THE HALF WAY POINT

We now are at the half way point of the NFL season, and boy what a season it has been. If anyone can say that they predicted things would go as they have so far, THEY ARE LYING!!!! There have been so many surprises. Teams that were supposed to suck are actually playing pretty good. Teams that had Super Bowl aspirations are not playing so well. There are players that are not playing up to par, and there are those that are having career years. This season, I have seen the best football game that I have ever seen and I have seen monumental upsets. This year epitomizes why I love the NFL, because anything and I do mean anything can happen any given Sunday.

All that being said, I am going to recap the first half of the NFL season by recognizing the significant performances, both good and bad. If you disagree with anything on my list, be sure to comment with your own opinion.

Without further ado:

MID-SEASON MVP

Clinton Portis – Anyone who knows me, know that I am a huge fan of Mr. Portis (aka Southeast Jerome). He is currently leading the league with 944 rushing yards through eight games. To put it simply, he has been running wild and is impossible to stop this season. He is that rare back that can get the tough yard as well as break the long one. The reason for his success is obviously the fact that he was able to bulk up without losing any speed. He has also led the Washington Redskins (the team with the really offensive mascot) to a 6-2 record. I think Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan realizes that it wasn’t the system when it came to Portis, he is actually that good.

Runner-up – Michael Turner

Third – Drew Brees


MID-SEASON MDP (MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER)

Peyton Manning – Peyton is by far having the worst year of his career since his rookie season. He has 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions through 7 games and the Colts are 3-4 (they haven’t had their bye week yet). It is obvious that Peyton’s timing is still off due the effects of his off-season surgeries, but I will not allow that to be an excuse for his poor play. If he is still hurt, then he shouldn’t be playing, but since he is on the field I must hold him to the same standards as I do everyone else. I am a HUGE Peyton Manning fan, but you know that I always call a spade a spade, and I must say that this year he sucks! Luckily the season isn’t over, and trust me, he will get it together. But up to this point, he is the most disappointing player in the league.

Runner-up – Braylon Edwards

Third – DeAngelo Hall


OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Please see the MVP list, it is the same.


DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Albert Haynesworth – This season, he has been the best of both worlds at defensive tackles. He eats up blockers to let the linebackers run free and make tackles. In addition to that he has also managed to get six sacks of his own through seven games. I am not a big fan of him personally, but I must give credit where credit is due. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that his team is undefeated and that is with no passing game. Their formula is simple, play defense and run the ball.

Runner-up – Charles Woodson

Third – Joey Porter


MOST SURPRISING TEAM (GOOD SURPRISE)

Atlanta Falcons – If you can say that you thought they would be above .500 at any point in the season after week 1, you are definitely lying. I know that 4-3 is not a stellar record and they probably won’t make the playoffs, but I personally thought that they wouldn’t win more than four games or an absolute maximum of five games. According to most of the “experts”, they were supposed win no more than two games. Even if they don’t win another game this season, they have earned the respect of the league and surpassed most people’s expectations.

Runner-up – Miami Dolphins

Third – Washington Redskins (did I mention how offensive that mascot is?)


MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM

San Diego Chargers – I know that they’re playing without Shawne Merriman, but they should be better. Other than that, they have the same team that they have had the past couple of years. What is sad is that they play in the weakest division in the NFL and they will still probably win the AFC West. This is a team that has the personnel to win twelve or thirteen games. To put it plain and simple, they are underachieving and have no sense of urgency.

New Orleans Saints – This team has enough talent to win their division by three games and were some people’s pick to make it to the NFC title game. That is obviously not going to happen and I don’t even think they’re going to make the playoffs. There are those who will blame their struggles on injuries (you know who you are), but that is not an excuse. This is the NFL, arguably the most violent sports league in the world, so injuries are just a part of the game. I will never give a team a pass due to injuries unless it is to the quarterback. Very few teams in this league can afford to lose their quarterback. So much goes into playing the position and the good ones are so expensive that backups have to be cheap. Therefore you get a pass if you lose your quarterback, but if you lose any other player and suffer it just means that you didn’t do enough to build up the backend of your roster. So if you believe that the Saints struggles are due to injury, you are sadly mistaken. STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR THEM, THEY ARE JUST PLAYING AWFUL!!!!

Indianapolis Colts – They have had some injuries, BUT THAT IS NO EXCUSE! The defense should get better this week with the return of Bob Sanders, but Peyton Manning has been playing horribly. He has been missing throws that he has been making since high school. Opposing defenses are causing him to be visibly frustrated and he is losing his cool weekly. Up to this point, he is throwing more like Rex Grossman than Peyton Manning. It has not helped that the running game has been pretty much non-existent up to this point.

These teams are a three-way tie for the dubious honor of being STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!!’s, most disappointing team. They have all been equally disappointing. To put it simply, they all have to play better.


OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Chris Johnson – He is the fifth leading rusher in the NFL and he only get seventeen carries per game. He is also averaging over five yards per carry. Oh, and did I mention that his team is undefeated after seven games. Enough said.

Runner-up – Matt Ryan

Third – Jonathan Stewart


DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Curtis Lofton – He stepped in day one as the starter at middle linebacker in Atlanta. He has not disappointed. He has 42 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. He has also been a key part of the Falcons quick turnaround. In my very biased, Keith Brooking hating opinion, I feel that at this point he has already had a better career than Keep Looking (aka Keith Brooking). The fact that he has been able to move into the middle has allowed Keith Brooking to move to “favorite” position of outside linebacker and miss tackles from there instead of the middle. See, he is paying huge dividends for both the Falcons and Brooking.

Runner-up – Jerod Mayo

Third – Chris Horton


COACH OF THE YEAR

Mike Smith – THE FALCONS ARE 4-3 THROUGH SEVEN GAMES!!!! Do I need to say more?

Runner-up – Jeff Fisher

Third – Tony Sparano


BEST GAME – Cowboys v/s Eagles from Week 2 on Monday Night Football. Plain and simple, this was the best football game that I have ever seen at any level. It was non-stop excitement and let the whole world know that DeSean Jackson thinks getting to the one yard-line is the same as scoring a touchdown (for more details on that please see the entry entitled “I KNOW IT’S EARLY, BUT….”). In that game, virtually every play was a big play. That is what football is all about.


These are my mid-season observations. Feel free chime in and comment on these and to also give me yours.


****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 2 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. I HAVE ALREADY VOTED AND I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE TOO. IF NOT, TUESDAY IS YOUR DAY. BE SURE TO GET OFF YOUR BUTTS AND ACTUALLY VOTE. SPEAK NOW OR SHUT UP FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!!!!


THIS IS THE LAST WEEK THAT I WILL BE POSTING MY COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY. IN CASE YOU HAVE BEEN LIVING ON ANOTHER PLANET AND NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON HERE IN AMERICA, ELECTION DAY IS TUESDAY.

I WILL BE REPLACING IT WITH A MAN-LAW VIOLATION SECTION. PLEASE BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR MAN-LAW VIOLATIONS. IF YOU SEE ANY, PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL AT s_cash_homey@yahoo.com (it is also posted at the top of this page) AND TELL ME ABOUT IT. I WILL THEN POST IT ON THE BLOG AND SHARE IT WITH THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!