We're doing our mid-season awards for the Sunday newspaper, and I'd like to hear your thoughts about the best and worst as we make it to the halfway mark. (I know, some teams haven't played eight games yet, but some have, and we are not a patient lot in this country).
So give us your best and worst - or anything in between - in the following categories:
Most Valuable Player
Least Valuable Player
Best coaching job
Worst coaching job
Rising star
Falling star
Best game
Worst game
Most improved
Least improved
Comeback player of the year
I'll limit it to those categories, although we'll add in a few more esoteric ones for the paper. And if you just want to respond to a couple of the categories, that's fine, too.
Fire away.
Comments (23)
Most Valuable Player - Tom Brady - no contest
Least Valuable Player - tie - Shaun Alexander - big-time RB that hasn't done much so far; Any of the Chicago QBs
Best coaching job - TC - Giants are 6-2....seriously?
Worst coaching job - Lovie Smith
Rising star - Adrian Peterson
Falling star - Drew Brees
Best game - Last Monday Night's OT game between the Pack and the Broncs
Worst game - Last Sunday's game between the Giants and the Dolphins
Most improved - Team - Cardinals; Player - Not sure
Least improved - Team - Rams; Player - Drew Brees
Comeback player of the year - Randy Moss
Well done, BigFroe. Off to a great start. Thanks.
Most Valuable Player: Tom Brady
Least Valuable Player: Michael Vick or Pacman Jones, pick your poison
Best coaching job: Bill Belichick - I don't care what anyone else does. When you beat NFL teams the way he has beaten teams this year, you are the coach of the year.
Worst coaching job: Norv Turner - how does it take you nearly half a season to realize that you need to give LT the damn ball?
Rising star: Adrian Peterson
Falling star: Shaun Alexander
Best game: Dallas @ Buffalo; Monday night
Worst game: Giants @ Miami; London
Most improved: New England Patriots (isn't THAT scary?)
Least improved: New York Jets
Comeback player of the year: Randy Moss
You're doing this BEFORE the Pats - Indy game?
There's a couple of those items that might get turned upside down pending the outcome of that game.
Well, I'll work on it at lunch and get back to you :-)
I've only got one - I agree with Lee - best game goes to Dallas vs Buffalo.
Yes, B & G, a bit risky, I admit. In fact, I did it at the same time last year, and had Rex Grossman as my Most Improved Player. He proceeded to bomb the next week.
NKR:
You really like it when Buffalo loses, don't you?
Hard to argue with most of BigFroes selections (Good job)
MVP - Brady (how can you argue?)
Least Valuable Player - Charlie Frye (From Browns Starter in Game one vs. Pgh to living out of a suitcase on the Seahawks scout team... OUCH!)
Best Coaching Job - I agree with TC, (Talk about performing under pressure!)
Worst Coaching job - Lovie is the winner (But Mangeni is running a VERY close second.)
Rising Star - Peterson! (He's just pure magic!)
Falling Star - (Isn't that Fallen Star? WOOF WOOF!)
Best Game: Broncos 23-20 field goal do-over in OT vs. the Raiders (That game sparked a rash of "icing the kicker timeouts" and a firestorm of cries to change the rules.)
Worst game - HANDS DOWN Pats vs. Redskins - I needed a bath after watching that game.
Most Improved (Team) - Detroit (The new 'Who Dey?)
Most Improved (Player) - Owen Daniels (TE Texans) Yeah I know, who's he? But the kid has already surpassed his '06 stats and is going to finish strong. Probably the biggest beneficiary of the QB change in Houston
Biggest disappointment (Player)- Marc Bulger
Biggest disappointment (Team)- Bears (of course the Rams can't even sellout in St. Louis)
Comeback Player of the year - Farve (Hands down)
BnG:
How can you say that Favre is "hands down" the comeback player of the year?
Sure, Favre is having a good year. But he's had better, and he hadn't fallen completely off the map.
Randy Moss was traded for a FOURTH ROUND PICK. This guy was the most exciting receiver in the league for years, dropped off to the point where he was acquired for less than Wes Welker (by the same team, no less), and is now having his best season yet.
There is no doubt that the Comeback Player of the Year is Randy Moss.
Lee,
My point is that Moss's performance isn't much different than last year (he's pretty much doing the same things physically), but I won't argue the results are significantly better.
No one ever said Moss didn't have the skills. His supporting cast is amazing. He hasn't really had many 'circus' or highlight reel catches.
I'm also not going to give him 'props' for an idiot GM would traded him far below his market value.
Farve, on the other hand, has, in my opinion, brought himself physically and mentally around from some relatively 'average' years.
His 66% completion ratio this year isn't just better than last years 56%, it's a CAREER best! He's also been a catalyst for turning around a franchise that's been disappointing the last few years.
I don't deny Moss's performance this year, but I think like most things surrounding the 2007 Pat's, it's helped by the media hype.
It's also helped that they are beating everyone by 30.
And have you seen some of Moss' catches with multiple defenders hanging on to him while he non-chalantly reels in the ball? He doesn't need to make his catches highlight worthy (diving, leaping, etc.). The ball goes in the air, and he goes and gets it.
One year ago, everyone pretty much wrote Moss off as a malcontent past his prime. Look who's laughing now.
Don't get me wrong, Favre's comeback has been stellar also. What is Favre "coming back" from, though? Old age? His story is a great one, but all he's doing is showing he still has gas left in the tank. Moss is showing that his best years may still be ahead of him.
Lee,
Moss was written off as "past his prime" last year at 29? By who?
He played for Oakland (2-14) a team with Art Shell (since fired) as a head coach with Aaron Brooks, Andrew Walter, and Marques Tuiasosopo as it's QBs!
Compare that to playing for Belicheat and catching frozen ropes from Brady.
Ask Bob, I'm certainly not normally a Packers or Farve fan, in fact I grew up rooting for all things West Virginia (Moss's home turf).
It's just that Farve's increased performance this year over the last couple (apples to apples), is more impressive to me.
Most Valuable Player: Tom Brady (even Bridget Moynihann would agree, cause he certainly is a playa!)
Least Valuable Player : Drew Brees
Best coaching job : Rod Merinelli, sweeping Chicago with John Kitna at quarterback
Worst coaching job : Marvin Lewis, the Bengal's defense stinks, but the offense should be good enough for more wins
Rising star : Jay Cutler (ok, I'm a homer); Jared Allen--he's tied for league lead in sacks--of the Chiefs a close second
Falling star : Drew Brees, but Larry Johnson is a near second with just five hundred yards and two touchdowns
Best game : Cleveland's second game of the season, where the team lit up Cincy
Worst game : Broncs loss to the packers this week. Can Shanny please remember how to call plays in the red zone
Most improved : Derek Anderson
Least improved : Vince Young, the first qb picked in last year's draft was kept to 11 yards on seven rushes last week and was 6-for-14 for 42 yards against the Raiders vaunted pass defense .
Comeback player of the year : Roethlisberger, who's passer rating of 102.2 ranks fourth in the NFL
A bit off subject...
Is it just me or was Belichek's decision to run up the score on Gibbs last week extremely classless? He went for two 4th down conversions and was throwing into the endzone with a 38 point lead and 9 minutes to go. Why hasn't more been made of this?
Peter:
Scroll down a few items and you'll see we addressed the matter. I didn't like it, and I've been a Belichick supporter for a long, long time. Going for it on fourth down when you're up 38-0 and then going for it again on fourth down when it's 45-0 is excessive.
Most Valuable Player - Tom Brady
Least Valuable Player - DeAngelo Hall
Best coaching job - Tom Coughlin
Worst coaching job - everyone on the St. Louis staff
Rising star - Joseph Addai
Falling star - Tiki Barber (that counts, right?)
Best game - Cowboys vs. Giants
Worst game - London
Most improved - Braylon Edwards
Least improved - Donovan McNabb
Comeback player of the year - Randy Moss
Most Valuable Player - Randy Moss, Brady wasn't putting up these crazy numbers before he got there.
Least Valuable Player - Cedric Benson, 3.1 avg. yards per carry, need I say more.
Best Coaching Job - Tom Coughlin. (And if you would have told me this before the season I would have died of laughter.)
Worst Coaching Job - Scott Linehan
Rising Star - Brandon Jacobs, Tiki who?
Falling Star - Alge Crumpler, I know he doesn't have a QB but plenty of it is his own fault.
Best Game - Dallas @ Buffalo Week 5. (As much as it hurt.)
Worst Game - Baltimore @ San Francisco Week 5. (I would have said last week's Patriots game, but that wasn't a game that was a horror movie.)
Most Improved Player - Jon Kitna.
Least Improved Player - Reggie Bush
Comeback player of the year - Ben Roethlisberger.
Here we go...
Most Valuable Player: Tom Brady, Bob Sanders, Devin Hester
Least Valuable Player: Julius Peppers, Shaun Alexander
Best coaching job: Tom Coughlin, Rod Marinelli
Worst coaching job: Marvin Lewis, Scott Linehan
Rising star: Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Jared Allen
Falling star: Alex Smith, DeAngelo Hall
Best game: Cowboys@Bills (Week 5)
Worst game: Saints@Colts (Week 1)
Most improved: Albert Haynesworth, Derek Anderson, Derrick Ward
Least improved: Devery Henderson, Matt Leinert
Comeback player of the year: Randy Moss
MVP: Tom Brady. He is going to break the single season TD record. The Pats might still be unbeaten withou Moss. You can't say that about a Brady-less team.
Least: Willie Ponder. He is the Rams 3rd string punt returner.
Best coaching job: Jeff Fisher. Titats are 5-2 with a roster full of no names.
Worst: Marvin Lewis. The Bungles stand at 2-5 and the main problem is their defense, a Lewis specialty. Part of the blame goes on the front office but still bad job by Marvin, Mikey. That was my Chris Russo impression.
Rising star: Have to go with Peterson. Patrick Willis is a nice selection on the other side of the ball.
Falling: Mike Shannahan. His teams look poorly coached right now.
Best game: Tennesee 38 Houston 36. Bironas nails his 8th field goal as time expires. The game has everything. There were 6 TDs scored, 5 lost fumbles, 3 interceptions, 9 punts and all 12 kicks that were attempted were made. The only thing missing, marquee players.
Worst game: Baltimore 9 San Fran 7. Did anyone watch this game? Is anyone sad they missed it? The pathetic Ravens offense vs. Trent Dilfer. Enough said.
Most improved player. Easy. Derek Anderson. Kid is on pace for 40 TDs after looking awful and not being able to hold down the job last season.
Least improved: Larry Johnson. He has just over 500 yards, is averaging 3.6 per carry and he only has two TDs.
Comeback player: It has to be Moss. He has only one 1,000 yard season since 2003 and he only achieved that by 5 yards. Last year he only had 42 catches for less than 600 yards and a mere 3 TDs. This year he is on pace for over 1,500 yards and 22 TDs. If that isn't a comeback season, I don't know what is.
Most Valuable Player: Tom Brady
Least Valuable Player: Joey Porter (good riddance)
Best coaching job: Romeo Crennel
Worst coaching job: Mike Shanahan (3 home losses! and pitiful Red Zone play calling)
Rising star: Devin Hester, Wes Welker
Falling star: Matt Leinart, Michael Strahan
Best game: Trinity College
Worst game: Giants-Dolphins (2 bad teams slog it out)
Most improved: Derek Anderson
Least improved: What kind of category is this? "Least Improved?"
Peyton Manning - he doesn't look better than
last year???
Comeback player of the year: Junior Seau
Randy Moss as Comeback Player of the Year? I'd hate to see the guy win an award for basically "coming back" from his own poor attitude. He could have had decent years in Oakland if he didn't take every third play off.
-Most Valuable Player: Tom Brady. As much as it hurts to say it, he's been far and away the best player in football this season.
-Least Valuable Player: Cedric Benson. I thought this guy was supposed to be the next great Chicago RB? He looks like he's actually regressed. What a waste of a 1st rounder, especially when you consider that they gave away Thomas Jones for practically nothing.
-Best coaching job: Jeff Fisher. The Titans have won in every conceivable way--on the ground, in the air, in defensive struggles, in shootouts. He's got practically no talent (especially on offense), and still has his guys ready to play every week.
-Worst coaching job: Brad Childress. Refuses to sit Tarvaris Jackson, who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with the football at this point. Even worse--he's underplaying the best running back in the game.
-Rising star: Derek Anderson. Peterson is the easy choice here, but I feel like his star has already risen. Anderson has taken that offense to a new level, and--unbelievably--they're in the thick of the AFC North race.
-Falling star: Donovan McNabb. This was a team that should be contending for the Super Bowl in a weak NFC. As of Week 9, they can't even get out of the basement of their division.
-Best game: Dallas-Buffalo, although the Packers-Broncos this past Monday night is a close second.
-Worst game: The Pats running up the score on Washington last week.
-Most improved: Wes Welker. 1 TD all last season, 6 so far this season. I guess that happens when you go from Joey Harrington to Tom Brady.
-Least improved: Alex Smith. This is the time in a young QB's career when that sinking "Did we make a mistake on this guy?" feeling starts to creep in.
-Comeback player of the year: Jon Kitna. I know he's won it before, but he deserves it. The Lions are halfway to his preseason prediction of 10 wins. And he gets all the credit, because the Lions have pretty much no defense whatsoever.
MVP: Tom Brady, he is playing like I do when I play John Madden Football on Rookie Level
LVP: Steven Jackson, sure he's been hurt, but still
Best coach: Mike McCarthy Packers are America's Team
Worst coach: Marvin Lewis The Bengals underachieve again
Rising Star: Braylon Edwards: end zone fades: a man against boys
Falling Star: Marc Bulger, Rams were picked to go far by many pundits
Best Game: Packers vs Broncos: Favre's arm is still the best
Worst Game: Jets vs Bills (without DirecTV I would have had to watch this pre Halloween fright fest)
Most Improved: Derek Anderson Cleveland fans are not begging for Brady Quinn to play now
Least Improved: Alex Smith sad, really
Comeback Player: Randy Moss should be catching bombs from Favre...