Hardware

For the first time in a while, there is not a unanimous choice for the NFL's MVP award. In 2007, Tom Brady had it locked up since the first effortless bomb to Randy Moss in week one. In '06, LT led his team to a 14-2 while breaking the single season rushing touchdown record with 28; a record that had been set the previous season by the 2005 MVP, Shaun Alexander.

This year, no one player has set themselves apart from the pack, leaving the race for MVP wide open. Kurt Warner, Kerry Collins, and Brett Favre were the cute picks a few weeks ago, but as their teams have cooled off, so have they. Despite leading his team to their first division championship in decades, the Cardinals sit at a pedestrian 8-6 in the worst division in football making Warner's bid a little less legit. Over the past couple weeks Collins is looking more like the mistake prone, immobile quarterback we all know and love, and the novelty of Brett Favre in a Jet uniform has worn off ever since those back-to-back losses to Denver and San Fransisco.

Since the veteran quarterback craze has died down, the new front runners have become Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning..... boring...

Since no one is obligated to the award this year, I say give it to a guy who doesn't play QB or running back; someone who has been valuable to their team without throwing for the most yards or running for the most touchdowns. Here are my 'cute' picks for MVP:

1. Albert Haynesworth (DT, Tennessee): Okay, so he's not a hidden gem anymore but what he does from the defensive tackle position is amazing. Tennessee has the 3rd ranked defense in the NFL this year, and Haynesworth deserves a lot of the credit for that. He draws a double team on every play, creating opportunities for his linebackers and defensive backs in addition to putting up some pretty monstrous numbers of his own (8.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 51 tackles from the DT spot through 15 weeks). Haynesworth hurt his MCL this week, and will miss the last two games of the regular season; watch Tennessee's game this week against the Steelers and you'll see how valuable this guy is when the Titans let fast Willie Parker go right through the middle of their defense.

2. Anquan Boldin (WR, Arizona): If you busted your face open and had to get metal plates and screws put into your head in addition to hours of surgery to essentially re-insert your jaw after it had been almost completely dislocated, how many weeks of football do you think you would have to miss? Anquan Boldin missed two. Boldin's recovery from what was probably the most vicious hit of the season gave new meaning to the word resilient, and there's no doubt it gave a huge spark to the Cardinal's, especially Kurt Warner who contemplated retirement right after the injury. In addition to Boldin's emotional value, he was also one of the team's most reliable players; especially in the red zone. Despite missing the two games, through 15 weeks Boldin leads all NFL receivers in touchdowns with 11, ranks fourth in receptions with 89,and tenth in yardage with 1038.

3. Alan Faneca/Steve Hutchinson (OG, New York Jets, Minnesota): Since these two guys are so similar, Hutchinson and Faneca could share the award like Steve McNair and Peyton Manning did in '03. These are hands down the best run blockers in all of football; wherever they go, a great running game follows. Hutchinson cleared holes for the aforementioned Shaun Alexander for years before bringing his game to Minnesota where Adrian "All Day" Peterson has emerged as one of the best running backs in the game. Faneca paved the way for Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker en route to a Super Bowl win for the Steelers before heading to New York where Thomas Jones (the same Thomas Jones who struggled for years in Arizona and Chicago) has been selected as the starting running back for the AFC Pro Bowl squad. Coincidence? I think not.

4. Troy Polamalu (S, Pittsburgh): Polamalu is the heart and soul of the #1 ranked Pittsburgh defense. All he does is make plays; to the tune of four straight games with an interception (7 total interceptions). The only Steeler getting any consideration for MVP right now is Ben Roethlisburger because he apparently 'wins games'. Frankly, if it weren't for Polamalu and the defense keeping Pittsburgh in games, Big Ben would never even have the chance to be the 'hero'. I mean, how heroic is a guy who doesn't even find the end zone until he's in the two minute drill in a 9-6 game? Polamalu > Roethlisburger

5. Michael Turner (RB, Atlanta): Okay, yeah, he's a running back but he's arguably the best free agent signing of the off season, "Turner the Burner" has lived up to his name; actually not really, it should be more like "Turner the Churner" (or maybe not). But the point is, he went from being one of the best backups in the league behind LaDainian Tomlinson to one of the premier workhorses. Turner is just one of many great stories happening in Atlanta right now (Matt Ryan, John Abraham, Mike Smith just for starters) and he is currently leading the NFL in touchdowns with 15. He plays a full game better than anyone (to the dissapointment of Jerious Norwood) and has the ability to carry the Falcons on his back when needed. Without Turner taking all the pressure off, there is no way Matt Ryan would be having the type of season he is, thus making him VALUABLE.


As far as coach of the year, I would have to be boring and say Tony Dungy. Not a lot of guys can stay calm after that bad of a start (the Colts started 3-4 before reeling off seven straight wins). Dungy deserves all the credit in the world for the win streak they're on right now, and I think it will carry over to the playoffs. The Colts of old seem to be back.

Who are your 'cute' MVP choices? How about what coach has done the best job this season?

Pursuit of Imperfection

As much as I feel bad for the city of Detroit, there is nothing I want to see more in the NFL this season than a winless record for the Lions. The Dolphins turned out to be a tease last year, and this Lions team shows some serious promise. They're 0-13 already, and their remaining schedule is anything but easy. They finish the season with red hot Indy, then play New Orleans who is sitting at .500 right now, before finishing their season against the Packers. Barring a major upset, the Lions are getting ready to join the ranks of the '76 Bucs.

While I think the Lions are, in fact, as bad as their record indicates, I don't think they're the worst team in the NFL right now. The St. Louis Rams and Cincinnati Bengals are the only teams in the NFL to have lower point totals, and through 14 weeks the Rams only have only given up 19 less points than the Lions. And despite the fact that Detroit has outscored St. Louis by 50 points on the season, they managed to escape talks of a winless season when they churned out a couple of fluky wins against the Redskins (despite not scoring an offensive touchdown) and Tony Romo-less Cowboys. However, I think if the Rams were to play the Lions head-to-head, the Lions would win easily because they seem to at least have heart. They stay in games for the most part; in two games against Minnesota this year, they've lost by a combined 6 points. And it took a second half comeback for the NFC South leading Carolina to beat them. St. Louis is out of most of their games by the coin toss. In my opinion, if it weren't for Pete Kendall trying to take that fumble to the house, or Tony Romo's broken pinky, it would be the Rams making the bid for worst team ever.

That said, I still do want to see the Lions go winless this year. I feel bad for Rod Marinelli but his team has come this far, why stop now?

So, are the Lions as bad as their record indicates? Do you want to see them make history, or do you sympathize for them? Are they even the worst team in the league right now? If not, who is and why?

Did They Get It Right?

Let's throw aside the fact that the BCS system is awful, and that college football should have a playoff. Under the current system, did they get the BCS title game right this year? Granted, Florida played their way in with a convincing stomping of Alabama, but did Oklahoma deserve the other spot? Did Texas get hosed? How about undefeated Utah? Penn State and USC only had one loss each, and they weren't even considered. Texas probably had the best case; they were the only team to beat OU, and they only had one loss themselves.



In my opinion, the BCS actually lucked into picking the two best teams. Florida was basically a shoo-in, but I think the decision to put Oklahoma in there was the right one. Toss aside the fact that they lost to Texas; that was a long time ago. OU is the hottest team in the nation right now; they've scored 60+ in each of their last five games and they have possibly the most explosive offense since the Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart administration.



Don't get me wrong, Texas and USC are great teams and it's a shame that they weren't given the chance to compete for the national championship, but that's a whole different argument.

So, did the BCS set up the best game, or is this going to be a repeat of the 2005 national championship? If this wasn't the right call, then what would be?