Alex Harkaway – For the Review. Exactly 256 football games have been played so far this year, marking the halfway point of the 2009 season. Here are the winners of my midseason awards. Some are highly coveted; others, not so much.
Most Valuable Player(s): Peyton Manning and Drew Brees
I believe that splitting an individual award between two players is a cop-out. But when there are two quarterbacks putting up prolific numbers and leading undefeated teams, I’m not left with much choice. Look for both to take home hardware at the end of the season.
Offensive Player of the Year: Tom Brady
Something tells me (perhaps it was his throwing five touchdowns in one quarter, an NFL record) that when the season is finished, Brady’s numbers will top those of every quarterback in the league.
However, I cannot justify considering him for MVP. The Patriots are on pace to win 12 games this year with him. Last year, they won 11 games without him. Surely, the Colts and Saints would have worse records if they had to play without their star quarterbacks. So, Brady and his gaudy numbers can settle for Offensive Player of the Year.
Defensive Player of the Year: Jared Allen
Allen is tied for the league lead in sacks, but numbers alone cannot describe how dominant he has been. He is an offensive lineman’s nightmare, and his constant intensity seems to rub off on his Viking teammates.
In the Vikings’ two showdowns against the hated Packers, Allen had a whopping seven-and-a-half sacks.
Coach of the Year: Marvin Lewis
The Bengals have dealt with tragedy, a brutal first-half schedule (only one of their first eight opponents has a losing record) and Chad Ochocinco’s crazy antics. Yet, Lewis has this team in first place and believing it can win every week.
Rookie of the Year: Percy Harvin
Harvin has been an explosive receiver and a deadly return man. He has track speed and a running back’s mentality with the ball in his hands. If you Google “Percy Harvin highlights,” you get more than 300 video results; the number grows every week.
Funny quote of the year: Richard Seymour
“You can mark it down, the Raiders will be in the playoffs in 2009.” Hmm. Maybe if his football career doesn’t work out, Seymour should try stand-up comedy.
Suspension of the year: Mike Sims-Walker
The Jaguars’ receiver was held out of an October game for missing the team’s bed check because of “a visit with a female friend that went a little long.” Without Sims-Walker, the Jaguars didn’t do much scoring, losing to Seattle 41-0.
Super Bowl prediction:
If there’s one thing we have learned so far this year, it’s to expect the unexpected.
Who would have thought the Bengals and the Broncos would be sitting atop their divisions? Who would have thought the Titans would start their season with six straight losses?
There is no sense in making a Super Bowl prediction when we know anything could happen. Any number of teams could make an Arizona Cardinals-like run in the playoffs. Who am I to try to foresee which team that will be? It would be foolish of me to even try.
Aw, to heck with it. Vikings over Patriots.