| About Football Out of Bounds | |
Date: November 9, 2002
As we've grown to expect, the first half of the NFL season has been very unpredictable. The preseason Super Bowl-favorite St. Louis Rams started the season by losing their first five games, while last year's whipping boys, the Carolina Panthers, surprised everyone by winning their first three. The Houston Texans (an expansion team) beat the Dallas Cowboys... convincingly... in their first game ever! Terrell Owens put his signature on a Monday Night contest in Seattle, and an 0-7 Cincinnati squad had the audacity to pull a Joe Willie and guarantee a victory. And then they actually pulled it off!
Through all this wackiness, each team has managed to put at least eight games of their schedule behind them. So now it's time to present a few first-half awards and maybe make a prediction or two on the second half.
Most Valuable Player
• Drew Bledsoe gets my vote so far. He has been the single biggest factor in the Bills rise from one of the worst teams in the league to a contender. Without him, the Bills would be in the basement in the AFC East.
• Brett Favre is the ultimate warrior as far as quarterbacks go, and he is a close second in my MVP race. If he were to go down with a season-ending injury, Green Bay's Super Bowl dreams would turn into a nightmare.
• Priest Holmes also gets a mention as he proves last year was no fluke. He already has 857 yards rushing, 440 yards receiving, and 15 touchdowns. That's a pretty good season for most backs, and Holmes still has eight games to go!
Rookie of the Year
• Julius Peppers is clearly the favorite here. He leads the league in sacks halfway through the 2002 campaign and has been a big key in the resurgence of the Panthers defense.
• Clinton Portis, surprisingly, has taken control of the Denver Broncos starting halfback position from what was considered an extremely talented group of running backs coming into the season. I'd give him the nod on the offensive side of the ball.
• Joey Harrington deserves an honorable mention for his play since taking the starting job from Mike McMahon. He has the Lions offense playing much sharper, and could contend for Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the season if he can lead the once-hapless lions to six or seven wins.
Coach of the Year
• Mike Sherman has done a great job in Green Bay this season, and, in my opinion, he deserves the honors right now. His Packers hold the best record in the NFL and are playing fantastic despite a number of key injuries on both sides of the ball.
• Marty Schottenheimer has the Chargers off to a fast start with a first-year starter at quarterback. He's also done a fantastic job pulling together a new coaching staff.
Play of the Year
• Chris McAlister's 107 yard return of a missed field goal by the Denver Broncos is the longest play in NFL history. How could you choose any other?
Most Bittersweet Moment
• Emmitt Smith broke the career rushing record against the Seattle Seahawks, and no other back in the game today deserves it more, but it did sadden me somewhat to see another of the late Walter Payton's records go by the wayside.
Most Overlooked Story
• Jerry Rice surpassed another of Payton's biggest accomplishments, 21,264 career yards from scrimmage, with barely a mention while the media was in a frenzy over Smith's approaching accomplishment. Rice is also creeping up on his 200th touchdown, but have you heard any mention of this monumental feat by the bobble heads on Sportscenter?
Biggest Flop
• The Chicago Bears have gone from a magic-filled 13-3 season in 2001 to a 2-6 downhill plunge that appears to be picking up steam. Their once-stingy defense has been torn apart by injuries and their offense is getting beaten up on a weekly basis.
Most Unlikely Performance
• Michael Lewis will forever be known as the beer truck driver that returned both a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in the same game for the New Orleans Saints.
Worst Offensive Philosophy
• The Randy Ratio may not have been such a bad idea if Mike Tice hadn't told every defensive coordinator in the NFL what his game plan was before the preseason began.
The Sophomore Slump Award
• Anthony Thomas, last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year, is struggling to find holes and doesn't seem to have the ability to make a move or break a tackle on his own. His average yards per rush has dropped from 4.3 in 2001 to 3.1 in 2002 and he's fumbled four times.
Most Unusual Hood Ornament
• Randy Moss was the only nomination in this category and is truly deserving of the award after his encounter with a meter maid in Minneapolis.
Nine Lives Award
• Jeff George just won't go away. Guess that strong arm, quick release, and heart of Jello is just too much for NFL teams to resist!
Best Division
• The AFC West is the best division from top to bottom. All four teams have playoff capabilities with San Diego, Denver, and Oakland all being considered among the best teams in the league at one point or another in the season.
Worst Division
• The AFC South could be won by a team with an 8-8 record... or worse. Unbelievably, Houston is still in the division race with a 2-6 record.
