KiwiSupaFlyNuka Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I think most of you all (Especially Redskin fans) will appreciate this article written by an amateur Jets fan. Four Weeks Down: Early Favorites for NFL Regular Season Awards With the season a quarter of the way finished, it's time to honor the players that have performed at exceptional levels. Angel Navedo identifies his favorites for some of the NFL's most prestigious awards. by Angel Navedo (Columnist) 27 1314 reads Rankings/List October 01, 2008 Share this Story Yahoo! Buzz Digg Facebook StumbleUpon Print Email The shape the NFL has begun to take over the first four weeks of play should come as a surprise to everyone. Fired coaches, injured quarterbacks, and surpassed expectations are the easiest ways to define the direction of the 2008 NFL season. The unpredictable nature of the NFL usually allows for one or two players to emerge from obscurity. However, 2008 has seen forgotten players seize every opportunity to showcase their abilities, while the league's former perennial stars fade from the highlight reels. If the season ended today, the usual suspects for league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year would be conspicuously absent. No Tom Brady or Peyton Manning will be mentioned today. There will be no accolades for LaDainian Tomlinson or Bob Sanders. The new look for 2008 is only meaningful with new stars and new faces. MVP: QB Jason Campbell, WAS The Washington Redskins season was to live—or die—with Campbell's ability to effectively lead his team. If he wasn't ready for the season, the Redskins would be looking at the basement of the NFC East and counting down until the start of the Colt Brennan show. Campbell's efficiency through the first four weeks has placed the Redskins on everyone's radar. With a 102.2 rating, 858 passing yards, and six touchdowns, Campbell's statistics may be modest for an NFL MVP candidate, but it's his efficiency that's made the Redskins so effective. He's playing mistake-free football and helping everyone around him look better. Clinton Portis is running wild, and Santana Moss is flourishing once again. For your consideration: QB Philip Rivers, SD While LaDainian Tomlinson continues to search for his soul, Rivers is the aggressive personality on offense that San Diego needs to succeed. Despite two disappointing losses early in the season, Rivers has been the undisputed leader of the Chargers' offense. Without his contributions, San Diego's dynamic attack becomes more one-dimensional. Rivers is hitting receivers all over the field, making tough throws in coverage, and is approaching every drive as an opportunity to score. His refusal to let errors get the best of him has been a necessary talent while the Chargers' defense looks to refine their identity without Shawne Merriman. Comeback Player of the Year: QB Kerry Collins, TEN Did anyone think the Titans would be 4-0? More appropriately, did anyone think it would be with Kerry Collins at the helm? Collins' life is like a bad inspirational sports movie. It's a tale of the old quarterback that's been written off, but then he's given one more chance. Just like Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans, he's told the job is his until he loses. Then he proceeds to win everyone's heart as he battles personal demons and seemingly insurmountable odds. Despite the dramatics, Collins brings a much-needed level of consistency to the Titans' offense. He brings respectability to the passing game and alleviates some of the pressure from the Titans' rush attack. More importantly, he allows an already excellent defense to play more aggressively, as they no longer have to protect leads. For your consideration: QB Donovan McNabb, PHI Since the Super Bowl appearance, fans have wondered when the Donovan McNabb era would draw to a close in Philadelphia. Hampered by nagging injuries over the last three seasons, expectations for McNabb and a full return to quality play were at a low. Finally returned to health, McNabb has been able to do all of the things that made him a great quarterback earlier in his career. He is mobile, tough, and continues to bring the best out of his receivers. Going into the season, speculation ran wild regarding the quality of McNabb's targets. Four weeks into the season, and there isn't a defense on the Eagles' schedule that isn't watching Hank Baskett and DeSean Jackson. Offensive Rookie of the Year: RB Jonathan Stewart, CAR There are a few candidates for this honor. Felix Jones has played well, but he's merely an addition to an already effective system. Jonathan Stewart has been exactly what Carolina's been looking for at running back for the better part of a decade. Today's Must Reads B/R College Football Top 25: Week Six The Five Biggest Potential UFC Fights The Five Craziest Fanbases in College Football The Panthers' luck at running back has been unfortunate for the last few years, to say the least. When Jonathan Stewart was selected in the draft, fans wondered if it was in an effort to admit an error in selecting DeAngelo Williams in 2006. While Williams has been good in Carolina, the level of play Stewart brings to the Panthers' offense is a much more significant threat. With a 4.4-yard average, and four touchdowns, fans are wondering how much longer it will be until he's named the starter. For your consideration: WR DeSean Jackson, PHI DeSean Jackson has made life easier for Donovan McNabb in the City of Brotherly Love. With 327 receiving yards on the season, and a 14.9-yard per catch average, Jackson is all but a guarantee to move the chains with every touch. He has breakaway speed and great hands—a combination that's usually a game of give-and-take with most wide receivers in the NFL. His big-play ability opens up the Philadelphia offense even more and forces an opposing defense to play on their toes. Defensive Rookie of the Year: CB Chris Horton, WAS Experienced quarterbacks enjoy exploiting the rookie cornerback. They target the inexperience, put the defensive back on an island, and take advantage of them for an entire game. Using such an approach against Chris Horton would be ill advised. Through four weeks, he leads all rookies with three interceptions. It's more than just luck, though. Horton has a knack for placing himself between the quarterback and the receiver. His ability to disrupt the timing of a route has been a welcomed addition to the Redskins' secondary. For your consideration: LB Jerod Mayo, NE The excellent scouting department in New England deserves some credit. Jerod Mayo has started in the complex 3-4 defensive alignment, continuing a Patriot tradition of quality play from the linebackers. Although he has yet to record any sacks, it's Mayo's ability to take every snap, finish plays, and stop the ballcarrier that's truly on display. He has emerged as a wall in the Patriots' defense, recording 25 tackles, 21 of the solo variety. Offensive Player of the Year: QB Jay Cutler, DEN It's been the Broncos' running game that's always galloped through defenses for chunks of yardage. In 2008, it's the aerial approach keeping everyone on their toes. After two disappointing seasons, Jay Cutler is the quarterback most fans feared he would never be. With no help from his defense, Cutler bears the burden of victory on his shoulders alone. It's not an unfamiliar scenario for him, as his time in Vanderbilt was spent carrying the team. This time though, the young gunslinger has some better players around him. With Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall making it look easy for him, Cutler's nine touchdowns and multiple 300-yard passing games are looking more and more like a coming-out party with each passing week. He is still prone to errors, but he's a skilled enough player to continue attacking defenses through the air. For your consideration: RB Adrian Peterson, MIN Adrian Peterson is in the unfortunate position of being the only bright spot on an inconsistent Minnesota Vikings team. When no defense respects your team's passing game, and you're the one weapon everyone is homing in on, no one should expect much. Unless, of course, your name is Adrian Peterson, and you have no difficulty stringing together tough yards. Unfortunately for Peterson, his monstrous 5.1-yards per carry average is a contribution to a team that can do nothing else. Every positive thing the Vikings do while Peterson's on the field should be credited to him. Without his presence, the Vikings' offense is lost. Defensive Player of the Year: CB Cortland Finnegan, TEN Message to all 2008 opponents of the Tennessee Titans: The field has been sliced in half. Cortland Finnegan is the most dangerous cornerback to throw against in 2008. It's said that most cornerbacks require three seasons to truly develop. Adapting to the speed of the NFL is a trying task. It would appear that Finnegan's development is going very well. He's following up a solid 2007 season with a monstrous 2008. He can pick the ball off, as he's shown four times this season. He's knocked the ball down 11 times, and he can tackle like a linebacker. He's successful because of an immensely talented front-seven, but make no mistake, Finnegan can play toe-to-toe with most receivers in this league. For your consideration: DE Justin Tuck, NYG Naysayers would once argue that Justin Tuck was only successful in 2007 because of the defensive talent that surrounded him. It was certainly a reasonable argument. With all of the offensive line's attention going to Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, it's only natural for Tuck to benefit from a mismatch, right? Those arguments cease in 2008. Strahan's retired and Umenyiora is watching football until 2009, and Justin Tuck has become the definitive disruptive force on the Giants' defense. With three sacks and an interception for a touchdown, there should be no questions about his talent as an athlete, or his ability to compensate for the Giants' offseason losses. Coach of the Year: Jeff Fisher, TEN Making the tough, unpopular decision is what it means to be a head coach. Jeff Fisher's willingness to embrace that role was on display very early in 2008. Despite a Week One victory, things in Tennessee weren't looking so bright when the Vince Young soap opera began. Making a quarterback change should never be an easy transition for an offense. So when Fisher decided to hand the team over to Kerry Collins, the outlook was bleak. Four games have been played, and not only are the Titans undefeated, but they're winning with authority. They're not squeaking by, or letting the defense secure the win. Fisher is proving to the NFL that he has a talented team that will beat you in different ways. And while the Titans remain undefeated, Fisher has designated Vince Young to third-string duties, until he can prove he's ready to come back and play at a level to earn his job. Draft status and contracts are irrelevant when it comes down to winning games. It's that stance that will make a head coach a genius...or unemployed. So far, it's working well for Fisher. For your consideration: Jim Zorn, WAS The Washington Redskins are 3-1 after some spotty preseason performances and a non-existent offense in Week One. Since that time, Jim Zorn has rallied his team and gotten the best out of his players. It wasn't a slow process like fans feared. Zorn turned his team around and received productivity typically reserved for teams with years of successful experience together. That's no easy feat for a rookie head coach taking over a team that shares a division with the defending Super Bowl champions, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Going to Dallas and pulling out a win against the heavily-favored Cowboys proves that the Redskins' turnaround isn't just a fluke. Zorn has his men ready to play football a lot sooner than anyone would've imagined. If the next 12 weeks play out like the first four, then fans will be in for a whirlwind of surprises when it comes time to honor the men that gave their all at a higher level than anyone else on the field. Angel Navedo is the Head Writer at NYJetsFan.com, boasting Jet Fuel Radio, frequently updated news and opinions, and a premier fan community. He is also the Community Leader for the New York Jets on Bleacher Report. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/64136-four-weeks-down-early-favorites-for-nfl-regular-season-awards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 As much as I loved reading about Horton, what this guy wrote doesn't seem entirely accurate lol...first, he's a safety, not a corner. Second, two of his three INTs were off tipped balls, not due to Horton having a "knack for placing himself between the quarterback and the receiver." Lastly, I'm wondering exactly how well Horton is at "disrupt the timing" of a receiver's route...I haven't really heard that mentioned about Horton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible_Red40 Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Regardless of his miss on accurate info (Horton). I do like his way of thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 4 games does not make a season...Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsFTW Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 4 games does not make a season...Yoda You mean... A Season not 4 games make.... Yoda BTW, I live in the land of many Yoda's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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