Schaddy
01-02-2006, 11:00 PM
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NFL POSTSEASON AWARDS
The NFL’s regular season has come to a close, and now it’s time to hand out the hardware for the season that was. Which players were MVP candidates? Who are the top rookies? Who’s the coach of the year? The answers to these questions and many more will be revealed to you here…
Most Valuable Player (NFC)
http://espn.starwave.com/media/nfl/2004/1010/photo/a_barber_il.jpg
Tiki Barber – RB – New York Giants
It’s really hard not to give this award to Shaun Alexander, but consider that despite Alexander’s superior stats, he also benefited from the play of a Pro Bowl quarterback in the same backfield that he played in. While solid, Eli Manning is not yet in the class of Matt Hasselbeck. Barber is about as good a multi-purpose threat out of the backfield that you can find in the league these days. He finished with 1,860 yards (357 carries, an amazing feat for a 5’10”, 200 lb back), averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and he also contributed 54 receptions (9.8 avg) and 11 total touchdowns. Barber was the guy who the Giants turned to when they had to have a big play, and he came through time and time again.
Most Valuable Player (AFC)
http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20050925/palmer_59422.jpg
Carson Palmer – QB – Cincinnati Bengals
The decision in the AFC is a bit easier than the NFC. Fans were unsure whether coach Marvin Lewis was making the right decision two years ago when he sat the productive Jon Kitna in favor of the inexperienced former top pick Palmer, but now those same fans are dancing in the streets as Carson has the Bengals off the floor and on top of the AFC North. With 3,836 yards, a 67.8% completion percentage, and a 32/12 touchdown to interception ratio, Palmer’s numbers are enough to knock your socks off by themselves. But consider that he’s completed 43 passes of 20+ yards, and he’s led his team capably in crunch time in key victories over the division rival Steelers, as well as against Jacksonville and Minnesota.
Rookie of the Year (NFC)
http://www.newyorkjets.com/images/2004.1/manual_upload/content/Cadillac.jpg
Carnell Williams – RB- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Cadillac was running early to help the Bucs get off to a solid start, and after coming back from a mid-season injury, helped Tampa Bay to a playoff berth after most observers didn’t pick the Bucs to finish .500 at the start of the season. With 1,178 yards (4.1 avg) in 14 games, Williams proved to be a workhorse who the Bucs can rely on. He also was a capable receiver, with 20 receptions out of the backfield. Maybe the most significant achievement of Cadillac’s rookie year is that he helped the team through a transition at quarterback. Despite a midseason switch under center, Williams helped to keep the Bucs above water all year, and deserves not only the team’s MVP award, but the NFC Rookie of the Year honors.
Rookie of the Year (AFC)
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d157/schaddy2/THRUMAN.jpg
Odell Thurman – MLB – Cincinnati
It’s tough to overlook San Diego’s Shawne Merriman, but Thurman’s team is in the playoffs, which give him the edge. Thurman was a major part of the Bengals’ improved defense this season, providing emotional, physical play, and surprising leadership for such a young player. After a history of personal problems in college, Thurman seems to have matured a lot in his rookie year, and finished with 98 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and an impressive 5 interceptions. He provided a playmaking sidekick to Brian Simmons, and helped Cincy’s defense improve from a liability to a solid unit with major big play potential.
Coach of the Year (NFC)
http://www.sounddude.com/Sounddude_files/images/gruden.jpg
Jon Gruden – Tampa Bay
Lovie Smith’s Bears had a fantastic season, and he deserves a lot of credit for Chicago’s great turnaround, but Chucky was the man who contributed more to his team’s success. Despite the challenge of breaking in a rookie running back, multiple new starters on the offensive line, and even a mid-season quarterback change due to injury, Gruden kept his Bucs focused on the prize, leading them to the NFC South title. Here’s a statistic that also helps Gruden’s cause: the Bucs were 6-3 against teams with winning records, compared to the Bears’ 4-4 mark in games against winning teams. Gruden handled turmoil like a true pro, and led his team to a very impressive season.
Coach of the Year (AFC)
http://www.sportal.de/de/images/200541/101005dungym_i.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d157/schaddy2/SABAN.jpg
Tony Dungy – Indianapolis / Nick Saban – Miami
This one is just too close to call. Dungy proved this year that not only is one of the best coaches we’ve seen in the league in the last 20 years, but he’s also one of those rare people who are genuinely good guys both on and off the field. Dungy’s ability to get his Colts to play at a consistently outstanding level deserves a lot of respect, but the way he’s handled an incredibly difficult time in his personal life deserves just as many kudos as any on the field accomplishments. He’s a guy who his players love, and he’s a guy who just goes out and wins. You have to respect and like a man like Tony Dungy.
If you were to have walked up to most knowledgeable football analysts at the start of the season and told them that the Miami Dolphins, with a black hole at quarterback, a problem child running back, and an aging defense, would finish with a winning record,, that analyst would have probably split a gut laughing. Well, Saban got his boys to do just that. Any other year, Dungy runs away with this honor, but in 2005-06 Saban proved that he is one of the best young coaches in the league, and that his teams will be a force in the coming years. Saban’s effective managing of a potentially precarious running back situation and his ability to get production out of a seemingly washed-up Gus Frerotte are shining accomplishments in his first year. And oh yeah, beating the two-time defending Super Bowl champs-at home-isn’t too shabby, either.
Most Improved Player (NFC)
http://images.usatoday.com/sports/football/_photos/2005-09-19-inside-cowboysk-.jpg
Santana Moss – WR – Washington
It was tough not to give the nod to the Giants’ Osi Umenyiora here this season, but Moss didn’t have a Michael Strahan-type player across from him in the Skins’ receiving corps. Coming into the season, Moss was a player who had major potential and big play ability oozing out of him, but he had never been able to put it all together. Well, he put it together this year in magnificent fashion. He finished with 84 receptions, 1,483 yards (17.8 avg) and 9 scores, helping a formerly anemic passing game to take flight en route to a surprise playoff appearance. Now, the question is not whether or not Moss will ever put it all together. The better query would be who is the better Moss: Santana or Randy?
Most Improved Player (AFC)
http://www.jaguars.com/story/Images/240x160/Story(4136)240x160.jpg
Derrick Burgess – DE – Oakland
Burgess did not play for a winning team, but he did everything he could to make the team competitive. After coming over from Philadelphia as a mid-level free agent acquisision, all Burgess did was lead the league in sacks, with 16. He added 51 tackles, 5 passes defensed and three fumbles forced. Burgess was also stout against the run, showing improvement in all facets of his game. Interestingly enough, another top candidate for this award was another defensive end, Tennessee’s Kyle Vanden Bosch, who had 12.5 sacks in a breakout season of his own.
Comeback Player of the Year (NFC)
http://www.buccaneers.com/media/photos/misc/Galloway11_05_05_11.jpg
Joey Galloway – WR – Tampa Bay
A year after it appeared his career had come to a disappointing end (10 games, 33 receptions, 416 yards), the 34 year old Galloway proved that he wasn’t done yet. He led the NFC South champion Bucs with 83 receptions, 1,287 yards (15.5 avg) and 10 scores and making the Pro Bowl for the first time since he was 27. Galloway wasn’t simply the big play threat that he was as a youngster, displaying more of a willingness to go over the middle and make the tough catch. He also served as an important veteran presence for a young offensive unit. Tampa’s season was a surprising success, and the rejuvenated Galloway was a major reason why.
Comeback Player of the Year (AFC)
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/0d/03/20051025132609990014
Jake Plummer – QB – Denver
Plummer didn’t come back from injury, he didn’t come back from suspension, didn’t come back from any classic circumstance. All he did is come out of a career of mediocrity to become an MVP candidate for a 13-3 team. Plummer, a career member of the wasted talent/bad decision fraternity, was a model of clever consistency this season, tossing 18 touchdowns compared to just 7 interceptions (his previous low for a 16 game season was 14), and boosting his quarterback rating to 90.2. He also completed 60% of his passes for just the second time in his career, and took advantage of a stout running game to make the smart play to the tune of 3,366 yards. And how can you not love that moustache? Plummer is not the prototype player to win this award, but this season, he just fits the bill.
NFL POSTSEASON AWARDS
The NFL’s regular season has come to a close, and now it’s time to hand out the hardware for the season that was. Which players were MVP candidates? Who are the top rookies? Who’s the coach of the year? The answers to these questions and many more will be revealed to you here…
Most Valuable Player (NFC)
http://espn.starwave.com/media/nfl/2004/1010/photo/a_barber_il.jpg
Tiki Barber – RB – New York Giants
It’s really hard not to give this award to Shaun Alexander, but consider that despite Alexander’s superior stats, he also benefited from the play of a Pro Bowl quarterback in the same backfield that he played in. While solid, Eli Manning is not yet in the class of Matt Hasselbeck. Barber is about as good a multi-purpose threat out of the backfield that you can find in the league these days. He finished with 1,860 yards (357 carries, an amazing feat for a 5’10”, 200 lb back), averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and he also contributed 54 receptions (9.8 avg) and 11 total touchdowns. Barber was the guy who the Giants turned to when they had to have a big play, and he came through time and time again.
Most Valuable Player (AFC)
http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20050925/palmer_59422.jpg
Carson Palmer – QB – Cincinnati Bengals
The decision in the AFC is a bit easier than the NFC. Fans were unsure whether coach Marvin Lewis was making the right decision two years ago when he sat the productive Jon Kitna in favor of the inexperienced former top pick Palmer, but now those same fans are dancing in the streets as Carson has the Bengals off the floor and on top of the AFC North. With 3,836 yards, a 67.8% completion percentage, and a 32/12 touchdown to interception ratio, Palmer’s numbers are enough to knock your socks off by themselves. But consider that he’s completed 43 passes of 20+ yards, and he’s led his team capably in crunch time in key victories over the division rival Steelers, as well as against Jacksonville and Minnesota.
Rookie of the Year (NFC)
http://www.newyorkjets.com/images/2004.1/manual_upload/content/Cadillac.jpg
Carnell Williams – RB- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Cadillac was running early to help the Bucs get off to a solid start, and after coming back from a mid-season injury, helped Tampa Bay to a playoff berth after most observers didn’t pick the Bucs to finish .500 at the start of the season. With 1,178 yards (4.1 avg) in 14 games, Williams proved to be a workhorse who the Bucs can rely on. He also was a capable receiver, with 20 receptions out of the backfield. Maybe the most significant achievement of Cadillac’s rookie year is that he helped the team through a transition at quarterback. Despite a midseason switch under center, Williams helped to keep the Bucs above water all year, and deserves not only the team’s MVP award, but the NFC Rookie of the Year honors.
Rookie of the Year (AFC)
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d157/schaddy2/THRUMAN.jpg
Odell Thurman – MLB – Cincinnati
It’s tough to overlook San Diego’s Shawne Merriman, but Thurman’s team is in the playoffs, which give him the edge. Thurman was a major part of the Bengals’ improved defense this season, providing emotional, physical play, and surprising leadership for such a young player. After a history of personal problems in college, Thurman seems to have matured a lot in his rookie year, and finished with 98 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and an impressive 5 interceptions. He provided a playmaking sidekick to Brian Simmons, and helped Cincy’s defense improve from a liability to a solid unit with major big play potential.
Coach of the Year (NFC)
http://www.sounddude.com/Sounddude_files/images/gruden.jpg
Jon Gruden – Tampa Bay
Lovie Smith’s Bears had a fantastic season, and he deserves a lot of credit for Chicago’s great turnaround, but Chucky was the man who contributed more to his team’s success. Despite the challenge of breaking in a rookie running back, multiple new starters on the offensive line, and even a mid-season quarterback change due to injury, Gruden kept his Bucs focused on the prize, leading them to the NFC South title. Here’s a statistic that also helps Gruden’s cause: the Bucs were 6-3 against teams with winning records, compared to the Bears’ 4-4 mark in games against winning teams. Gruden handled turmoil like a true pro, and led his team to a very impressive season.
Coach of the Year (AFC)
http://www.sportal.de/de/images/200541/101005dungym_i.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d157/schaddy2/SABAN.jpg
Tony Dungy – Indianapolis / Nick Saban – Miami
This one is just too close to call. Dungy proved this year that not only is one of the best coaches we’ve seen in the league in the last 20 years, but he’s also one of those rare people who are genuinely good guys both on and off the field. Dungy’s ability to get his Colts to play at a consistently outstanding level deserves a lot of respect, but the way he’s handled an incredibly difficult time in his personal life deserves just as many kudos as any on the field accomplishments. He’s a guy who his players love, and he’s a guy who just goes out and wins. You have to respect and like a man like Tony Dungy.
If you were to have walked up to most knowledgeable football analysts at the start of the season and told them that the Miami Dolphins, with a black hole at quarterback, a problem child running back, and an aging defense, would finish with a winning record,, that analyst would have probably split a gut laughing. Well, Saban got his boys to do just that. Any other year, Dungy runs away with this honor, but in 2005-06 Saban proved that he is one of the best young coaches in the league, and that his teams will be a force in the coming years. Saban’s effective managing of a potentially precarious running back situation and his ability to get production out of a seemingly washed-up Gus Frerotte are shining accomplishments in his first year. And oh yeah, beating the two-time defending Super Bowl champs-at home-isn’t too shabby, either.
Most Improved Player (NFC)
http://images.usatoday.com/sports/football/_photos/2005-09-19-inside-cowboysk-.jpg
Santana Moss – WR – Washington
It was tough not to give the nod to the Giants’ Osi Umenyiora here this season, but Moss didn’t have a Michael Strahan-type player across from him in the Skins’ receiving corps. Coming into the season, Moss was a player who had major potential and big play ability oozing out of him, but he had never been able to put it all together. Well, he put it together this year in magnificent fashion. He finished with 84 receptions, 1,483 yards (17.8 avg) and 9 scores, helping a formerly anemic passing game to take flight en route to a surprise playoff appearance. Now, the question is not whether or not Moss will ever put it all together. The better query would be who is the better Moss: Santana or Randy?
Most Improved Player (AFC)
http://www.jaguars.com/story/Images/240x160/Story(4136)240x160.jpg
Derrick Burgess – DE – Oakland
Burgess did not play for a winning team, but he did everything he could to make the team competitive. After coming over from Philadelphia as a mid-level free agent acquisision, all Burgess did was lead the league in sacks, with 16. He added 51 tackles, 5 passes defensed and three fumbles forced. Burgess was also stout against the run, showing improvement in all facets of his game. Interestingly enough, another top candidate for this award was another defensive end, Tennessee’s Kyle Vanden Bosch, who had 12.5 sacks in a breakout season of his own.
Comeback Player of the Year (NFC)
http://www.buccaneers.com/media/photos/misc/Galloway11_05_05_11.jpg
Joey Galloway – WR – Tampa Bay
A year after it appeared his career had come to a disappointing end (10 games, 33 receptions, 416 yards), the 34 year old Galloway proved that he wasn’t done yet. He led the NFC South champion Bucs with 83 receptions, 1,287 yards (15.5 avg) and 10 scores and making the Pro Bowl for the first time since he was 27. Galloway wasn’t simply the big play threat that he was as a youngster, displaying more of a willingness to go over the middle and make the tough catch. He also served as an important veteran presence for a young offensive unit. Tampa’s season was a surprising success, and the rejuvenated Galloway was a major reason why.
Comeback Player of the Year (AFC)
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/0d/03/20051025132609990014
Jake Plummer – QB – Denver
Plummer didn’t come back from injury, he didn’t come back from suspension, didn’t come back from any classic circumstance. All he did is come out of a career of mediocrity to become an MVP candidate for a 13-3 team. Plummer, a career member of the wasted talent/bad decision fraternity, was a model of clever consistency this season, tossing 18 touchdowns compared to just 7 interceptions (his previous low for a 16 game season was 14), and boosting his quarterback rating to 90.2. He also completed 60% of his passes for just the second time in his career, and took advantage of a stout running game to make the smart play to the tune of 3,366 yards. And how can you not love that moustache? Plummer is not the prototype player to win this award, but this season, he just fits the bill.