The Quarter Season All-Pro Team/Player Awards: Offensive Edition

Last week a few individuals prematurely handed out player awards for the quarter of the season, however that was not fair.

Why wasn't it fair?

Well because not every starter in the NFL had a chance at that point in order to play four games due to the early bye week.

So now I present you with the chance to see who has, in my opinion, played the best at their respective positions and should be honored - at this point - with Pro Bowl or All-Pro bids.

Quarterback

1st Team: Peyton Manning, IND
While Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are playing lights out there is no doubt that he has Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie – virtual nobodies – playing like near Pro Bowlers.

2nd Team: Eli Manning, NYG
Trying to live up to big brother’s legacy for the first time statistically, Eli might actually be doing better when you ignore extenuating circumstances. However, remember just 2 months ago when his receivers “weren’t good”? How much is them and how much is him?

3rd Team: Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
Ben Roethlisberger is on pace to throw for 4,700+ yards. Not to mention he is completing an absurd amount of his passes at 74% and throwing for over 8.5 yards per attempt. Roethlisberger is carrying his team at this point. It’s amazing what he can do with a good offensive line.

Honorable Mention: Drew Brees, NWO

Halfback

1st Team: Adrian Peterson, MIN
While he may not be leading the league in rushing it’s pretty darn hard to say that any halfback has played as well as “AD”. He has carried the team and while Favre may have had a great game against Green Bay it was because they sold out on trying to stop this guy. Peterson is running ahead of everyone else and has Favre looking like an All-Pro.

2nd Team: Cedric Benson, CIN
Cedric Benson leads the league in rushing yardage by a few yards over Adrian Peterson. To those who watched the Bengals late in the season last year his success is no surprise. However, I think even they are surprised that he’s leading the league in rushing. Benson has never had less than 74 yards in a game so far this season and has a 20+ yard run in every game but one.

3rd Team: Ronnie Brown, MIA
Chad Henne is easily going to add another dimension to the Dolphins but right now the Dolphins still only go as far as Ronnie Brown is capable of carrying them. Some look at Ronnie Brown and say he can’t get it done without the Wild Cat at this point and that is somewhat true. But what is also true is that he’s just about the only back that can make the Wildcat work properly.

Wide Receiver(Flanker)

1st Team: Steve Smith, NYG
I knew the kid was good but “triple crown” good?! I don’t think even the biggest Giants’ homer thought that! Funnily enough the Panther’s Steve Smith is the last receiver to win the triple crown and now the guy formerly known as the “other Steve Smith” is on pace to win it. There hasn’t been a better receiver in the league; period!

2nd Team: Andre Johnson, HOU
Recently a bunch of Texans fans have gotten upset because Matt Schaub had been overlooked because people felt that he wasn’t playing as well as Eli Manning, Big Ben and Philip Rivers. Perhaps people feel that way because he has this guy. It seems Schaub just has to throw the ball up to AJ and he will come down with it. AJ is the league’s best wideout and is carrying the Texans.

3rd Team: Vincent Jackson, SDG
A certain homer “friend” of mine tried to tell the NFL community that Vincent Jackson is “uncoverable”.
Well he started the first three games of the season even beating the invincible Nnamdi Asomugha for a touchdown, but was shutdown against Pittsburgh. However, those three great games out of four have warranted All-Pro consideration,

Wide Receiver(Split End)

1st Team: Reggie Wayne, IND
Wayne has been the second best wideout in the league right now. Plain and simple. He just does everything he does with relative and simple ease. He’s not flashy and just gets the job done. Maybe I give Peyton a little too much credit.

2nd Team: Hines Ward, PIT
As a Steelers fan I had no idea that Hines Ward has this in him. I – along with the rest of the fanbase – was ready to hand the reigns as the Flanker receiver in the Steelers’ offense over to Holmes. Heck in the first two games the offense looked to be built around Holmes. But Ward has been incredibly averaging 6.6 receptions per game and 88 yards per game.

3rd Team: Chad Ocho Cinco, CIN
I agreed with everybody else last year when I said that Chad Ocho Cinco was no longer a premier receiver. So far, however, into this season Ocho Cinco has proven that it was a result of his ankle injury and working with Ryan Fitzpatrick that cause Ocho Cinco to have the worst season of his career. Ocho Cinco has had a good season so far.

Tight End

1st Team: Dallas Clark, IND
I think this one is a no brainer. Again it comes back to the fact that I might be giving Peyton a little bit too much credit when you figure he has two 1st team All-Pro wideouts so far. However, this is about Clark and Clark is having twice the season as the next closest guy. It’s not even a question.

2nd Team: Antonio Gates, SDG
Antonio Gates has been Antonio Gates; if you know what I mean. He’s arguably the best tight end in the league because he is mr. consistent when he is healthy and he knows how to find the endzone.

3rd Team: Brent Celek, PHI
The third team position was interesting. While I don’t think that Celek will finish with this spot because the competition for the third spot – Cooley, Witten, Davis - is virtually even his play has been better than the other guys. While they’re all similar on paper Celek has just looked the most impressive on tape.

Left Guard

1st Team: Steve Hutchinson, MIN
Kris Dielman and Steve Hutchinson have been dueling it out for who’s the best left guard in the league over the past three years and right now Hutchinson is taking an obvious lead as he has been Adrian Peterson’s crutch. AD has run for four of his touchdowns and most of his yardage behind him.

2nd Team: Kyle Kosier, DAL
Cowboys fans said that Kosier was a difference maker through his absence last year and boy has he proven it so far. Tashard Choice, Marion Barber III and Felix Jones have all had tremendous success when running guard trap left.

3rd Team: Chris Kemoeatu, PIT
Left guard play hasn’t been too good this season is a Pittsburgh lineman makes this list. Essentially Chris Kemoeatu makes this list based on one game because he was just that dominant. If you don’t know the game that I am reffering to it was the Sunday Night Football game against the Chargers.

Left Tackle

1st Team: Ryan Clady, DEN
Clady might be having a better season than his outstanding rookie year. Sure he gave up the first full sack of his career on Sunday to Tully Banta-Cain but I would fault that more on Orton refusing to step up and run when nobody was open. Clady is the best left tackle in the league right now/

2nd Team: Sam Baker, ATL
Sam Baker started off with an excellent rookie season but couldn’t finish the season. Baker has picked up where he left off being an integral part in Matt “Matty Ice” Ryan’s sophomore boom.

3rd Team: Joe Staley, SNF
That guy that 49ers fans have been hoping to pan out finally is doing so. At least one quarter into the season. Sure Stats, LLC may have him charted him with allowing 2 sacks but he has faced Jared Allen, John Abraham, and Jake Long and kept them all at bay.

Honorable Mention: Jason Peters, PHI

Center

1st Team: Andre Gurode, DAL
Formerly known for being the guy who couldn’t snap out of the shotgun and the guy who Albert Haynesworth went agro on, Gurode is playing at a very high level this year and has gone penalty free so far as well as hasn’t surrendered a sack. Tashard Choice loves running behind this guy.

2nd Team: Jeff Saturday, IND
Jeff Saturday just continues to play at a high level. He makes the pre-snap reads for an offensive line in which the four other guys just don’t matter because he and Peyton Manning have it all under control. Saturday has blocked at an elite level in the run and the pass like always.

3rd Team: Brad Meester, JAX
The most underrated guy out there he just continues to play at a high level. Maurice Jones-Drew loves running behind this guy in the redzone.

HM: Matt Birk, BAL

Right Guard

1st Team: Jhari Evans, NOW
You have no idea how happy this makes me seeing as how I know the guy because he and my friend pledged the same fraternity at the same time at the same school. However, it upset me that people would call him the best right guard in the league when he never was much of a run blocker but an elite pass blocker. However, Evans has shown with a competent halfback behind him he can be a strong run blocker as well. Hence his first team placement

2nd Team: Chris Snee, NYG
All you really need to know is that – as I’ve said in the past – Chris Snee is the Giants run game. Ahmad Bradshaw owes most of his success this year to Snee and Jacobs’ best runs have been right guard trap.

3rd Team: Chris Kuper, DEN
Both established veteran Correll Buckhaler and rookie Knowshon Moreno have had their best success running right guard trap this year. Kuper – formerly the weak link on this line – has stepped his play up big time this year.

Honorable Mention: Donald Thomas, MIA

Right Tackle

1st Team: David Stewart, TEN
Aside from Chris Johnson the other positive thing going on in Tennessee is David Stewart who isn’t relinquishing his title as the league’s best right tackle any time soon. While partner Michael Roos might be losing his title of best left tackle to Ryan Clady, Stewart has blanked the opposition.

2nd Team: Michael Oher, BAL
A guy who I said I expect to eventually surpass Jared Gaither – who I am not sold on – for the left tackle position in Baltimore, Oher has done nothing but impress from day one. He’s outplaying a lot of the veterans at the right tackle position.

3rd Team: Ryan Harris, DEN
The guy that many Broncos fans feel is underrated and possibly the best right tackle in the league Harris has continued to play at a high level this season and should get some All-Pro votes if he continues this 5 game pace up through 16.

Honorable Mention: Jeremy Trueblood

League Most Valuable Player

League Most Valuable Player: Carson Palmer, CIN

When you are the quarterback of a team that has won four games in the last minute- and should have won a fifth - due to your leadership and drive than this goes to you. Sure Peyton is carrying his team but they're doing good enough and are well coached to put teams away early. Palmer is single-handedly putting teams away with less than 30 seconds left.

Offensive Player Of The Year

Offensive Player Of The Year: Adrian Peterson, MIN

Plain and simple Adrian Peterson is carrying the Vikings offense. He looks better than his numbers on paper and he's the primary reason as to why Brett Favre looks competent.; not Favre being "healthy".

Comeback Player Of The Year:

Comeback Player Of The Year: Chad Ocho Cinco

Like I said earlier he wasn't all talk. He has backed it up so far in stating that the reason he played like crap last season was his ankle. He never outright said it but it was also implied that Ryan Fitzpatrick was a reason as well. Well Chad has begun this season at a very high level.