So who is the league's defensive MVP?

The race for NFL Defensive Player of the Year is heating up as much as the league's MVP race.

Many have considered Packers cornerback Charles Woodson as the front-runner. Some have said Saints safety Darren Sharper. In Denver, Elvis Dumervil is rising along with his sack totals. Here in Minnesota, I get the feeling Jared Allen is tailing off as a candidate after a fast start to the season.

Well, Jets coach Rex Ryan has now come along to tell the Associated Press voters -- of which I'm one -- that we'd be crazy if we don't vote for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Here's the link to the AP story on what Ryan had to say Thursday.

Revis, a third-year player who shadows the other team's No. 1 receiver each week, has six interceptions and a league-high 30 passes defensed. He's tied for fifth in the league in interceptions. Bills rookie Jarius Byrd has nine, followed by Sharper and Woodson with eight apiece, and Asante Samuel with seven.

"I went back and looked and I was going to be subtle about this, but if he's not the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, something is wrong with the system," Ryan told reporters. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, in maybe the history of the game has had the challenges that he's faced week in and week out."

When Woodson was mentioned as the perceived front-runner, Ryan didn't back down. Unlike Revis, Woodson also is dangerous as a pass rusher off the edge. He has two sacks this season.

"Yes, but Charles can't go out on a corner like this guy [Revis] can," he said. "He can move inside and he can blitz. Revis would be a great blitzer, but I've got the best cover guy in America sitting over here, so he's going to be covering. He's not blitzing."

Ryan then made his most powerful point when he said Revis has more impact on the Jets' No. 1 defense this year than former defensive MVPs Ray Lewis and Ed Reed had when Ryan coached them in Baltimore.

"Of course, those guys deserve those awards, but I don't think those guys even had the impact that Darrelle Revis has had on this football team," Ryan said. "I think that's why, I'll get off my soapbox, he's earned that award. It's not right on my part to stand up here and not maybe try to sell that to the public. He's earned this."

While I will weigh all the candidates at the end of the season, I will admit that hearing Ryan say this will make me take a hard look at Revis.

Only four cornerbacks have won this award since it started in 1973. The last corner to do it was Deion Sanders, who remains the gold standard for cover corners.

So who do you think is the front-runner at this point?

Dumervil has an NFL-high 15 sacks. Allen is second with 12.5. Sharper has the eight picks and a league-high three returned for touchdowns. Woodson has scored twice off interceptions.