NFL Season In Review

Ok. I made it through the entire season without losing interest in this blog thing (we’re going to pretend that the months of August and September never happened). So it’s time to recap what we all saw, or what we though we saw during the season. And what a year it was…

MVP: Shaun Alexander. No player was more important to his team than Alexander. He not only led the NFL in rushing with 1,880 yards, but also set a NFL record with 28 touchdowns. The most amazing thing about Alexander this year is he only fumbled once during the entire season. And that was in the final game of the year with mostly backup linemen in the game who allowed the hit that caused the fumble. One fumble the entire season. That is incredible before you even factor in the workload that was given to him. With an average running back, Seattle would be 8-8. Alexander has made the Seahawks the prohibitive favorite in the NFC. As I said at my mid-season review, Alexander still has room for improvement. He is not much of threat receiving the ball out of the backfield. If he becomes decent as a receiving threat, he stands to be the best running back in the past decade.
Others to consider: Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer
Others the media wants you to consider but are vastly overrated: Tom Brady, Tiki Barber

Coach of the Year: Nick Saban. I know most won’t agree with me. So let’s look at the other coaches that could be up for this award. Tony Dungy has tremendous talent in Indianapolis. His job is just to get out of the way and allow Manning and company to do their thing. Mike Holmgren in Seattle had the same benefit. It doesn’t take a genius to decide to hand the ball off to Alexander 25 times a game. Lovie Smith has done a great job in Chicago, but had one of the easiest schedules in the league and played in the NFL’s worst division. It also took him a month to decide to make the obvious switch from Kyle Orton to Rex Grossman. Joe Gibbs is hardly mentioned at all, but he really should be. He would be my runner up to Saban, because at least Gibbs had a proven running attack, a great offensive line and a defensive guru helping him. Saban had only one offensive player that scared any team (Chris Chambers). His running game was suspect with rookie Ronnie Brown and holistic cult leader Ricky Williams. His offensive line was in shambles. His defense, while talented, was aging rapidly. And his quarterback was one Gustave Joseph Frerotte. Any coach, especially any coach that is in his first season in the NFL, that can lead this bunch of rejects, underachievers, aging veterans and pot-smokin’ hippies to a 9-7 record gets my vote for coach of the year. Look out for the Dolphins in ’06.
Others to consider: Joe Gibbs, Lovie Smith, Mike Holmgren, Jon Gruden
Others the media wants you to consider but you shouldn’t: Tony Dungy, Mike Shanahan

Rookie of the Year: Carnell Williams. The Cadillac had to deal with an average offensive line and nagging injuries all season long. And despite being the first player that opposing defenses wanted to shut down, he ran for 1,178 yards and 6 touchdowns. He averaged over four yards a carry. More importantly (like Alexander) he only lost two fumbles. That’s a pretty damn good rookie campaign. And he had more pressure put on him than any other rookie in the league. Where would the Bucs be without him?
Others to consider: Ronnie Brown, Charlie Frye, DeMarcus Ware, Heath Miller
Others not to consider, unless you work for the media: Shawne Merriman, Kyle Orton

Comeback Player of the Year: Mark Brunell. This is the easiest call. Can you find me just one member of the media who thought that Brunell would put up half the numbers that he did this season? No? Can you find me one Redskins fan who thought so? No, again? He was going to get run out of town moments before he hooked up with Santana Moss twice in the second week against Dallas.
Others to consider: Brad Johnson
Please don't mention this guy: Tedy Bruschi (I swear, if this guy is even mentioned by anyone at ESPN for this award, I'm done watching that network. Period. Except PTI...that's a great show.)

Biggest disappointment, team: Chargers. Talk about Arizona and Detroit and Philadelphia all you want. The second most talented team in the league is not in the playoffs after posting a pathetic 9-7 record (unlike the Dolphins surprising 9-7 record). How does one team beat Indianapolis and New England, on the road, in the same season and not make the postseason? The coaching. Specifically, Marty Schottenheimer. How do you know to blame the coach in this situation? When you have a talented team like the Chargers, the one thing you can’t afford to be is inconsistent. Coaches are to blame for inconsistencies, not the players. Guys like LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates and Drew Brees are going to come out and play well every week if their coach has the right strategy. It is a sign of a poor game plan when a team is inconsistent. So Marty should receive the full blame for this year’s most disappointing team.

Biggest disappointment, player: Dante Culpepper. His injury may have been his saving grace. He would have had a historically bad year if he didn’t tear up his knee midway through the season. Otherwise, this pick would be a no-brainer. Others to consider: Pick any Raven or Lion you want (or just go with Jamal Lewis and Joey Harrington)

With exception of New York and New England, I'm glad to see the other 10 teams in the playoffs. Some new blood in the postseason is definately a good thing. It is shaping up to be an exciting month.