No need for power rankings, now that roughly 60% of the teams have no football left. The other teams get to play a crafty little tournament that will essentially make this whole "power ranking" charade pointless. Number one will be decided, unquestionably, in five weeks. I can't wait, unless it is those Chargers, in which case I am actively shopping for a rock to lay under. Anyway, here are my awards for the 2009 NFL Season - regular season version.
2009 Regular Season Champions: The Indianapolis Colts
They have been by far the most news-worthy team, whether it be the 4th and 2 debate and then the F-10 tornado that was unearthed from Bill Polian's decision to rest people. With these two things, both that negatively effected the team, people forgot just how good they were. They beat everyone they wanted to beat. They won game after game, staying calm and collected in the clutch and in the fourth-quarters. Contrast that to the 2009 Paper Champions, the Pats, who played like nuetered dobermans in fourth quarters. The Colts had a top offense, a top defense and finally a special teams that was "special" (or at least compared to the special teams they put up before). They were the best team in the regular season in every way.
2009 MVP: Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis
Yeah, it's that obvious. It's that simple. He was 14-0 when he played a full game. He set personal bests for completion percentage, and had overall the second best year statistically of his career. He was brilliant in the fourth-quarter of games. He lead touchdown drives at the most opportune times, playing possum until it was time to pounce. He won a game when the Colts held the ball for less than 15 minutes. He won two seperate games when they were trailing by 17 points, to New England and at Houston, teams that were desperate, needing wins to get in, or get positioning. He was the best. Also, let's remember that he had two new targets to throw to, and lost Anthony Gonzalez on the first offensive drive of the SEASON. There was arguably no better overall year for Manning.
2009 Coach of the Year: Marvin Lewis
So, this team has missed the playoffs three straight years, and were 4-11-1 last year. What did he do this season: sweep Baltimore and Pittsburgh (the teams that met in the Title Game las year), go the Lambeau and beat the Packers, and go to San Diego at their peak, and play point-for-point until that Caldwell fuble. He also had to lead this team over the dual tragedies of Mike Zimmer's wife and Chris Henry. This team finally became a defense, and that is credit to Marvin, whose defense improved after losing at-the-time sack leader Antwan Odom. Great year overall, by a guy who has finally comeback from the devastating Palmer injury in 2005.
2009 Rookie of the Year: Brian Orakpo, DE, Washington
Yup. Shocker. He got no publicity, with the dual white LB's killing on Green Bay and Houston, and Mark Sanchez, Stafford, Moreno and even Harvin. Harvin lost steam after that concussion, but Orakpo stayed steady all year, even when he lost his meal-ticket Albert Haynesworth. It was a year that was understandably suppressed by the Jim Zorn fiasco, featuring Sherm "B-7, no damnit, you don't have a bingo" Lewis. He's a stud. Finally, Texas has produced one (Yes, I'm looking at you, Michael Huff).
2009 Game of the Year: New England 34, Indianapolis 35
It was the most talked-about game of the year, and one that became as exciting as any game in recent memory. It was the untimate, quintessential water-cooler game. Everyone had something to talk about afterwards. Was Belichick smart? Was Belichick dumb? Does the math support this? Why are we quoting economics analyses on going-for-it on 4th down? Did the Colts deserve to win? What will happen to the Pats? In the end all questions were answered. Belichick was smart and dumb (depending on how you look at it). Let's leave economics out of football. Yes, the Colts deserved to win, as seen by their 14 straight wins before and after. The Pats were never the same. It was a game that the Colts springboarded themselves into a zone where they were just unbeatable. The Patriots were haunted by it, losing two of the next three, and never really threatening to break into that upper-echelon again. It was a game that, I will admit, I put off. I now have been burned twice, and have learned my lesson. Never turn off the lights on the Indianapolis Colts. Never. Also, expect levels of excitement and brilliance when the Colts and Pats match up, always.
2009 Moment of the Year: Saints Pummeling the Pats
Yeah, the moment is actually a game, but for what is probably still the most down-trodden economically fan-base in the NFL, it was a moment to savor. The Saints have still never fully recovered from Katrina, and had the all-time moment in 2006 when they re-opened the Superdome. However, this was it. This was New Orleans time in the spot-light. Undefeated at 11-0 against a top-tier franchise (whether they are a top-tier team is debatable), they cruised. It was the Greatest Show on Turf 2.0, with Sean Payton playing the more affable version of Mike Martz. It was NFL offense at its very best, with a crowd that was loud from the moment the pregame started, until every second of the clock drained on an emphatic Saints blowout.
2009 Goat of the Year: The Bills, Belichick and Polian
This is not because I hate him. I just think there was people who were more of a negative lightning rod than the Bills. Belichick's 4th-and-2 decision was stupid when it was made. It was more stupid when they failed to convert. Belichick decision unearthed a legion of Belichick hate, which made the most respected coach in history unbelievably questioned over an actual football decision. What takes the cake is that the Pats were never the same since that call, save for their monthly thrashing (Jacksonville). As for Polian, he was the man behind the decision. Fine, rest your starters in a blizzard in Buffalo. Don't rest them at home, or at least don't rest them after playing them enough to get a 5 point lead in the third quarter. It was not a good year for the Bills, whether Polian, Belichick or even Buffalo.
ALL-2009 Team
QB: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
See above, in the MVP section.
RB: Chris Johnson, Tennessee
He ran for 2,000 yards, and set an NFL record with 2549 yards from scrimmage, breaking Marshall Faulk's NFL record. It didn't really help them get wins, since they were 0-6 with Johnson and Collins. However, there was no one as exciting as Chris Johnson. No one even close, other than Peyton. However, Peyton's excitement is more centered in a fine-art way.
WR1: Andre Johnson, Houston
He is an absolute beast. He is an udonis among mere worms, let alone normal human beings. He cuaght 100 balls. He led the NFL yards by about 150. He was the only reliable target for Matt Schaub, and without him, he would not have come close to the numbers he put up. He is a combination of Wes Welker and Randy Moss, a guy who can fly, go deep, and catch everything that is within an area-code of him.
WR2: Sidney Rice, Minnesota
Yeah, some love for those Vikings. He was a guy who entered the season as a bust, a guy seeping with talent. With Favre, he turned into a monster, catching deep balls, short balls and medium range. He contorted himself in every possible anatomical way to catch balls thrown to him. Since I feel Percy Harvin is overrated, and Bernard Berrian shouldn't even be "rated", so Sidney Rice's performance is even more amazing.
TE: Dallas Clark, Indianapolis
With Anthony Gonzalez out since early Week 1, and two unknowns taking over for him, Dallas Clark had to step up his production, and my God did he ever. With only one other great target for Manning to look for, teams tried to stop Clark. They stopped him to the tune of 100 catches, 1100 yards and 10 tds. Monster, Clark is just a monster.
LT: Ryan Clady, Denver
LG: Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota
C: Nick Mangold, New York
RG: Jahri Evans, New Orleans
RT: David Stewart, Tennessee
I know next to nothing about offensive line play. I know that some of these players are good, but I really can't truly judge offensive lineman in any substantive terms. If anything will kill my chances to be an NFL-head coach, my inability to know how to judge lineman will kill me.
LE: Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis
He had a monster year. It was probably his best year in his career, and when you consider that he had frequent hamstring problems throughout the year, his constant pressure makes it even more amazing.
RE: Jared Allen, Minnesota
He is an absolute beast. Sure, his stats outside the two Green Bay games aren't amazing, but those two games should be packaged and sent straight-away to Canton. The guy is just the best bull-rusher in the NFL.
NT: Jay Ratliff, Dallas
He is as important, if not more important, than DeMarcus Ware. His ability to constantly get into the backfield, and be double-teamed on blocks, allows all the other players around him to get better. The Dallas pressure scheme is completely dependent on his ability, and it has worked.
DT: Kevin Williams, Minnesota
At least one member of the Williams wall has to be here. One just has to.
OLB: LaMarr Woodley, Pittsburgh
He started off slowly, but became just a monster at the end of the year. 11.5 sacks in the last 11 games, and that coincided with Aaron Smith getting HURT. Just a monster. In my opinion, he was more effective than either DeMarcus Ware and James Harrison.
ILB: Patrick Willis, San Francisco
Nothing really to say here, but the guy just makes tackle after tackle.
OLB: Elvis Dumervil, Denver
He's essentially an edge, line-backer rusher, and he is the best at that in the NFL. 17 sacks. Pressures constantly. Even when the whole team was just falling apart at the seams, he was raising his game.
CB: Darrelle Revis, New York
Shut down top receiver after top receiver week after week. It started with him shutting down Andre Johnson and Randy Moss back-to-back. He completed the year with possibly forcing Chad to revert to "Johnson". THAT is a year.
CB: Charles Woodson, Green Bay
He had a monster year, with 9 ints, playing the type of corner he flashed in Oakland, and made him deserving of the 4th overall pick back in 1998.
FS: Darren Sharper, New Orleans
In a year that probably cemented his bronzing in the Hall-of-Fame, he set a record for INT-return yards, picking off nine passes returning three for touchdowns. He was the emotional and physical leader off the NFL's most attacking defense.
FS: Antione Bethea, Indianapolis
Pay this man, Bill Polian, pay this man. I'm going unconventional with two FS, mainly because there was no great SS this year, with Troy being hurt and Adrian Wilson being underwhelming. Antoine Bethea was amazing at limiting big plays, picking off timely passes, and really being the only constant in one of the league's best and most rotating defenses.
Well, there is the great Season-in-Review. I will come back with a breif playoff primer tomorrow, and picks on Friday.
I would just like to leave you with one playoff fact before you make picks: Before last year, the last time niether #1 seed made the Super Bowl was 1997.
98 - Broncos, 99 - Rams, 00 - Giants, 01 - Rams, 02 - Raiders, 03 - Pats, 04- Eagles, 05 - Seahawks, 06 - Bears, 07 - Pats. What is interesting is that there hasn't been a Super Bowl with both 1 seed (the last time that happened was 1993), but each year one 1 seed has made it, so most likely, Indianapolis or New Orleans make it.
