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| Darren Sproles running roughshod for the Saints (image via zimbio.com) |
Midseason Most Valuable Offensive Player: Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers
The League's Best Quarterback continues to put up video game-type numbers, leading the pack to a 9-0 record, and they happen to be the defending Super Bowl Champs. Rodgers caught fire at the start of last year's championship run, and has not looked back since.
Midseason Most Valuable Defensive Player: DeMarcus Ware - Dallas Cowboys
Ware's leading the league with 12 sacks and is on pace to break Michael Strahan's single season sack record. After 7 great seasons, he is probably playing the best football of his career. Ware's the undisputed leader of this team on the defensive side of the ball, as he's the unit's lone star.
Most Surprising Team: The Cincinnati Bengals
Fans in the 'Nati had much lower expectations for this team going into the season, especially with QB Carson Palmer's flat-out refusal to play for the Bungles, plus the loss of wideout Chad Ochocinco, and the numerous arrests and off-field incidents involving the team players. However, Cincinnati is off to a surprising 6-3 record, lead by the play of rookie QB Andy Dalton, and sensational first-year WR A.J. Green. Hats off to embattled coach Marvin Lewis for doing a good job with this young team. The Bengals are in the thick of the race in the AFC North division, but mind you, they're about to play the toughest portion of their schedule, which includes two games each against Pittsburgh (last Sunday's first game against the Steelers was a 24-17 loss), and Baltimore, so the second half of the season will show what this team's really made of.
Most Disappointing Team: The San Diego Chargers
Now I know most people are thinking that the Philadelphia Eagles are most deserving of this honour, but the Eagles are so obvious of a choice that it goes without saying. The Chargers, meanwhile, should be running away with the AFC West division, leaving Kansas City, Denver, and Oakland all in their dust. Instead, the Chargers are 4-5 and have lost 4 straight games. Norv Turner does it again!
Most Competitive Division: AFC North
Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Cincinnati are all in the hunt to win the division, and it looks like it'll be a pier-six brawl between these teams to see who comes out on top.
Least Competitive Division: NFC West
San Francisco's 8-1 right now, plus they still have 2 games remaining against divisional chumps Arizona and St Louis, and one more game against Seattle, who they beat 33-17 in back in Week 1. Don't look now, but the Niners could finish the regular season at 13-3!
Best Rookie: Cam Newton - Carolina Panthers
Killer Cam's the most exciting rookie in the state of North Carolina since a freshman named Mike Jordan hit that jumper against Georgetown to win the 1982 NCAA basketball championship. Two words for Newton: STRAIGHT BALLER!
Most Surprising Player: Fred Jackson - Buffalo Bills
The pride of Coe College (former Bills Coach Marv Levy's alma mater) is leading the league in rushing. With his contract up at season's end, Jackson might be in line for a hefty raise.
Most Disappointing Player: Chris Johnson - Tennessee Titans
Johnson decided that the best way to send a message to the Titans' organization about his contract situation was to hold out of training camp. He finally got paid just before the regular season began, and has rewarded the team by losing his job to..... Javon Ringer?
Offseason Free Agent Signing with the Biggest Payoff: Darren Sproles - New Orleans Saints
The diminutive Sproles has been an absolute firecracker for this Saints team, and has made everyone in the Bayou forget about Reggie Bush. Sproles leads the NFL in both all-purpose yardage and YAC (yards after the catch), and has discovered a remarkable chemistry with QB Drew Brees. Don't forget, they were both teammates in San Diego, so Brees was instrumental in recruiting Sproles to the Saints during the offseason. The signing has payed dividends, and New Orleans remains one of the best teams in the NFC, and are legitimate Super Bowl contenders once again.
Worst Offseason Free Agent Signing: Donovan McNabb - Minnesota Vikings
McNabb signed a one-year, $7.25 million contract to join the Vikes after an abysmal season with the Washington Redskins, where he was benched in favour of Rex Grossman. Even at relatively modest financial teams by football standards, McNabb's current deal looks like a complete rip off. "Done-a-van" has gone from a sure-lock Hall of Fame QB in Philly to arguably one of the worst ever. He has completely lost his feel for the game and should just retire. Period.
Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh - San Francisco 49ers
Fans in the 'Nati had much lower expectations for this team going into the season, especially with QB Carson Palmer's flat-out refusal to play for the Bungles, plus the loss of wideout Chad Ochocinco, and the numerous arrests and off-field incidents involving the team players. However, Cincinnati is off to a surprising 6-3 record, lead by the play of rookie QB Andy Dalton, and sensational first-year WR A.J. Green. Hats off to embattled coach Marvin Lewis for doing a good job with this young team. The Bengals are in the thick of the race in the AFC North division, but mind you, they're about to play the toughest portion of their schedule, which includes two games each against Pittsburgh (last Sunday's first game against the Steelers was a 24-17 loss), and Baltimore, so the second half of the season will show what this team's really made of.
Most Disappointing Team: The San Diego Chargers
Now I know most people are thinking that the Philadelphia Eagles are most deserving of this honour, but the Eagles are so obvious of a choice that it goes without saying. The Chargers, meanwhile, should be running away with the AFC West division, leaving Kansas City, Denver, and Oakland all in their dust. Instead, the Chargers are 4-5 and have lost 4 straight games. Norv Turner does it again!
Most Competitive Division: AFC North
Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Cincinnati are all in the hunt to win the division, and it looks like it'll be a pier-six brawl between these teams to see who comes out on top.
Least Competitive Division: NFC West
San Francisco's 8-1 right now, plus they still have 2 games remaining against divisional chumps Arizona and St Louis, and one more game against Seattle, who they beat 33-17 in back in Week 1. Don't look now, but the Niners could finish the regular season at 13-3!
Best Rookie: Cam Newton - Carolina Panthers
Killer Cam's the most exciting rookie in the state of North Carolina since a freshman named Mike Jordan hit that jumper against Georgetown to win the 1982 NCAA basketball championship. Two words for Newton: STRAIGHT BALLER!
Most Surprising Player: Fred Jackson - Buffalo Bills
The pride of Coe College (former Bills Coach Marv Levy's alma mater) is leading the league in rushing. With his contract up at season's end, Jackson might be in line for a hefty raise.
Most Disappointing Player: Chris Johnson - Tennessee Titans
Johnson decided that the best way to send a message to the Titans' organization about his contract situation was to hold out of training camp. He finally got paid just before the regular season began, and has rewarded the team by losing his job to..... Javon Ringer?
Offseason Free Agent Signing with the Biggest Payoff: Darren Sproles - New Orleans Saints
The diminutive Sproles has been an absolute firecracker for this Saints team, and has made everyone in the Bayou forget about Reggie Bush. Sproles leads the NFL in both all-purpose yardage and YAC (yards after the catch), and has discovered a remarkable chemistry with QB Drew Brees. Don't forget, they were both teammates in San Diego, so Brees was instrumental in recruiting Sproles to the Saints during the offseason. The signing has payed dividends, and New Orleans remains one of the best teams in the NFC, and are legitimate Super Bowl contenders once again.
Worst Offseason Free Agent Signing: Donovan McNabb - Minnesota Vikings
McNabb signed a one-year, $7.25 million contract to join the Vikes after an abysmal season with the Washington Redskins, where he was benched in favour of Rex Grossman. Even at relatively modest financial teams by football standards, McNabb's current deal looks like a complete rip off. "Done-a-van" has gone from a sure-lock Hall of Fame QB in Philly to arguably one of the worst ever. He has completely lost his feel for the game and should just retire. Period.
Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh - San Francisco 49ers
Harbaugh inherited a talented, yet underachieving squad when he accepted the Niners' gig back in January, but no one expected him to turn things around so quickly. San Fran's been doing it by playing killer defense, and running the ball hard. Plus the connection between Harbaugh and QB Alex Smith has been a huge motivating factor for this team. Harbaugh's basically following the same coaching formula as his brother John in Baltimore, and it's working.
Coaches on the Hot Seat: Andy Reid - Philadelphia, and Raheem Morris - Tampa Bay
Time is running out on Andy Reid in Philly. This supposed "Dream Team" that I previously wrote about have been a nightmare so far. Although you might focus some of the blame on the poor job that Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo is doing, Reid put him in that role to begin with, so he shoulders the responsibility. The Eagles, as an entire team, look underprepared and uninspired. Last week's loss at home to Arizona sums up Philly's entire season.
I'm too lazy to break down why Raheem Morris' job with the Buccaneers might be in jeopardy, but click HERE to get the scoop from Pro Football Talk.
Biggest Flirt: The Buffalo Bills
People, we've all seen this before ......The Bills get off to a great start and everyone in Western New York starts planning the Super Bowl parade. Then by midseason, the wheels come off the wagon and the Bills miss the postseason ..... AGAIN. The embarrassing loss to the Cowboys last weekend highlighted two of the glaring weaknesses on this team: the lack of an dominant pass rusher, and the lack of a shutdown cornerback. If the franchise can address these issues in the offseason they actually might get back into the playoff tournament for the first time since 1999 (Flutie Flakes, baby!)
Don't Look Now, but This Team Might Surprise You the Rest of the Season: The Chicago Bears
The Bears have been coming on as of late, building confidence by winning four straight games and five out of their last six. One of the keys has been the improved play of their offensive line, which was letting QB Jay Cutler get absolutely killed! But now Cutler's been getting protection, allowing him to get the ball to his receivers. And I do love the chemistry he's re-establishing with underrated WR Earl Bennett (they played together in college at Vanderbilt). Plus Matt Forte continues to be.... Matt Forte. And the defense is very fast with LB Brian Urlacher leading the way..... you may have thought he's lost a step or two, but he continues to dominate. The Bears have gotta feel good about where they stand in the NFC North.
And Finally.....
The Biggest Question for the Remainder of this Season is ...... Can The Green Bay Packers run the table by going undefeated and win a second straight Super Bowl?
I don't think going undefeated is a "goal" for this team, but they do look rather invincible at this point of the season. However, the Pack do struggle with their pass defense, which gives up about 300 yards each game. If teams expose this weakness, and if injuries start coming into play, then Green Bay might be in for a loss or two down the stretch, but with last year's experience under their belt, and Aaron Rodgers leading the way, this team will be very, very tough to beat come playoff time.
-Turnbull
Coaches on the Hot Seat: Andy Reid - Philadelphia, and Raheem Morris - Tampa Bay
Time is running out on Andy Reid in Philly. This supposed "Dream Team" that I previously wrote about have been a nightmare so far. Although you might focus some of the blame on the poor job that Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo is doing, Reid put him in that role to begin with, so he shoulders the responsibility. The Eagles, as an entire team, look underprepared and uninspired. Last week's loss at home to Arizona sums up Philly's entire season.
I'm too lazy to break down why Raheem Morris' job with the Buccaneers might be in jeopardy, but click HERE to get the scoop from Pro Football Talk.
Biggest Flirt: The Buffalo Bills
People, we've all seen this before ......The Bills get off to a great start and everyone in Western New York starts planning the Super Bowl parade. Then by midseason, the wheels come off the wagon and the Bills miss the postseason ..... AGAIN. The embarrassing loss to the Cowboys last weekend highlighted two of the glaring weaknesses on this team: the lack of an dominant pass rusher, and the lack of a shutdown cornerback. If the franchise can address these issues in the offseason they actually might get back into the playoff tournament for the first time since 1999 (Flutie Flakes, baby!)
Don't Look Now, but This Team Might Surprise You the Rest of the Season: The Chicago Bears
The Bears have been coming on as of late, building confidence by winning four straight games and five out of their last six. One of the keys has been the improved play of their offensive line, which was letting QB Jay Cutler get absolutely killed! But now Cutler's been getting protection, allowing him to get the ball to his receivers. And I do love the chemistry he's re-establishing with underrated WR Earl Bennett (they played together in college at Vanderbilt). Plus Matt Forte continues to be.... Matt Forte. And the defense is very fast with LB Brian Urlacher leading the way..... you may have thought he's lost a step or two, but he continues to dominate. The Bears have gotta feel good about where they stand in the NFC North.
And Finally.....
The Biggest Question for the Remainder of this Season is ...... Can The Green Bay Packers run the table by going undefeated and win a second straight Super Bowl?
I don't think going undefeated is a "goal" for this team, but they do look rather invincible at this point of the season. However, the Pack do struggle with their pass defense, which gives up about 300 yards each game. If teams expose this weakness, and if injuries start coming into play, then Green Bay might be in for a loss or two down the stretch, but with last year's experience under their belt, and Aaron Rodgers leading the way, this team will be very, very tough to beat come playoff time.
-Turnbull
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