2007 NFL Awards

2007 NFL Awards

Since it is the holiday season and a time for giving, we'd thought we would extend our greetings and hand out some awards for the exceptional (and not so exceptional) of 2007.

Offensive Player of the Year--An easy choice with Tom Brady breaking the record set by Peyton Manning by throwing 50 touchdown passes in a single season. No one comes close on this one.

Defensive Player of the Year--I narrowed this down to two players from the AFC. James Harrison of the Steeelers and Bob Sanders of the Colts were my frontrunners for the award. But the Colts suffered a slew of injuries losing not only Anthony McFarland prior to the season, but Rob Morris and Dwight Freeney almost before the midway point of the 2007 campaign.. Sanders was the glue that held the ship together despite all the adversity and he wins the award.

MVP--Another nod for Brady which should be no surprise to anyone. Most players can only dream of having the type of season Brady had in 2007. If Brady didn't light up scoreboards in 2007, Brett Favre would be at the top of the list considering be broke a few records of his own this season.

Offensive Rookie of the Year--Adrian Peterson of the Vikings wins this one easily. He led the NFC in rushing despite missing two games and had some monster performances against the Bears and Chargers.

Defensive Rookie of the Year--Patrick Willis of the 49ers put up huge numbers for any rookie by leading the NFL in tackles this season. No other came close to achieving what Willis did on defense in 2007.

Coach of the Year--Sorry Bill, this one boiled down to Mike McCarthy of the Packers and Romeo Crennel of the Browns. Both coaches accomplished a great deal with a lot less. The Packers had more than a few questions entering the season. They had no running game to speak of and Brett Favre was coming off a very mediocre campaign. Enter Ryan Grant and a rejuvenated Favre and the Packers climbed back atop the NFC North. McCarthy wins by a nose.

Surprise Team of the Season--The Cleveland Browns. Did anyone honestly expect the Browns to be playoff contenders in 2007? If you answered yes, you're lying. But the Browns plugged in Derek Anderson and they came alive winning 10 games for the first time since 1994.

Surprise Player of the Season--No surprise that this one goes to Derek Anderson of Cleveland. He started the season on the bench then woke up the Browns and put them in the playoff hunt.

Most Disappointing Team of the Season--The Chicago Bears went to the Super Bowl a year ago and went into the toilet bowl in 2007. They couldn't run the ball, played musical quarterbacks and the defense played nowhere near up to their 2006 form. The Bengals come close but the Bears fell further.

Most Disappointing Player of the Season--There were more than a few candidates for this award. Shaun Alexander of the Seahawks had a rough season thanks in part to a broken wrist. Rudi Johnson of the Bengals had some injuries and ended up being in a time share with Kenny Watson. Travis Henry of the Broncos also seemed to disappear off the radar screen. But Rudi averaged less than three yards per carry which helped win him the award as most disappointing player for 2007.

Best offseason move--The Patriots acquiring Randy Moss from the Raiders for next to nothing. Moss may have mailed it in in Oakland but he flourished in New England by rolling up 1,493 receiving yards with a record 23 touchdown receptions this season. Another Al Davis gem of a move.

Worst offseason move--Chicago trading Thomas Jones to the New York Jets. Granted, there were more than a few bad moves but this one really sticks out. Obviously, because of his lofty draft status, the Bears felt Cedric Benson could carry the workload as the starter but he rushed for over 100 yards only once in 11 games before being lost for the remainder of the season due to injury. Considering the fact that Benson had never proved he could be the workhorse, the Bears win this one hands down.

The Shut Up and Play Award--Trash talking abounds in the NFL but it is smart to pick your spots carefully when doing so. Punter Todd Sauerbrun of Denver did not. He made it clear during the week prrior to the Broncos-Bears game that he had no fear punting to Devin Hester of the Bears. Macho and bravado is fine in the movies but it doesn't win football games. The Broncos lost the game in part because Hester had two returns for touchdowns thanks to Sauerbrun, who is now unemployed. The runnerup would obviously be Anthony Smith of the Steerler who guaranteed a win over the Patriots and then was turned to toast when it came time to deliver on his bold prediction.

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