At the midway point of the NFL season we typically start to talk playoffs and coaches on the hot seat; not to mention every media outlet in the United States telling us who they think are the top performers at mid season. Well I've got my picks in for the seven major NFL awards as they stand after week eight, and there's more than one name on this list of finalists that will have the casual fan saying "WHO?".
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order
MVP
Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans: 659 rushing yards, 9 touchdowns
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints: 2,310 passing yards, 20 touchdowns
Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons: 68.7% completion percentage, 2,018 passing yards, 17 touchdowns
Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos: 68.5% completion percentage, 2113 passing yards, 17 touchdowns
Arian Foster is the one player that sets the pace for the Texans every game, Drew Brees is trying his hardest to keep the Saints from spiraling into oblivion, Matt Ryan plays the most important position on the only undefeated team in the NFL, and Manning is showing the whole league that he is still one of the best.
My Pick: Matt Ryan – Other players have better numbers, but as long as the Falcons remain undefeated, Ryan gets my vote.
Offensive Player of the Year
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers: 69% completion percentage, 2,165 passing yards, 21 touchdowns
Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings: 775 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns
Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans: 659 rushing yards, 9 touchdowns
Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots: 65.3% completion percentage, 2,408 passing yards, 16 touchdowns
Rodgers leads the league in completion percentage and passing touchdowns, Adrian Peterson is having an unexpectedly monster season, Foster runs all over defenses at will, and Tom Brady is leading the most potent offense in the league.
My Pick: Arian Foster – Foster could end the season with 20 rushing touchdowns if he keeps this pace.
Defensive Player of the Year
Clay Matthews, LB, Green Bay Packers: 31 tackles, 9 sacks
Daryl Washington, LB, Arizona Cardinals: 68 tackles, 8 sacks
JJ Watt, DE, Houston Texans: 34 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries
Tim Jennings, CB, Chicago Bears: 39 tackles, 6 interceptions, 1 touchdown
Matthews is having a resurgence after a down year in 2011, Washington has normal tackle numbers for an inside linebacker but incredible sack totals, Watt is a disruptive force who can control a game seemingly by himself, and Jennings leads the league in interceptions.
My Pick: Daryl Washington – Washington is putting up unheard of numbers for an inside linebacker. If he keeps this up, he'll be on pace to tally over 120 tackles and over 15 sacks, which may have never been done before.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins: 775 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns
Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts: 1,971 passing yards, 8 passing touchdowns, 3 rushing touchdowns
Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 543 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns, 224 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
Greg Zuerlein, K, St. Louis Rams: 17/20 field goals, 5-50+ yard field goals, long of 60 yards
Robert Griffin III, QB, Washington Redskins: 1,778 passing yards, 8 touchdowns, 476 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns
Morris has surprised everyone to become a sturdy workhorse back, Luck has been everything the Colts have expected, Martin has been on fire in recent weeks, Zuerlein is a beast from beyond 50 yards and set the Rams record for longest field goal twice in the same game, and RG3 is possibly the most exciting player to watch in the NFL.
My Pick: Robert Griffin III – Griffin is a threat to score on every play, but coach Shanahan needs to stop calling plays that put his young quarterback at risk for unnecessary injury.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Bobby Wagner, LB, Seattle Seahawks: 62 tackles, 1 sack
Chandler Jones, DE, New England Patriots: 33 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 forced fumbles
Luke Kuechly, LB, Carolina Panthers: 61 tackles, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery
Wagner is a great tackler and could be the leader the Seahawks need in the middle, Jones is a sack master off the edge who has a nose for the football, and Kuechly is racking up tackles almost as fast as he did at Boston College.
My Pick: Chandler Jones – Jones has been this years version of JJ Watt, consistently putting pressure on quarterbacks and wrapping up ball carriers.
Coach of the Year
Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans: 6-1 overall
Joe Philbin, Miami Dolphins: 4-3 overall
Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears: 6-1 overall
Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons: 7-0 overall
Kubiak leads the most balanced team in the NFL, Philbin has the Dolphins in a position where nobody thought they'd be, Lovie Smith has what could be the most explosive defense in the league, and Mike Smith is the head man for the only remaining undefeated team in the league.
My Pick: Lovie Smith – Yes, Mike Smith is undefeated. But Lovie has taken a Chicago team that was embarrassed early in the season by Green Bay, and currently has the bears playing the best and most dominant football in the league.
Comeback Player of the Year
Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings: 775 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns
Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans: 595 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns
Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos: 68.5% completion percentage, 2113 passing yards, 17 touchdowns
Peterson is running amazingly well after tearing multiple ligaments in his knee, Johnson has finally gotten on track the past few weeks looking more like the old CJ2K, and Manning is coming off a neck injury that had some thinking he may retire.
My Pick: Peyton Manning – Manning is the only one of these players that missed all of last year. After being released by the Colts and joining the Broncos, Manning was the most watched quarterback this season outside of the two schmucks on the New York Jets. Manning is not only playing well, but is playing dominant.
J. Lance Moose is a contributor and lead football writer for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter, and subscribe on Facebook facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports
Photo Credit: Getty
-140x79.jpg)
