NFL Midseason Awards...and Others

We have (sort of) approached the halfway mark in the NFL season. And what goes along with that? The midseason awards! And a couple you might not have seen coming!

MVP - This is a tough call. The three that have my attention are all quarterbacks, Indy's Peyton Manning, New Orleans' Drew Brees, and Minnesota's Brett Favre. Yes, Favre. The Colts, Saints and Vikes are a combined 21-1, with Minnesota having the only loss. When it comes down to it, I'm opting for Manning. Unlike Brees and Favre, he does not have a running game to lean on.

Best Offensive Player - You can't go wrong with any of these guys: Titans RB Chris Johnson (just ask him), Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, or Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. The only knock on Johnson is not that he plays for a 1-6 team, but that of his league leading 824 yards, 425 of those yards have come in only two of the Titans seven games. Not totally his fault that Tennessse has given up so many points and had to abandonthe rush. Roethilsberger is interesting because we all used to view the Steelers as a run first offense. Can't anymore since the rushing game has sputtered since Jerome Bettis left. But I'm going with Rodgers. Despite being sacked a league leading 31 time, he still leads the NFL in passer rating. Better than Manning, Brees and Favre.

Best Defensive Player - I'm considering these three: New Orleans safety Darren Sharper, Minnesota's defensive end Jared Allen and Denver's "morph" Elvis Dumervil. Sharper has 7 int with 3 return TD. Allen leads the NFL with 10.5 sacks and Dumervil is right behind with 10. We all know what Allen brings to the table, massive intensity. But look at his line mates? Playing with the Williams guys and Ray Edwards will get you a better blocking matchup...and more sacks. Dumervil is more of a product of Mike Nolan's defensive system. My nod goes to Sharper whose been the biggest inluence on the Saints D.

Best Rookie - Minnesota's "do everything" Percy Harvin, Buffalo's CB Jairus Byrd and Texans linebacker Brian Cushing. Byrd is tied with Darren Sharper for the NFL lead with 7 INT, all coming in the Bills last four games. Byrd did not become a starter until week 3. Harvin does eveything for the Vikings. He catches and he returns kickoffs...to the tune of 5 TD overall. It's easy to go the way of Harvin, but I'm going with Cushing. He stands 6th in the NFL in total tackles (1st among rookies), and Cushing has been a major reason the Texans defense has improved this season.


Now...the other "awards"!

"Why did I take this job" - Eric Mangini, head coach, Browns. He has done nothing but draw criticism since he got to Cleveland. More than Jim Zorn has in D.C.! And Zorn would have gotten this if Mangini wasn't such a polarizing figure. The quarterback situation, the filing of grievances by players, the firing of his hand picked GM. Not a good year for him in Cleveland.

"Who am I?" - Darrius Heyward-Bey, wide receiver, Raiders. If anyone would already term Heyward-Bey as a first round bust, a lot of heads would be nodding in agreement. He was taken ahead of 49ers Michael Crabtree, Titans Kenny Britt and Giants Hakeen Nicks. Sure, he got the most money...but he also got the least stats for a bad team.

"I'm #1" - Roy Williams, wide receiver, Cowboys. This just in. WIlliams is the #1 receiver in Big D...according to Williams. We all know he's not even come close to performing like a true #1. Since his arrival, Williams doesn't even have legit #2 numbers. Besides, the #1 in Dallas is Jason Witten. Didn't Williams learn anything from all the drama in Dallas last season? Notice how Williams did not make the catch in the pic? Thought so.