The first nine weeks of the NFL season have passed, and if you blinked you have probably missed most of the unpredictable but always exciting NFL action.
You would have missed Dante Hall make his case as one of the most electric players of the recent era with his dazzling kick returns that make anybody’s head turn.
You might have missed Bill Romanowski giving his own teammate a season ending eye injury. If you have missed some of the first half of NFL action, here is a recap of some of the good, bad, and of course, the ugly:
Player of the Year: Priest
In a year that Holmes is not even the most talked about player on his own team, Holmes has quietly put up over 1,000 all purpose yards, if you can do that quietly.
Put quite simply, Kansas City’s offense runs directly through this man. He is just as dangerous in the backfield as when he is running up the gut or even when he cuts it outside. His team is also perfect through the first half of the season, and is probably most people’s pick to win the Super Bowl this year.
Even though kick returner Hall has been getting more publicity, Holmes is the center of the Kansas City offense.
Quarterback of the Year: Steve
Do people think McNair’s importance to the team is overrated? Yes. Is he still playing the best ball of any quarterback this year? Yes.
His toughness is an inspiration to every member of his team. He looks like a wizard getting away from some sacks.
But he is not the Michael Vick-type player that all the experts have portrayed him to be.
Last year, this award would have gone to Vick. But this year, McNair takes it with ease.
Running Back of the Year:
This one is kind of a no-brainer, considering the fact that he already won the “Player of the Year” honor. With over 700 yards purely rushing and his team undefeated, he deserves this more then anybody else.
Wide Receiver of the Year:
Honestly, who is having a better year catching the ball than Moss?
He looks like the Moss of old, like when Jeff George still used to be a Viking.
All Daunte Culpepper has to do is throw the ball up in the air, and if Moss has single coverage on him, he will go and get the ball. His leaping ability is unmatched, and he also has speed to burn.
The most important thing of all though is that he has managed to keep his mouth shut and his car from hitting other people. He is no longer the off-field distraction that he had been until recently.
Team of the Year:
Yes, the Chiefs have a better record, but they were supposed to be good this year. A lot of experts had them winning the AFC and going on to the Super Bowl.
With this expectation taken into account, the team of the year so far is the Panthers.
Nobody could have seen where Carolina would be after eight games this year. They are 6-2 and in first place in the tough NFC South.
Despite a tough loss to the underrated Houston Texans this week, I see this team going deep into the NFC playoffs with their ball-control brand of football.
Coach of the Year: Bill Belichick
Sure, other coaches have taken teams with a lower winning percentage than the Patriots last season and have gotten them winning this season.
But no other team has been as decimated with injuries as the Patriots and yet they keep finding ways to win. With half of his starters out at the beginning of the season due to contract disputes or injuries, and a secondary full of rookies, Belichick has kept this team focused and on track.
The Patriots are playing with the same vigor and toughness that won them the Super Bowl just a few short years ago. If they keep playing with the “Patriot Pride” that they have been doing since the beginning of the year, watch for this team in January.
Biggest Disappointment of the
Always overrated, Warner hasn’t played even an average game since the 2001 NFC Championships.
Last year he had more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (one). This year, he has more fumbles (three) than touchdowns (one).
He has shown that the offense would have been successful with or without him, since both Marc Bulger and Trent Green also have had success with the Rams’ lightning quick offense.
A great man nonetheless, Warner looks old and sluggish and might want to contemplate retirement if he has more games like the one against the Giants where he managed to fumble six times.
Biggest Pleasant Surprise of the
Even though Bill Parcells had taken over the reigns of the Dallas Cowboys, nobody really expected them to go anywhere.
Boy, were they wrong.
To most people, Parcells turned a bad quarterback (Carter) into an above-average quarterback in the span of a single off-season.
Carter went from a turnover prone punch line to a quick, agile quarterback that could actually—gasp—lead his team to the playoffs!
With seven touchdowns and 1,500 yards passing, he is the leader of a team that he wasn’t even projected to start for at the beginning of the season.
Dumbest Move of the Year:
McColms, seriously, your team has won 10 out of its last 11 games, they are in first place in their division, and they are in position to clinch the division midway through the season. They lose one game to the New York Giants, and, all of the sudden they are a “disgrace?”
This team has been playing some of the best ball of the season so far, and has the league’s top receiver and a top five quarterback. They are playing up to expectations.
McColms needs to go back up into his comfy owner’s box, keep his mouth shut, and start signing more paychecks.
Most Disappointing Team of the
Although there are more teams in this category this year, the Raiders win this one hands down.
It seems like such a long time ago that this team was actually favored to win the Super Bowl. Instead this team is getting clobbered left and right and doesn’t seem to be playing with any passion at all.
And it’s not like this team has been decimated by injuries.
Almost all of the key players from last year are back but are not playing anywhere close to last year.
Although the Pittsburgh Steelers gave them a run for their money, it’s the Raiders in a landslide.
