT'S MAILBAG | Dec. 26, 2003

Q: Mort, you are truly one of the best at what you do. But how is Jamal Lewis so overlooked for MVP? In the Baltimore Ravens' shutout of the Cleveland Browns, the difference wasn't the defense, it was Jamal Lewis. He excites his teammates to play better. So why is he not the front-runner instead of Peyton Manning and Steve McNair? -- Jeff (Baltimore)

	McNair

	Manning

	Lewis

MORT -- Jeff, I'm wrestling with this one. Whether you agree or not, quarterback is always the most valuable position on a team, and when two of them such as Manning and McNair are playing at such a high level for winning teams, you cannot ignore them.

The other thing I'm struggling with is that I'm not even sure Jamal Lewis is the MVP of his team -- I've had MLB Ray Lewis up there with Manning and McNair all season. But I'm going to watch the games this weekend (they still count) and really weigh it before I cast my vote on Monday morning.

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Q: Ha-ha, no, Mort, you didn't calculate it right on Jamal Lewis (see last week's top-five lists): 4,000 yards in a season would be if he played against the Browns 20 times. Simple math: 200 x 16 = 3,200. That's really sad. -- Ben (Las Vegas)
MORT -- Ben, I hope you're staying out of the casinos. Jamal Lewis averaged 250 yards vs. the Browns in two games this year. Simple math: 250 x 16 = 4,000 (but you made me check).

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Q: With the New England Patriots sitting on top of the entire NFL at 13-2, does ESPN analyst Tom Jackson still think think that the Patriots' players "hate" coach Bill Belichick? -- Doug (Boston)
MORT -- Doug, Tom actually acknowledged this past weekend that he misspoke about the Patriots "hating" Belichick. However, in defense of Tom, he spoke in the wake of the Lawyer Milloy release -- a very popular player and leader on the team. As a guy who played 14 years in the NFL, Tom tried to capture the emotions of the Patriots shortly after Milloy's release. I think it was reasonable to conclude that for a few days those players "hated" Belichick, or certainly that they hated his actions of cutting Milloy.

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Q: I saw that the NFL fined Cincinnati Bengals QB Jon Kitna $5,000 for wearing a cap with a cross on it at a postgame news conference. I must say I find that pretty offensive. What's your take on that? Shouldn't the NFL be wary of alienating a large percentage of its fan base with a stupid move like that? -- Wes Marden (Harrison, Arkansas)
MORT -- Wes, even as a Christian, my view on this fine has to be consistent with my view on Joe Horn's $30,000 fine. If it's a rule, obey it or pay the price. There is a licensing agreement that prohibits players from wearing unlicensed equipment (including ball caps) in the immediate aftermath of a game.

I believe Kitna answered this properly (that we are to submit to authority), but I also must make the point again that this does not deny Kitna the opportunity to express himself. It's just that his expression is a little more expensive, but Jon knows how to prioritize his treasures.

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Q: Mort, why do you think the San Francisco 49ers were so disappointing this year? -- Tom (Governeuer, N.Y.)
MORT -- Tom, I think injuries on offense really crippled the 49ers. QB Jeff Garcia entered the season injured and did not play well until the past few weeks. In anybody's offense, let alone the 49ers', the QB must play at a high level to be consistent.

Compounding the problem were massive injuries to the O-line (not to mention that TE Eric Johnson was lost for the year before the season even began). Also, WR Terrell Owens did not play very well in the first half of the season, either. Nobody likes excuses, but I'm an unbiased observer and that's the way I see it.

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Q: To the people that voted for Barry Sanders for the most impressive 2,000-yard season, I'd like to know how they came up with their vote. If you break it down by average yards per game, it would be O.J. Simpson (143), Eric Dickerson (131), Barry Sanders (128) and Terrell Davis (125). -- Keith Archer (Elmhurst, Illinois)
MORT -- Keith, in my opinion, O.J. Simpson easily had the most impressive 2,000-yard season. It was the first, and it was accomplished during a 14-game regular season. Now, if you asked me what running backs in history I would pay money to see in their prime, it probably would be: Simpson, Sanders, Gayle Sayers and Jim Brown. Just thought I'd throw that it in.