Brandon's 2008 NFL Season Awards

[Brandon]

MVP- Phillip Rivers, San Diego

Look no further than Phillip Rivers to find what Most Valuable Player truly means. With the stumble out of the blocks from Ladanian Tomlinson, it was Rivers who threw the team on his back and put up an absolutely stellar year.

Offensive Player of the Year- DeAngelo Williams, Carolina

He leads all players in touchdowns, bests all running backs in 30+ and 40+ yards and most importantly yards per attempt from players with at least 200 carries. He also did all of this while playing in a backfield with a RB who can be just as good, Jonathan Stewart.

Defensive Player of the Year- Ed Reed, Balitmore

If there was ever a player who was so clearly dominant every time he was on the field this season, it's Mr. Ed Reed. His versatility and speed make him incredibly dangerous, especially in the hands of defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. He's the guy you have to account for on every snap.

Coach of the Year- Mike Smith, Atlanta

Historically, Atlanta has been a turnstile of coaching changes with teams putting up disappointing performances and big name players being distractions on and off the field. With Mike Smith the mentality of the team is different, they are more physical, and more importantly, better behaved.

Executive of the Year- Marty Hurney, Carolina

In the offseason Hurney made all the right moves, turning this team around from a middle of the pack run team to one of the best in the NFL. His draft record over the last 3 years is simply phenominal, and his first round picks from his first draft in 2002 are still with the team and performing at a high level, not many GM's can say that.

Assistant Coach of the Year- Dick LeBeau, Pittsburgh

The players can only do so much, but to get the best out of them you need the right person calling the plays. He knows when and how to call blitzes, and more importatnly, what coverages it takes to neutralize opposing offenses. And in the NFL over the past 5 years there as been no better coordinator, no matter where you look.

Offensive Rookie of the Year- Matt Ryan, Atlanta

There is no easier award to hand out than this. While he had help from the running game, he consistently played well and put his team in position to win games. Many of the pundits who figured he wouldn't pan out in the NFL were proven painfully wrong.

Defensive Rookie of the Year- Jerod Mayo

With so many players around him falling down to injury, he was the stalwart that would make plays all over the field. The Bellichick-era Patriots haven't had much success in drafting linebackers until grabbing the promising star out of Tennessee.

Most Surprising Team- Miami Dolphins

Atlanta could win this as well, but the Dolphins had to turn around from being dumped on for the entirety of the season before, and faltering at every step along the way. This year however, they went to an 11-5 record with an impressive performance out of castoff Chad Pennington.

Most Disappointing Team- Dallas Cowboys

Yet again the Dallas Cowboys miss a chance at the NFC Championship, and this time by not even making the playoffs. Despite being called Super Bowl contenders all offseason, the Cowboys extended their streak to 13 years of having not won a playoff game.

Most Improved Player- DeAngelo Williams, Carolina

In the two previous years DeAngelo put up respectable performances, but not living up to his potential after setting the NCAA career record in all purpose yards. In 2008, he started slow, but then caught on fire, putting up big run after big run all season long.

Most Disappointing Player- Braylon Edwards, Cleveland

He was so terrible in dropping balls this season that it lead to his starting quarterback Derek Anderson getting benched. Then with the other QB's to take his place Braylon continued to drop passes. If he wants to be considered a top NFL WR again, he needs to get his hands back.

Comeback Player of the Year- Jake Delhomme, Carolina

No quarterback in NFL history has successfully come back from Tommy John's surgery, but Delhomme had even more to recover from. He had a loose bone in his elbow removed, a hole in his forearm muscle and a bone spur removed as well, and he lead the NFL in yards per completion this year.

Best Offseason Pickup- Chad Pennington, Miami

Chad made a big difference to the Dolphins, he made very few mistakes and always did his best to help his team win, which is exactly what the Dolphins did. After being left for dead in New York, there was no man more ready to prove everyone wrong.

Worst Offseason Pickup- Jerry Porter, Jacksonville

He was supposed to give the Jags a credible passing threat at WR, but instead he languished on the sidelines with a hamstring injury and contributed nothing but a headache to the Jaguars. There were a host of other WR pickups just as disappointing to their teams, but he was supposed to put the Jags over the top.

Best Trend- Old QB's learning new tricks

Kurt Warner, Kerry Collins, Chad Pennington, Jake Delhomme, among others were all instrumental in helping their respective teams get back to (or find) their winning ways. With the increased focus on young QB's in previous years, these guys showed why experience matters.

Worst Trend- Officiating

Year after year it seems officiating continues to get worse but in 2008 it was quite possibly the worst year of officiating post-merger. Not only were plays called incredibly poorly, but when wrong the NFL did nothing to try to correct their mistakes. Instead it was the teams who paid the price.

Best Moment- The Chargers coming back to win division against Denver because of....

Worst Moment- Ed Hoculi's blown calls

From the outside looking in, the missed calls in the first game against the Broncos, it seemed like a year in which nothing would go the Chargers' way. They were unfairly given a loss that put them in the hole all season, but managed to come back from 4-8 to make the playoffs, for the first time in NFL history.

[tim]

Mike Smith has done a great job, but COTY has to be Tony Sporano hands down.

[CanadianCat]

Great write up - rep IF I COULD

[Chaos]

Think you mean Jerry Porter. Joey has actually had a pretty good season.

[OneBadassCat]

Pretty sure Delhomme doesn't lead yards per completion.

[Ncstatefan]

When did Joey Porter become a WR?

Overall great list I have to agree with most except the Cowboys for some reason I never thought of them to be that great so I would put the Browns up there instead.

[panthers1789]

Pretty sure Delhomme doesn't lead yards per completion.

He does, mainly because Steve Smith averages 18.2 yards per catch and Moose averages 14.2

[Lt Pinkerton]

He does, mainly because Steve Smith averages 18.2 yards per catch and Moose averages 14.2

I'm sorry but 18.2 ypr is just nuts.

[OneBadassCat]

He does, mainly because Steve Smith averages 18.2 yards per catch and Moose averages 14.2

7.9?

[panthers1789]

7.9?

Thats yards per attempt, divide 3288 by 246.

[OneBadassCat]

oh poo my bad

[Brandon]

Think you mean Jerry Porter. Joey has actually had a pretty good season.

When did Joey Porter become a WR?

Overall great list I have to agree with most except the Cowboys for some reason I never thought of them to be that great so I would put the Browns up there instead.

poo, had a brainfart.

[jspeight49er]

hurney just got us back to the team we were before he dismantled us by letting witherspoon and moose go. Stewart was a great pick, but just about everyone knew that. otah was picked because if our O-Line didn't improve hurney and fox would have both been fired this off-season (and we probably wouldn't be in the playoffs). Bringing moose back was good but hurney never should have let him leave. let's not forget, hurney is the same guy who brought in david carr and keyshawn "i drop way to many passes" johnson.

[Jackofalltrades]

I like Parcells for Exec. of the Year, as much as I despise him.