NFL 2009 Mid-Season Awards: The Obvious and the Not-So-Obvious

There’s been a hundred articles along these lines—mid-season awards aren’t a new idea. But for each obvious Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and MVP recipient there’s a less-obvious-but-still-deserving recipient, and it’s to them that I pay tribute.

Coach of the Year

Obvious: Josh McDaniels (Denver Broncos)
Not-so-obvious: Mike Singletary (San Francisco 49ers)

Is there any way to not pick Josh McDaniels as Coach of the Year thus far? I joined in the ranks of everybody that predicted his quick exit from Denver before the season started, and now he’s a local hero. His Broncos are 6-2, they have had the league’s top-ranked defense, and they don’t miss Jay Cutler one bit.

There are still a few chances for the Broncos to fall, but with games remaining against the Redskins, Raiders, and two against the Chiefs, it’s hard to see them not finishing 10-6 at the very, very least.

Mike Singletary might look strange as a pick here, but you have to love what he’s done with the attitude of his 49ers squad. It’s a little deceptive that San Francisco is 3-5 so far—they’ll likely be a +.500 team by season’s end, and it will be because of the toughness and identity that Singletary has given this team.

Singletary is really a long-term investment for the Niners, and it’s over time that Samurai Mike will make this team dominant again. They just don’t have the talent right now to be truly elite—heck, they don’t even have a starting-caliber quarterback.

Rookie of the Year

Obvious: Percy Harvin (Minnesota Vikings)
Not-so-obvious: Jairus Byrd (Buffalo Bills), or Austin Collie (Indianapolis Colts)

The Minnesota Vikings showed us again this year that they’re one the best teams in the league at scoring in the draft. Percy Harvin has become the crucial third piece of the Vikings’ dynamic offense—they’ve got Adrian Peterson, they’ve got Brett Favre, and now they’re got a favorite target for Favre. Peterson leads rookies with five touchdowns, including two on kickoff returns, and 21 of his 28 catches have been for first downs.

The not-so-obvious choice, perhaps because he plays in Buffalo, is former Oregon Ducks cornerback Jairus Byrd. He leads the league in interceptions for the Bills, and is only the second player since 1960—and the first rookie ever—to record three straight games with two or more interceptions.

Byrd barely beats out Indianapolis Colts receiver Austin Collie, the rookie out of BYU, who has stepped easily into a starting role in Peyton Manning’s complex offense. His receiving stats beat even Harvin’s, as he’s caught 32 passes for four touchdowns.

Most Valuable Player

Obvious: Peyton Manning , Brett Favre, or Drew Brees
Not-so-obvious: Peyton Manning is the clear-cut choice.

There are three superstar quarterbacks in the NFL this year, and it’s hard to see the MVP not going to one of them (and remarkably, none of them is named Tom Brady). Peyton Manning is leading a revitalized Colts offense, and has practically taken over as coach; Brett Favre has new life as the undisputed leader of a 7-1 Vikings squad; Drew Brees is captaining one of the league’s most dynamic and prolific passing attacks and boasts an undefeated record.

It’s easy to get hung up on the sexy star power of Brett Favre or the firepower of Drew Brees, but the not-so-obvious answer is that Peyton Manning is, somewhat quietly, the overwhelmingly clear-cut MVP thus far. His numbers actually exceed Brees’s—he leads the league in passing yards per game, passer rating, and completion percentage, and he’s exactly on track to break Dan Marino’s single-season passing yards record—and his Colts are also undefeated, looking like a strong playoff team.

But wait—there’s more. Manning has done all this without Marvin Harrison, who is no longer with the team, and Anthony Gonzalez, who is out with injury. He’s put up these fantastic numbers with second-year player Pierre Garcon (out of Division III Mount Union College) and rookie Austin Collie running the routes. Manning’s would be fantastic numbers if they were to his usual, elite set of receivers—but to do what he’s done with some young, inexperienced players is nothing short of mind-boggling.

Disappointment of the Year

Obvious: Tennessee Titans
Not-so-obvious: Terrell Owens (Buffalo Bills)

Do I really need to say anything about the Titans? Yes, they’ve put Vince Young in to start and won two straight games over B-level teams. But it’s going to take a lot more than that to not be a major disappointment by season’s end—even if they win out they’ll have twice as many losses as last year, and only have a remote chance at a wildcard spot in the playoffs.

We know that Terrell Owens must have moved to a small-market team if he only shows up as the “not-so-obvious” disappointment of the year. Let’s be honest—he’d be making plenty of headlines if he were still in Dallas, or playing for (gulp) a New York team. But the truth is that TO plays for the Bills, and so the fact that he only has 23 catches and one touchdown is a touch less relevant than Dancing With the Stars.

Fortunately TO tends to put his own imperfections under the microscope for us by speaking his mind, so we know he’s still around. But he sure hasn’t done much to revitalize a struggling Bills team, and he’s murdering a few thousand fantasy teams every week.

Surprise of the Year

Obvious: Indianapolis Colts Receivers
Not-so-obvious: Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals), beating out Kyle Orton (Denver Broncos)

Sorry to keep harping on Indy’s offense. Any of us who expected a down year from Peyton Manning, being without Harrison and Gonzalez, have seriously underestimated Manning’s talent.

The pleasant surprise of it all is that this revamped receivers corps has been able to keep up. Reggie Wayne leads the way, having a career year and already having scored as many touchdowns as last season (reminder: we’re only half-way through this season). Dallas Clark is the top receiving tight end in the league, and is sixth in receiving yards in the entire league, and that includes wide receivers! That’s right, he has nine fewer receiving yards than Randy Moss, and about 60 more than Hines Ward. Then we have the talented Garcon-Collie duo, and Joseph Addai receiving out of the backfield, and Manning’s arsenal is complete.

Cedric Benson earns the distinction as the not-so-obvious surprise of the year, despite being completely obvious in every respect. He’s second in the league in rushing yards, and has already eclipsed his single-season high by a good 25%. He has as many touchdowns as in his best season with the Chicago Bears, and it’s all part of helping his talented-but-perennially-underachieving Cincinnati Bengals to a 5-2 record.

Kyle Orton missed this list by a hair, but we’ll keep him for honorable mention. His numbers aren’t breaking any records, but he’s leading the 6-2 Broncos in better fashion than anyone had imagined.

Best Player on the Worst Team

Obvious: Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans)
Not-so-obvious: Calvin Johnson (Detroit Lions)

This is a tough category to stomach. But could there be a more clear winner than Chris Johnson?

The man is running the lights out. He’s averaging 6.7 yards per carry, he’s run for more than 20 yards twelve times (including one 91-yard jaunt), and he’s rumbling for almost 120 yards a game. All of those are league-leading stats.

And yeah, his Titans are 2-6.

The not-so-obvious pick is the NFL’s best-kept secret, Lions’ wide receiver Calvin Johnson. He sat for two games with a knee injury, but the real reason he’s not a superstar is the Lions helmet he dons each week. His numbers are anything but dramatic—24 catches, one touchdown—but it’s hard to pin the blame on him, with Matthew Stafford carrying the fourth-worst passer rating in the league (55.9). Someone with the supernal physical gifts of Calvin Johnson could be a #1 receiver on any team.

He just happens to play for the Lions.