| The new year is nearly upon us, and that can
mean only one thing in the NFL world — playoff time! And while there are two weeks
left in which most anything can happen, I'm ready to start tossing out some awards for the
current season. Biggest positive surprise: I can't say I didn't see the
Steelers' rise to greatness coming (as it was written in this space back in September),
but I can say that I wasn't looking forward to covering the Patriots this season.
Things looked very grim for the franchise, with some massive salary-cap issues looming
and with little to no solid production from some players on the roster. With all the Terry
Glenn issues, things only looked as though they'd get worse. Then QB Drew Bledsoe, who
hadn't played well anyway to that point, went down with an injury in Week Two. But,
somehow, the Patriots' personnel department found several diamonds in the muck of the
league's waiver wires, head coach Bill Belichick and staff brought it all together, and
Tom Brady turned into a better quarterback than Bledsoe.
Biggest negative surprise: No one thought that Titans RB Eddie
George's offseason toe surgery would affect him for this long. George has had a very down
year and doesn't seem to be running as well as he was prior to the injury and surgery.
Here's hoping that the toe gets some added rest this offseason and George returns to form
next year.
Most gruesome injury: When RB Fred Taylor tore his groin muscle. I saw
that clip no less than five times, and it became unbearable on about the second viewing.
Just the shot of Taylor, in full view in the open field, clutching his upper thigh and
collapsing really made my day in the wrong way. It doesn't beat Joe Theismann's injury,
but it sure is close.
Best throw of the season: The Bears "Hail Mary" to tie the
Browns was clearly the best toss of the year, in my opinion. QB Shane Matthews had had a
terrible day throwing the ball, and after the Bears came back and won in overtime the
previous week, it seemed highly unlikely they'd do it again. But there was Matthews,
emerging from the funk that plagued him the whole game, lofting it up to the endzone,
where it was tipped to now-backup RB James Allen for the game-tying touchdown. The Bears
won in overtime on S Mike Brown's second straight game-winning interception return for a
touchdown.
Worst throw: (tie) Saints OT Kyle Turley was very right in defending
his quarterback, Aaron Brooks, from the spinal readjustment Jets S Damien Robinson was
attempting to give. But Turley ripped off Robinson's helmet and came sprinting out of the
fracas with it. He then proceeded to underhand-toss the helmet. It was the worst-looking
throw I've ever seen. Even Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck throws better on his bad days.
I hope I never see what we saw in Cleveland in Week 15 again. Hundreds of fans throwing
bottles (plastic, yes, but they're still bottles) at the referees and onto the field in
protest of what they perceived to be a cheap call. The referees, it turned out, did the
right thing, but we still don't know
what officially will happen to the fans caught in the act.
Best line: Ravens TE Shannon Sharpe, of whom I'm usually not a big
fan, defended teammate Ray Lewis prior to the Steelers game a few weeks back. Steelers RB
Jerome Bettis made the remark that Bengals LB Takeo Spikes was just as good as Lewis, to
which Sharpe said that's like comparing the movie "Dude, Where's My Car?" to
"Titanic." While I'm not a huge fan of Sharpe's mouth, I have to admit, that's a
classic.
Coach of the Year: As mentioned before, Bill Belichick has done an
amazing job with the Patriots, who now control their own destiny. The AFC East is theirs
for the taking, and Belichick has many of these players playing over their heads.
Belichick has schemed well and has motivated his players just the right ways to get the
most out of them. Oh, and did I mention that four of their top money-makers (DE Willie
McGinest, LB Ted Johnson, QB Drew Bledsoe and WR Terry Glenn) have all missed time because
of injuries and, in Glenn's case, suspension?
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Steelers LB Kendrell Bell gets the nod
here over Browns CB Anthony Henry and Lions DT Shaun Rogers. All three have done well, but
Bell has had a far greater impact in Pittsburgh. Bell has been huge for the Steelers this
year, and he hasn't even fully adjusted to the defensive scheme yet.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: While many people would vote for WR
Chris Chambers here, I would submit my vote for RB LaDainian Tomlinson. Chambers has been
great this year, but he's not the sole reason for the Dolphins' success, and I don't
believe he's at the point where Randy Moss was in his rookie year, where Chambers could
carry the Dolphins into and through the playoffs if necessary.
As Tomlinson has gone, so have the Chargers. Tomlinson, with a better supporting cast,
could have carried the Chargers into and through the playoffs. He carried them through
their amazing first-half start, and once his supporting cast collapsed around him, the
Chargers fell from grace.
Overall MVP: Neither of the Rams (Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk) should
win it because if you took away one, the other would likely step up and compensate for the
loss. Therefore, neither player should be the league's most valuable.There's been talk
about Donovan McNabb of the Eagles, who was very deserving last year, but this year, the
story in Philadelphia seems to be the defense.
Earlier this year, there was talk that Steelers RB Jerome Bettis deserved MVP honors,
but his recent injury and the Steelers' success without him has really shot a hole in his
chances. That's all the more reason for Steelers QB Kordell Stewart to win MVP honors.
Since Stewart won't win Comeback Player of the Year honors (those should go to Garrison
Hearst), he deserves something else for his amazing year. His rebound this year has
propelled the Steelers to the top of the AFC and possibly the league. And while the
Steelers haven't completely missed Bettis (which they would if he were to miss the
playoffs), they would miss Stewart big-time. Not only would the team have to adjust to
backup QB Tommy Maddox, but Pittsburgh also would have to retool the entire offense, as
Maddox isn't as mobile as Stewart. |
