UPS to being in the First Week of September! Football in America is BACK! Sure, there's a taste of it with pre-season NFL games, and besides the classic Montana/ND State opener last Saturday, there have been a handful of lower division games as well to whet our referee's whistle. But the season starts for real in TWO days, with the Thursday night games kicking off the FBS weekend's slate for "Week Zero".
DOWNS on the death of the "Pigskin Classic" or "Kickoff Classic" type games that used to be set aside on this Week Zero without any competition from other, more trivial contests that aren't much of a contest (when an SEC team plays a Division 1-AA team, that's not usually a contest - it's Christians being slaughtered by the lions - or, more likely, Tigers). Granted, those games are still there - Alabama/Wisconsin, VaTech/Ohio State, Louisville/Auburn, and so forth. But it feels much more like just an ordinary week of football, not something "SPECIAL" as it used to feel.
DOWNS to the NFL waiting ANOTHER week before they start their regular season. I don't think it has anything to do with the NCAA schedule - frankly, the NFL is so big that it doesn't care much about the actions of anything below it. But here's a novel idea: Start the season THIS week, when we're primed and ready for it! Then, the season ends in the last week of December instead of the beginning of January, and once the New Year's Six games are done in the FBS, we're on to the playoffs instead of yet another home-and-away round that's mostly unnecessary. The Super Bowl comes back to the last weekend in January, and everyone's happy.
UPS to the POSITIVE ROLE MODELS in all levels of football these days! The two top players in the NFL, without question, are the reigning MVP Aaron Rogers of the Packers and reigning Defensive POY J.J. Watt of the Texans. Both men are not only possessors of clean rap sheets, they're the absolute best human beings you can imagine representing your organization. Rodgers, always an intelligent interview, is a past winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his charity work. Watt is legendary for his ability to connect with civilians: even last Saturday, he was out two hours before the Texans/Saints game in the Superdome, throwing the football back and forth with any fan who wanted to in the stands (even the upper deck!). Nothing will ever top his "marriage" to the crying six-year old whose video about wanting to marry him went viral a couple of years ago, but there always seems to be something. They're certainly not alone in being positive role models in the NFL: Larry Fitzgerald went well out of his way in his interview Sunday on Fox to make his younger teammates the focus of the discussion, for example. Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Charles Woodson, and so many other players are remarkable for having achieved such success, fame, and wealth at a young age, but not have it spoil them as people. The AFL has a similar group of leaders in its top players - Gary Ablett Jr., Scott Pendelbury, Adam Goodes, and a host of other players set examples that are hard to quibble with. Charles Barkley famously said "I am not a role model"...but sorry, Charlie: you were. Not your choice. Not once you became great at your sport.
Showing posts with label Aaron Rodgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aaron Rodgers. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Friday, July 24, 2015
Ah, yes, Player Rankings! Always entertaining! Occasionally informative!
Rarely productive! Always worthwhile for their true purpose, which is to stir up discussion and debate.
This is Bill Barnwell's top 100 NFL players for 2015, and within it you'll find embedded the NFL players' own list, as well as Barnwell's assessment of said list (most of which I agree with).
(Strictly speaking, the above link is the layout for the exercise, as well as players #100-61... here is the link for the second part of the article, posted on Friday, including his list of players #60-1.)
I'll be honest here, it's hard to argue with the top six of his list, for the reasons he lists (and implies)....and at the risk of violating "SPOILER ALERT" agreements, the nicest thing to me about the first three - Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay), Andrew Luck (Indianapolis), JJ Watt (Houston) - is that they are three of the most genuine, nicest men you would ever meet in any line of work, let alone professional football.
DO YOU AGREE WITH EITHER HIM OR THE NFLPA? (What are the odds? Infinitesimal, I'd think!) Comment with the most egregious errors...
This is Bill Barnwell's top 100 NFL players for 2015, and within it you'll find embedded the NFL players' own list, as well as Barnwell's assessment of said list (most of which I agree with).
(Strictly speaking, the above link is the layout for the exercise, as well as players #100-61... here is the link for the second part of the article, posted on Friday, including his list of players #60-1.)
I'll be honest here, it's hard to argue with the top six of his list, for the reasons he lists (and implies)....and at the risk of violating "SPOILER ALERT" agreements, the nicest thing to me about the first three - Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay), Andrew Luck (Indianapolis), JJ Watt (Houston) - is that they are three of the most genuine, nicest men you would ever meet in any line of work, let alone professional football.
DO YOU AGREE WITH EITHER HIM OR THE NFLPA? (What are the odds? Infinitesimal, I'd think!) Comment with the most egregious errors...
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
How STUPID are the combines?
Ryan O'Hanlon of Grantland nails it on the head with this "hypothetical" piece on the draft process and Oregon QB Marcus Mariota - a man who was the consensus BEST quarterback in the draft all season (you know, when they were actually playing games?), but now that we're playing with the numbers instead of watching them actually play football, it's more a Jamies Winston crowd out there.
Let's write this down right now - February 10th, 2015: Mariota will have a better career than Winston. However you choose to define it - starts, yards, success, lack of arrests, whatever... As O'Hanlon points out, this is exactly what happened to Teddy Bridgewater last year (consensus #1 all season, fell to the bottom of the first round, was still the most successful of the rookie QBs last year) and Aaron Rodgers a few years back (same scenario, dropped to #22 and the Packers, and he turned out all right...).
Let's write this down right now - February 10th, 2015: Mariota will have a better career than Winston. However you choose to define it - starts, yards, success, lack of arrests, whatever... As O'Hanlon points out, this is exactly what happened to Teddy Bridgewater last year (consensus #1 all season, fell to the bottom of the first round, was still the most successful of the rookie QBs last year) and Aaron Rodgers a few years back (same scenario, dropped to #22 and the Packers, and he turned out all right...).
Saturday, January 31, 2015
The 4th annual NFL Honors were tonight...
...and it was interesting to watch the NFL try to do Hollywood...
Seth Meyers did a great job...to the Boston native's credit, he spent a good chunk of the monologue skewering BallGhazi, or DeFlateGate, or whatever else we call it...
JJ Watt is apparently either a demi-god or was being softened up not to get the MVP award...although he did become the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year...
Thomas Davis made me cry just a little bit when he won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award...
Aaron Rodgers had one of the better lines of the night telling Peyton Manning that his quad looked pretty good and he should come back already...Rodgers won the MVP but came up second best to Davis for the Man of the Year...
None of the Patriots or Seahawks were there, or allowed to be there (it seemed). Rob Gronkowski won Comeback of the Year, and his four brothers and mother accepted for him. Two of the brothers took credit for his toughness by beating upon him throughout his childhood...
Odelle Beckham Jr. got lots of credit for The Catch... but Larry Fitzgerald earned the first ever Art Rooney Sportsman of the Year, deservedly so...
Arizona Cardinals' coach Bruce Arians earned his second Coach of the Year honors, and DeMarco Murray of the Cowboys was Offensive Player of the Year.
Finally, to see Jim Kelly get a standing O from the NFL fraternity before introducing the eight member Hall of Fame class of 2015 was touching. Then, the most touched member of an obviously elated crowd of electees was veteran Vikings' lineman Mick Tinglehoff, who was selected by the veterans' committee and was almost overwhelmed by the moment. Also elected were 'contributors' Ron Wolf and Bill Polian, along with five other players: Jerome Bettis, Will Shields, Tim Brown, Charles Haley, and the late great Junior Seau, a recent suicide from concussion trauma, who was represented by his two sons (who are the spitting image of him!).
Seth Meyers did a great job...to the Boston native's credit, he spent a good chunk of the monologue skewering BallGhazi, or DeFlateGate, or whatever else we call it...
JJ Watt is apparently either a demi-god or was being softened up not to get the MVP award...although he did become the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year...
Thomas Davis made me cry just a little bit when he won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award...
Aaron Rodgers had one of the better lines of the night telling Peyton Manning that his quad looked pretty good and he should come back already...Rodgers won the MVP but came up second best to Davis for the Man of the Year...
None of the Patriots or Seahawks were there, or allowed to be there (it seemed). Rob Gronkowski won Comeback of the Year, and his four brothers and mother accepted for him. Two of the brothers took credit for his toughness by beating upon him throughout his childhood...
Odelle Beckham Jr. got lots of credit for The Catch... but Larry Fitzgerald earned the first ever Art Rooney Sportsman of the Year, deservedly so...
Arizona Cardinals' coach Bruce Arians earned his second Coach of the Year honors, and DeMarco Murray of the Cowboys was Offensive Player of the Year.
Finally, to see Jim Kelly get a standing O from the NFL fraternity before introducing the eight member Hall of Fame class of 2015 was touching. Then, the most touched member of an obviously elated crowd of electees was veteran Vikings' lineman Mick Tinglehoff, who was selected by the veterans' committee and was almost overwhelmed by the moment. Also elected were 'contributors' Ron Wolf and Bill Polian, along with five other players: Jerome Bettis, Will Shields, Tim Brown, Charles Haley, and the late great Junior Seau, a recent suicide from concussion trauma, who was represented by his two sons (who are the spitting image of him!).
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Seattle / Green Bay live blog....
Monday morning) Good piece today in For The Win about how Green Bay lost the game in the last five minutes not by playing conservatively, but rather playing as if the game had already been won.
5:20 pm) So, where does this game rank for you all-time? Best playoff game ever? One of the classics? A very interesting game but you can name better ones off the top of your head? Comment, please!
After fifty-plus minutes of ineptitude, Seattle outgained Green Bay rushing and passing, had more first downs, and scored 21 points AFTER the 55 minute mark of the game.
Bostick said after the game that his job was to BLOCK on the onside play, but the ball came towards him, and he thought he could make a play.
Will Richard Sherman be okay for the Super Bowl? He still wasn't moving his left arm after the game....
4:45 pm) At halftime, Troy Aikman said that if the Packers continued to play with the focus on the wings and leave the center open, at some point Russell Wilson would take advantage of it, like he did on the title-winning TD pass. Nice call, Troy.
4:30 pm) haiku 14...
5:20 pm) So, where does this game rank for you all-time? Best playoff game ever? One of the classics? A very interesting game but you can name better ones off the top of your head? Comment, please!
After fifty-plus minutes of ineptitude, Seattle outgained Green Bay rushing and passing, had more first downs, and scored 21 points AFTER the 55 minute mark of the game.
Bostick said after the game that his job was to BLOCK on the onside play, but the ball came towards him, and he thought he could make a play.
Will Richard Sherman be okay for the Super Bowl? He still wasn't moving his left arm after the game....
4:45 pm) At halftime, Troy Aikman said that if the Packers continued to play with the focus on the wings and leave the center open, at some point Russell Wilson would take advantage of it, like he did on the title-winning TD pass. Nice call, Troy.
First thirteen possessions for Seattle: five turnovers (including four Wilson INTs), seven punts, ten drives without a first down, and one score that required a trick pass from the punter to a tackle.
Last three possessions: touchdown, touchdown (from an onside, with a ridiculous two-point conversion), touchdown.
Wilson threw towards Jermaine Kearse five times today: four interceptions...and a game winning touchdown!
The camera coverage of the poor kid for GB who couldn't gather in the onside kick...of teary-eyed Russell Wilson...of Seattle's #72 on the bicycle after the game...of Pete Carroll dancing around after the game just basking in the joy of victory...of Mike McCarthy mouthing the words "Unbelievable" to Carroll after the game.
Unbelievable is right.
4:30 pm) haiku 14...
An overtime game
To decide who wins conference
And who's a loser.
Damn, no pressure....
4:20 pm) haiku 13...
Between that field goal
And the insane conversion,
What a mad finish!
4:15 pm) Poor Bostick.
Between that field goal
And the insane conversion,
What a mad finish!
4:15 pm) Poor Bostick.
Victim of the onside facemask bounce.
So, let's keep a camera staring at him the entire time.
Two other thoughts:
Seattle's streak of leading games extends to 54.
Remember us saying those settling for field goal drives would bite them in the butt?
Two other other thoughts:
Rodgers plays like a warrior, running on that bad leg like that when that's what's given to him.
And Richard Sherman is still playing one-armed.
4:00 pm) haiku 12...
Marshawn did step out,
But it was a great pass and catch,
And they did score soon.
And now the onside...
The ball goes off his facemask
And into Blue hands!
Wouldn't it be wild
If, after all that's happened,
The 'Hawks won like this?
Punting from midfield
When you're down by twelve this late?
You're saying "Game over."
3:40 pm) tweet:
Asked #Packers K Mason Crosby this week if he wanted to kick last-second game-winning FG. Replied big FGs happen before that. That was one.
3:35 pm) haiku10...
Is Mason Crosby
The M-V-P? Four-for-four,
His twelve the difference.
The first two looked frightening, both settling for 19-yard field goals (how many kickers have TWO 19 yarders in a game?), but the last two allowed the Pack to stretch a lead just that much farther, make it that much more inaccessible.
3:30 pm) haiku9...
With three quarters down,
The two teams' offenses have
Just four hundred yards!
3:15 pm) tweet...
All year long, T Garry Gilliams has spent part of his warm-up session catching balls in the end zone. He finally got to do it for real.
3:10 pm) haiku8...
Sometimes all it takes
Is "holder-lobs-to-lineman";
Now, we've got a game.
But, is it a sign of desperation when the only chance you have to score is an outrageous trick field goal where the holder throws to a freak'n tackle eligible? Or is it just Pete Carroll using what he had at hand to jump start his team? We'll find out soon...
2:55) haiku7...
Expecting, post-game,
To hear that Wilson played with
A torn quad muscle...
In all seriousness, sometimes it just isn't your day. It's starting to look that way for the Blue Man Group. Serves us right for posting that stat that mentioned that they just set a record last week by having a lead in their 53rd consecutive game. Looks like 54 may not happen.
2:50) haiku6...
Add to The Legend?
Come back from a half like THAT
And win the title!
2:45) tweet...
Wilson completed 2 passes for 12 yards to the Seahawks in the 1st half. He completed 3 passes for 53 yards to the Packers in the 1st half.
2:25) It's hard to believe that, AT HOME, Seattle completes its first pass 26 minutes in, got its initial first down 23 minutes in. And yet, with a TD this drive, they're right back in it!
Whoops. Interception number three, turnover number four. Green Bay ball. Again. Russell Wilson is currently 1-8, 14 yards, 3 INT, 0 TD. One run for two yards. Yuck....
2:15) tweet:
#Packers have had five possessions inside #Seahawks 33 and only 16 points to show for it. But if defense keeps playing like this ...
2:10) haiku5...
It's a rare game where
BOTH teams are really nervous.
(And they both SHOULD be!)
Seattle's had three turnovers already, no first downs, eleven yards of offense. Green Bay's had EVERYTHING go their way and still only have sixteen points? They should have double that at this point, and against the defenders, ya gotta believe it'll bite 'em in the ass....
2:05) tweet... I'd say Aaron came prepared to play here!
- I don't know how Rodgers is hard-counting the Seahawks in this environment, but this is their third offsides today.
Reply
Retweet
Favorite2:00) haiku4...
This is exciting!
If 'Hawks really ARE "Super",
They'll get to prove it!
1:55) Tweets from the guys covering the game...
From @ESPNStatsInfo: First time Seahawks have trailed by at least 13 pts at the end of the 1st quarter of any home game since Week 9 of 2010
1:45) Haiku3...
There is a party
On the left side of the field:
YOU'LL never see it!
Seriously, if Green Bay can't cash in a touchdown this drive, they should quit and go home, because field goals will NOT cut it!
1:40) Haiku2...
ANOTHER fumble?
What's that football COATED with,
Preparation H?
1:35) GREAT interception by Sherman on the first Packer drive; great defensive stands after the two Seahawk turnovers (with help from the unsportsmanlike penalty). It should be 21-0; instead, it's six points for the Packers, one Wilson drive away from losing. Hard to think they won't regret that.
1:15) Haiku...
Seattle / Green Bay:
It's much more fun to watch when
You don't care who wins!
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Congratulations to Indianapolis and Green Bay!
And to Denver and Dallas, for that matter, because all four teams were deserving today! But the difference today was Aaron Rodgers and his amazing performance on one and a half legs, and the performance of the Colts' defense today, restricting the Broncos passing game to dink and dunk without sacrificing all the run defense at the same time.
As for the ridiculous rule that reversed the critical call on fourth down, where Tony Romo connected on a brilliant throw to the equally brilliant Dez Bryant...only to have the "Calvin Johnson" rule invoked and nullify the catch? Well, first of all, given the way the rule reads and has been enforced, the call was indeed both consistent with precedent and correct to the letter of the law. The explanations given on television by Mike Perrera and others were extremely clear, as was the sentiment provided by several talking heads to the effect that the rule sucks. Of COURSE it sucks. It's insipid on the surface, and it defies common sense.
But what's worse is the same thing that makes the Detroit loss to the Cowboys last week distressing: the ugly nonsensical call will overshadow the great season the teams had. Of course Dallas deserved better, but neither they nor the Packers deserved to lose. Generally, at this stage of the season, NOBODY deserves to lose. It just FELT like they'd accomplished what they were supposed to accomplish on the play and drive. And when you're following the game on Advanced Football Analytics, and the shift in the potential win percentage for Dallas moves from upwards of eighty percent to below twenty...it just didn't seem fair.
As for the ridiculous rule that reversed the critical call on fourth down, where Tony Romo connected on a brilliant throw to the equally brilliant Dez Bryant...only to have the "Calvin Johnson" rule invoked and nullify the catch? Well, first of all, given the way the rule reads and has been enforced, the call was indeed both consistent with precedent and correct to the letter of the law. The explanations given on television by Mike Perrera and others were extremely clear, as was the sentiment provided by several talking heads to the effect that the rule sucks. Of COURSE it sucks. It's insipid on the surface, and it defies common sense.
But what's worse is the same thing that makes the Detroit loss to the Cowboys last week distressing: the ugly nonsensical call will overshadow the great season the teams had. Of course Dallas deserved better, but neither they nor the Packers deserved to lose. Generally, at this stage of the season, NOBODY deserves to lose. It just FELT like they'd accomplished what they were supposed to accomplish on the play and drive. And when you're following the game on Advanced Football Analytics, and the shift in the potential win percentage for Dallas moves from upwards of eighty percent to below twenty...it just didn't seem fair.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
The first ever FOLLOWING FOOTBALL NFL All-League TEAM!
We're going to take a shot at this All-League team business (since everyone else does!). Unlike MOST such endeavors, we're trying something that sounds simply ridiculous on the surface...we refused to name our team until the regular season ENDS! None of this "2 games to go" stuff for us! It's All-League for the 2014 SEASON...and the season didn't end until Sunday! (We have similar semantic complaints for not calling it the "first annual"...it's not annual until we do it again next year!) Please understand, this goes against our anti-fantasy football mindset...but there are indeed certain players that stand out above their peers.
Okay, so, here goes!
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay.
As much as we love Peyton around here, Rodgers has yet to throw an interception in Wisconsin this year! Only one of his interceptions (out of a whopping five) was arguably his fault: four of the five hit his receiver's hands first. He has done more with less for years, this year no exception.
Running Backs: DeMarco Murray, Dallas / Marshawn Lynch, Seattle
It's the year of the DeMarco - we would've liked to see him hit 2000, but in a pass-happy league, 1900? is a pretty amazing feat! As for Marshawn, anyone who won't put up with the insufferability of the press is cool with us! After the back breaking run against Arizona in week 16, it was hard to give it to anyone else.
Wideouts: Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh / Dez Bryant, Dallas
Brown led all receivers by something like twenty catches in 2014, but even so he never looked as dominant as Bryant looked on occasion, especially against the poor overmatched Colts secondary a couple weeks back. (Although his last game against the Bengals looked DANGED impressive...)
Tight End: Rob Gronkowski, New England
Hard not to give it to one of the old guard; Antonio Gates, for example, or Vernon Davis.. But Gronk has been too critical to the Patriots' success this year. He leads all tight ends in yardage by a wide margin, and is tied for total catches with 82.
Offensive Line: Dallas Cowboys
This should absolutely be a team unit award. Following Football recognizes the unit which works together the most effectively, and no unit was as good as the Cowboys, especially during the first half of the year.
Defensive Tackle: Ndamukong Suh, Detroit / Terrence Knighton, Denver
We know it would be easier to pick more DEs and call them all front liners, but the DT is just as crucial to the success of the defense, if not as spectacular. Suh really is that spectacular, though, when he's behaving himself (unlike Sunday) and not costing his team penalty yards or himself fine money. Knighton has clogged up the middle for the deceptively good Bronco D all year.
Defensive End: JJ Watt, Houston / Calais Campbell, Arizona
Watt has been insanely spectacular this year. He led the league in just about every category - sack yardage, QB hits, blah, blah, blah... - besides catching passes, running back both a fumble and an interception, selling popcorn at halftime, and God only knows what else. Bill Simmons once said that the only thing that could've made his season any better is throwing a touchdown pass...and that's coming. The Arizona Cardinals have had one of the great defenses all season, and Campbell is one of the primary reasons why. Our other choices here, Mario Williams in Buffalo and Cameron Wake in Miami, would have been just as qualified: Campbell's recognition is as much for Arizona's defense as a team as for his own talents on the field.
Linebackers: Luke Kuechly, Carolina / Justin Houston, Kansas City / DeAndre Levy, Detroit
Kuechly never heard the rule about not supposing to be as big a numbers guy in the pros as in the ACC. Houston merely set the Chiefs record for sacks, leading the league with 22 (beating even Watt this year, and the second highest all time!). Levy played solidly all season, and particularly towards the end of the year.
Safeties: Earl Thomas, Seattle / Patrick Peterson, Arizona
All right, technically Peterson is probably a cornerback, but what we love about his game is his ability to hit as well as cover, not to mention his kick return talents, and so we're getting him on our field one way or another. Thomas, however, is a pure safety who's as good as they get, year after year.
Cornerbacks: Richard Sherman, Seattle / Darrell Revis, New England
Rarely have two such defenders existed the same season, where no sane QB throws to their side regardless of which favorite receiver of his is running patterns with that DB. But neither Sherman nor Revis were successfully challenged all season, really.
Placekicker: Matt Bryant, Atlanta
Perfect on extra points, 28 of 31 on field goals with all three misses past 50 yards long (and he made seven of those, the most in the league), and a complete kicker.
Punter: Sam Koch, Baltimore
Second in gross average, his inside 20s/touchback ratio of 9 to 1 is outstanding, and very few returners actually ran back punts (and rarely for distance, averaging less than seven YPR).
Return specialist: Darren Sproles, Philadelphia.
It's tempting to give Devon Hester a career-achievement award here, but he didn't have the year Sproles did in his new home in Philly, where he almost single-handedly kept them afloat when the offense struggled this year.
Head coach: Pete Carroll, Seattle
What the former USC escapee has done in Seattle is downright amazing: defense AND offense are clicking, and the sheer ability to avoid the usual post-Super Bowl deflation (the major cause of the slow start this year was injuries, not SBD) needs to be recognized!
Notable exclusions: QB - Tom Brady, New England; Russell Wilson, Seattle; Tony Romo, Dallas; Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh. RB - LeVeon Bell, Pittsburgh; Arian Foster, Houston; LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia; CJ Anderson, Denver; Jamaal Charles, Kansas City. WR - AJ Green, Cincinnati; Odelle Beckham, Jr., NY Giants; Julio Jones, Atlanta. TE - Julius Thomas, Denver; Jimmy Graham, New Orleans. OL - Seattle; DE - Mario Williams, Buffalo; Cameron Wake, Miami, DeMarcus Ware, Denver. LB - LaVonte David, Tampa Bay. S - Charles Woodson, Oakland; Glover Quin, Detroit. CB - Aqib Talib, Denver; Vontae Davis, Indianapolis. PK - Adam Viniteri, Indianapolis; HC - Bill Belechick, New England, Bruce Arians, Arizona; Jim Caldwell, Detroit.
TOTAL Recognitions by team: SEATTLE, 4 (6 counting exclusions), DALLAS, 3 (4 counting exclusions), NEW ENGLAND 2 (4), DETROIT 2 (4), ARIZONA 2 (3), DENVER 1 (5), PITTSBURGH 1 (3), PHILADELPHIA 1 (2), ATLANTA 1 (2), HOUSTON 1 (2), KANSAS CITY 1 (2), BALTIMORE 1 (1), GREEN BAY 1 (1), CAROLINA 1 (1), INDIANAPOLIS 0 (2), CINCINNATI 0 (1), BUFFALO 0 (1), TAMPA BAY 0 (1), NY GIANTS 0 (1), NEW ORLEANS 0 (1), MIAMI 0 (1), OAKLAND 0 (1). None from NY Jets, Cleveland, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Washington, San Francisco, St. Louis, Minnesota, Chicago, or San Diego (although it killed us to leave Rivers off).
Okay, so, here goes!
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay.
As much as we love Peyton around here, Rodgers has yet to throw an interception in Wisconsin this year! Only one of his interceptions (out of a whopping five) was arguably his fault: four of the five hit his receiver's hands first. He has done more with less for years, this year no exception.
Running Backs: DeMarco Murray, Dallas / Marshawn Lynch, Seattle
It's the year of the DeMarco - we would've liked to see him hit 2000, but in a pass-happy league, 1900? is a pretty amazing feat! As for Marshawn, anyone who won't put up with the insufferability of the press is cool with us! After the back breaking run against Arizona in week 16, it was hard to give it to anyone else.
Wideouts: Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh / Dez Bryant, Dallas
Brown led all receivers by something like twenty catches in 2014, but even so he never looked as dominant as Bryant looked on occasion, especially against the poor overmatched Colts secondary a couple weeks back. (Although his last game against the Bengals looked DANGED impressive...)
Tight End: Rob Gronkowski, New England
Hard not to give it to one of the old guard; Antonio Gates, for example, or Vernon Davis.. But Gronk has been too critical to the Patriots' success this year. He leads all tight ends in yardage by a wide margin, and is tied for total catches with 82.
Offensive Line: Dallas Cowboys
This should absolutely be a team unit award. Following Football recognizes the unit which works together the most effectively, and no unit was as good as the Cowboys, especially during the first half of the year.
Defensive Tackle: Ndamukong Suh, Detroit / Terrence Knighton, Denver
We know it would be easier to pick more DEs and call them all front liners, but the DT is just as crucial to the success of the defense, if not as spectacular. Suh really is that spectacular, though, when he's behaving himself (unlike Sunday) and not costing his team penalty yards or himself fine money. Knighton has clogged up the middle for the deceptively good Bronco D all year.
Defensive End: JJ Watt, Houston / Calais Campbell, Arizona
Watt has been insanely spectacular this year. He led the league in just about every category - sack yardage, QB hits, blah, blah, blah... - besides catching passes, running back both a fumble and an interception, selling popcorn at halftime, and God only knows what else. Bill Simmons once said that the only thing that could've made his season any better is throwing a touchdown pass...and that's coming. The Arizona Cardinals have had one of the great defenses all season, and Campbell is one of the primary reasons why. Our other choices here, Mario Williams in Buffalo and Cameron Wake in Miami, would have been just as qualified: Campbell's recognition is as much for Arizona's defense as a team as for his own talents on the field.
Linebackers: Luke Kuechly, Carolina / Justin Houston, Kansas City / DeAndre Levy, Detroit
Kuechly never heard the rule about not supposing to be as big a numbers guy in the pros as in the ACC. Houston merely set the Chiefs record for sacks, leading the league with 22 (beating even Watt this year, and the second highest all time!). Levy played solidly all season, and particularly towards the end of the year.
Safeties: Earl Thomas, Seattle / Patrick Peterson, Arizona
All right, technically Peterson is probably a cornerback, but what we love about his game is his ability to hit as well as cover, not to mention his kick return talents, and so we're getting him on our field one way or another. Thomas, however, is a pure safety who's as good as they get, year after year.
Cornerbacks: Richard Sherman, Seattle / Darrell Revis, New England
Rarely have two such defenders existed the same season, where no sane QB throws to their side regardless of which favorite receiver of his is running patterns with that DB. But neither Sherman nor Revis were successfully challenged all season, really.
Placekicker: Matt Bryant, Atlanta
Perfect on extra points, 28 of 31 on field goals with all three misses past 50 yards long (and he made seven of those, the most in the league), and a complete kicker.
Punter: Sam Koch, Baltimore
Second in gross average, his inside 20s/touchback ratio of 9 to 1 is outstanding, and very few returners actually ran back punts (and rarely for distance, averaging less than seven YPR).
Return specialist: Darren Sproles, Philadelphia.
It's tempting to give Devon Hester a career-achievement award here, but he didn't have the year Sproles did in his new home in Philly, where he almost single-handedly kept them afloat when the offense struggled this year.
Head coach: Pete Carroll, Seattle
What the former USC escapee has done in Seattle is downright amazing: defense AND offense are clicking, and the sheer ability to avoid the usual post-Super Bowl deflation (the major cause of the slow start this year was injuries, not SBD) needs to be recognized!
Notable exclusions: QB - Tom Brady, New England; Russell Wilson, Seattle; Tony Romo, Dallas; Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh. RB - LeVeon Bell, Pittsburgh; Arian Foster, Houston; LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia; CJ Anderson, Denver; Jamaal Charles, Kansas City. WR - AJ Green, Cincinnati; Odelle Beckham, Jr., NY Giants; Julio Jones, Atlanta. TE - Julius Thomas, Denver; Jimmy Graham, New Orleans. OL - Seattle; DE - Mario Williams, Buffalo; Cameron Wake, Miami, DeMarcus Ware, Denver. LB - LaVonte David, Tampa Bay. S - Charles Woodson, Oakland; Glover Quin, Detroit. CB - Aqib Talib, Denver; Vontae Davis, Indianapolis. PK - Adam Viniteri, Indianapolis; HC - Bill Belechick, New England, Bruce Arians, Arizona; Jim Caldwell, Detroit.
TOTAL Recognitions by team: SEATTLE, 4 (6 counting exclusions), DALLAS, 3 (4 counting exclusions), NEW ENGLAND 2 (4), DETROIT 2 (4), ARIZONA 2 (3), DENVER 1 (5), PITTSBURGH 1 (3), PHILADELPHIA 1 (2), ATLANTA 1 (2), HOUSTON 1 (2), KANSAS CITY 1 (2), BALTIMORE 1 (1), GREEN BAY 1 (1), CAROLINA 1 (1), INDIANAPOLIS 0 (2), CINCINNATI 0 (1), BUFFALO 0 (1), TAMPA BAY 0 (1), NY GIANTS 0 (1), NEW ORLEANS 0 (1), MIAMI 0 (1), OAKLAND 0 (1). None from NY Jets, Cleveland, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Washington, San Francisco, St. Louis, Minnesota, Chicago, or San Diego (although it killed us to leave Rivers off).
Saturday, December 13, 2014
So...who will the NFL's Most Valuable be?
And...how do you define what that is? "Most Valuable" to whom: the team? The league? History? The coffers of the NFL?
So, let's start the conversation with THIS definition: the MVP is the player who contributes the most to his particular team's success on the field that specific year. Not "how spectacular are they?" Not "most popular". Not "award for a career's body of work", not the most surprising, and certainly not the highest selling jerseys, either. Finally, it should be the player who ADDS the most to the win total of his team: a great player whose team would go 16-0 without him adds NO value to his team, while a great player whose team STILL can't win a game also adds NO value to his team in our criteria.
Got it? Good! Here's our short list of whom to consider...
J.J. Watt, Houston. No, he's not going to win, and he probably shouldn't win. But he's probably singlehandedly won at least two games for the Texans with his two-way play, and deserves the credit he gets and then some.
Tom Brady, New England. A very viable candidate because without him, the Pats would be toast. This isn't the team that Matt Cassell could step in and go 11-5 with; a Bradyless New England is third in the division.
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis. See above.
Peyton Manning, Denver. See above, except that he has so much talent on both sides of the ball this year that it's arguable that even HE isn't indispensable this year.
Russell Wilson, Seattle. A different situation than Luck or Brady: The Seahawks DO have the talent to win with most quarterbacks, but it's Wilson's leadership as much as his throwing or running ability that transform Seattle from a contender into a Super Bowl champ and (increasingly) likely repeat champ.
DeMarco Murray, Dallas. His season will indubitably be the top by a running back this year, but it's the theory of play Jason Garrett has for the Cowboys this year - don't let Romo or the defense lose the game; let the running game win it - that has Murray in the hunt.
Chip Kelly, Philadelphia. Don't laugh: how many extra wins has Kelly come up with for the Eagles this year? If he can make a winning team with Mark Sanchez at quarterback, he's got to be in the conversation as the Most Valuable Something!
Bruce Arians, Arizona. See above, and replace Sanchez with Stanton, and then whomever he threw in after Stanton went out Thursday to beat the Rams with!
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay. And last but probably most, the likely favorite in most people's eyes may or may not be the MOST valuable under these criteria, if only because the Packers are really good anyway. Certainly, Rodgers is having an insanely good season; he doesn't even HAVE a touchdown/interception ratio at home, because you must have a non-zero number in the denominator to have a ratio, and he's something like 36:0 at Lambeau. He's very likely the Most Outstanding Player; but we're not convinced he's the most valuable to his particular team.
But we get three more weeks to examine the incoming evidence!
So, let's start the conversation with THIS definition: the MVP is the player who contributes the most to his particular team's success on the field that specific year. Not "how spectacular are they?" Not "most popular". Not "award for a career's body of work", not the most surprising, and certainly not the highest selling jerseys, either. Finally, it should be the player who ADDS the most to the win total of his team: a great player whose team would go 16-0 without him adds NO value to his team, while a great player whose team STILL can't win a game also adds NO value to his team in our criteria.
Got it? Good! Here's our short list of whom to consider...
J.J. Watt, Houston. No, he's not going to win, and he probably shouldn't win. But he's probably singlehandedly won at least two games for the Texans with his two-way play, and deserves the credit he gets and then some.
Tom Brady, New England. A very viable candidate because without him, the Pats would be toast. This isn't the team that Matt Cassell could step in and go 11-5 with; a Bradyless New England is third in the division.
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis. See above.
Peyton Manning, Denver. See above, except that he has so much talent on both sides of the ball this year that it's arguable that even HE isn't indispensable this year.
Russell Wilson, Seattle. A different situation than Luck or Brady: The Seahawks DO have the talent to win with most quarterbacks, but it's Wilson's leadership as much as his throwing or running ability that transform Seattle from a contender into a Super Bowl champ and (increasingly) likely repeat champ.
DeMarco Murray, Dallas. His season will indubitably be the top by a running back this year, but it's the theory of play Jason Garrett has for the Cowboys this year - don't let Romo or the defense lose the game; let the running game win it - that has Murray in the hunt.
Chip Kelly, Philadelphia. Don't laugh: how many extra wins has Kelly come up with for the Eagles this year? If he can make a winning team with Mark Sanchez at quarterback, he's got to be in the conversation as the Most Valuable Something!
Bruce Arians, Arizona. See above, and replace Sanchez with Stanton, and then whomever he threw in after Stanton went out Thursday to beat the Rams with!
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay. And last but probably most, the likely favorite in most people's eyes may or may not be the MOST valuable under these criteria, if only because the Packers are really good anyway. Certainly, Rodgers is having an insanely good season; he doesn't even HAVE a touchdown/interception ratio at home, because you must have a non-zero number in the denominator to have a ratio, and he's something like 36:0 at Lambeau. He's very likely the Most Outstanding Player; but we're not convinced he's the most valuable to his particular team.
But we get three more weeks to examine the incoming evidence!
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