Doug Baker's 2009 Midseason NFL All Pro Team: Offense

It’s the middle of the 2009 NFL football season and time to make my midseason NFL All Pro selection. As always, some players on this list might not make the cut by the end of the season, and some players who have been injured and did not make it this time around may end up on the team at the end of the year.

The top players on the list are the starters and the second players are backups.

2009 All Pro Team Offense

QB: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

QB: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

With all due respect to Drew Brees, Peyton Manning has been playing otherworldly this year and has been the best offensive player through the first half of the season. I have seen some pretty amazing performances by Manning but nothing that tops the 27 points the Colts put up against Miami while only possessing the ball for 14 minutes.

Drew Brees of course has also had a superlative year in one of the most talent rich and versatile offenses in the league.

No wonder the Colts and Saints are undefeated.

RB: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

RB: Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Adrian Peterson doesn’t have to take the entire offense on his shoulders anymore and it’s paying dividends for the Minnesota Vikings. Many defensive players have said Peterson is the most violent runner in football. His vision, patience, power, and will to win are impressive.

Chris Johnson is having no sophomore slump at the running back position, despite playing on one of the worst teams in the league. He leads the league in rushing after Week Eight and put up 228 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is probably the fastest running back in the league and is always a threat to break off a long run.

FB: Le’Ron McClain, Baltimore Ravens

FB: Leonard Weaver, Philadelphia Eagles

Le’Ron McClain also plays a lot of tailback but he is listed as a fullback and often plays in that spot as well. He is the most versatile fullback running, catching, and blocking.

Leonard Weaver is also a talented fullback and even had a huge running game against the New York Giants.

WR: Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts

WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

WR: Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons

WR: Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints

You cannot evaluate wide receivers just by their statistics. Players like Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald are constantly double teamed or bumped at the line of scrimmage but they open the offense up because of their great skills. These players are always a threat to take it all the way. And then you have players like Wes Welker who make a lot of tough catches over the middle, rack up a lot of receptions, but don’t have gaudy stats in terms of yards per catch. These players are vitally important in today’s NFL.

So far this year I’ve been most impressed with Reggie Wayne and Larry Fitzgerald. They are the two best receivers in the league and their understated, team first, quiet excellence makes them even more likeable as players.

The next echelon of receivers was really tough to choose but I’m going with Roddy White and Marques Colston.

Roddy White has just been phenomenal the last few weeks and has really come into his own as a big play threat for the Atlanta Falcons. His play is even more impressive considering he does not have a very good receiver on other side of the field that anybody is threatened by (although Atlanta does have a solid running game).

Marques Colston does have a cadre of receivers that Brees can get the ball to otherwise he may be putting up gaudy stats. Colston is a big, fast receiver with great body control and, maybe more importantly, great hands.

Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers and Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans no doubt feel snubbed by not making the cut. These are both outstanding receivers and no doubt deserve a mention.

TE: Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts

TE: Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

Dallas Clark has been outstanding in the receiving area this year and continues to be one of Peyton Manning’s favorite targets. He is one of a handful of tight ends that can stretch the field and is a threat for a big play at any point in the game.

Tony Gonzalez has also played very well although his statistics don’t stack up to a few other t