Halftime Awards

As we reach the midway point of the NFL season, it is time to handout the Redzone awards for the first half of the season.

MVP - Peyton Manning

The incumbent winner is back at the top spot again and should tie Brett Favre for consecutive MVP’s with 3.  You can argue that he has won this award too much and we should give someone else a chance, but you can’t argue that he is the unquestioned MVP of his team and the NFL.  In just seven games, Manning has thrown 15 TD’s to only 2 interceptions.  He has given up the least amount of sacks, which is a testament to his ability to feel pressure and get rid of the football.  The Colts are 5-2 despite a rash of injuries.  Proof enough is that if Austin Collie, Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, Bob Sanders and Melvin Bullit all were healthy but Manning was not, this team is likely 2-5 at best.  

In the Hunt – Tom Brady and Matt Ryan

Again, no surprise that Tom is in the hunt.  His ratio of 12 touchdowns to 4 interceptions is solid and as usual he has the Patriots sitting atop the AFC at 6-1.  If he can lead the Pats to the best record in the AFC, it will once again become the argument between stats and wins.  

Matt Ryan is 16-1 at home in his career.  If this team can secure home field advantage in the playoffs, look out.  His stats are not as impressive as some of the other QB’s in the league, but a 12:5 ratio of TD’s to picks is solid.  The Falcons are 5-2.  If he continues his strong play and gets the Falcons anywhere North of 11-5, he’s in the discussion.

Dark horse: Mike Vick, Vince Young

Before his injury, Vick was the MVP of the league.  In 3.5 games he has passed for 800 yards, thrown 6 touchdowns with no interceptions, and has rushed for 187 yards and a TD.  The injury has set him back, but if he returns to the same form for the rest of the year, he could make a push.  Vince Young is another guy who has had injuries slow him down this season.  He does have the highest QB rating in the NFL right now though.  The big question is can he stay healthy?

Need wins: Phil Rivers

If somehow Phil Rivers can get the Chargers into the playoffs, he should definitely be a candidate for MVP.  For all the talk of Favre, Cutler and Rodgers throwing downfield, Rivers dwarfs them by averaging a whopping 8.66 yards per attempt.  That is well higher than anyone else in the league.  He also leads the league in passing yards per game with 331.  He may not get there this year, but Rivers is one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the NFL, year in and year out.  

Defensive Player of the Year - Osie Umenyiora


Umenyiora is second in the NFL in sacks with 8, trailing Clay Matthews (9.5).  Here's the difference: Umenyiora has forced seven fumbles.  He has mastered the sack fumble which means that instead of dropping quarterbacks for a big loss, he generates turnovers.  Winning in today's NFL is done by creating turnovers and holding onto the ball.  Osie accomplishes the turnover part.


In the hunt - Lawrence Timmons, DeAngelo Hall, Clay Matthews


If Polamalu is Butch Cassidy, then Timmons is the Sundance Kid.  He may not be the leader of the Steelers' D, but he is the reason they rank near the top in all defensive categories this season.  He is 4th in the NFL in tackles with 74, has 3 sacks and an interception.  DeAngelo Hall has great stats, although they were inflated by Jay Cutler in one game.  That being said, he is tied for 13th in the league in tackles (a very impressive feat for a corner), to go along with his league leading 6 interceptions (4 vs Cutler).  Had Matthews not missed time due to the hamstring injury he would likely be the leading candidate at this point.  Nonetheless, if he can stay healthy, he will be getting votes come January.  

Rookie of the Year Offense – Sam Bradford

There are a lot of great candidates for this award in 2010.  Unfortunately for them, it has already been awarded to Sam Bradford.  He has thrown more touchdowns (11) than interceptions (8) and more importantly has the Rams in the playoff race.  Wait what?  Is that the same Rams that were 1-15 last season?  Pretty much, and the fact that he has them playing .500 football is outstanding.

Runner-ups - Mike Williams and Dez Bryant

Mike Williams slid in the draft due to character concerns but the Bucs and Josh Freeman must be thrilled they took a chance on him in the fourth round.  Greg Jennings has one more yard and one more touchdown than Williams at this point in the season.  Williams’ play is a big reason the Bucs are 5-2.  

Despite the horror show going on in Dallas, Jerry Jones must be thrilled that he didn’t pass on Bryant like he did Randy Moss.  In an offence with many options, Bryant is on pace for 60 catches, 700 yards and 6 touchdowns.  He also has 2 punt return touchdowns on only 12 returns.  

Rookie of the Year Defense – Ndamukong Suh

I did some searching through the NFL chronicles and I’m fairly certain this would be the first time ever the #1 and #2 overall picks in the draft where the offensive and defensive rookies of the year.  Suh is a beast.  No stats are needed to describe how dominant he has been this season.  His initial surge is unmatched and if you haven’t seen him play this year, tune in on Sunday and focus in on #90.  Ok fine, the fact that he is on pace for 13 sacks, 2 interceptions and 2 touchdowns can’t hurt.

In the Hunt – Earl Thomas 

Earl Thomas leads his team in solo tackles and is tied for third in the NFL with four interceptions.  He is a ball-hawk in every sense of the word and his man to man cover skills are as good as at least half the corners in the NFL.

Comeback Player of the Year – Michael Vick

Even if you can’t forgive him, you have to admire the way he took ownership for a terrible crime and has come back and done all the right things.  He has been gracious for getting a second chance, hasn’t complained at all about playing time and has tried his best to turn his life around.  All while playing arguably the best football of his career.