NFL Midseason All-Pro Team

Now that the NFL has reached a midway point, it is time to start dealing out premature awards and accolades. 

For this particular piece, I am going to recognize the NFL's elite through eight games this season with an All-Pro team, chosen entirely by myself.

Offense

Quarterback :  Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings

Favre is my leading candidate for league MVP at this point, because he has turned the Vikings from pretender to contender with his laser arm.  He is only a tenth of a point behind Drew Brees of New Orleans with a 100.0 quarterback rating, and has thrown 16 touchdown passes compared to only three interceptions.

Running Back :  Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Johnson is on pace for just under 2,000 yards, is averaging nearly 120 yards per contest, has six touchdown scores, and averaging a staggering 6.7 yards per carry.  Not to mention he has only fumbled the ball once.  He leads the league by far with six runs over 40 yards and 12 runs over 20 yards.  He also has 21 receptions, one of which went for a score.

Running Back :  Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

Peterson has lived up to the hype of his nickname, "All Day", and is playing excellent football for the Vikings this season.

He has rushed for 784 yards on 163 carries, nine of which have gone for touchdowns.  Peterson is one of the toughest players in the league to bring down, and he gives the Vikings a very powerful, versatile weapon on offense that not many teams can adequately defend.

Wide Receiver :  Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers

Jackson is certainly playing for a big paycheck in his contract season with the Chargers.  The 6'5" phenom out of Northern Colorado has only 42 receptions this season, but is tied for the league lead with seven touchdowns and is averaging over 17 yards per catch.

Wide Receiver :  Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts

Wayne is really proving why he was considered a No. 1-"A" receiver when Marvin Harrison was still playing with the Colts.  In his first year without Harrison on the other side, Wayne has caught 59 passes for 753 yards and six touchdowns.  He also leads the league with 44 first-down receptions.

Tight End :  Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts

I realize the tight end position is not all about receiving, but Clark's numbers deserve special recognition.  Through eight games, the former Iowa tight end has 60 receptions for 703 yards, which both lead all tight ends by a long shot.  He has become an even bigger part of the Indianapolis offense this year, and is proving to be one of the top, if not the very best, tight end in the league.

Left Tackle :  Ryan Clady, Denver Broncos

Clady is a guy who simply does not get the credit he deserves.  He has allowed one sack in 24 games as a professional, which is downright outstanding and quite frankly unheard of.  He is a dominant force at his position.

Left Guard :  Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota Vikings

You know those huge holes opened up for Adrian Peterson?  You know why the Vikings have the most feared left side of an offensive line in the league?  It's all thanks to the best guard in the game, Steve Hutchinson. 

Center :  Nick Mangold, New York Jets

The Jets have a stellar running game, and Mangold is a huge part of their success.  He is the leader of their unit, and has really become an elite player at his position since coming out of Ohio State in 2006.

Right Guard :  Jahri Evans, New Orleans Saints

Disappointing for Saints fans that Evans is the first player from their team to appear on this list, but he is most certainly deserving.  The Saints have the league's most feared offensive attack, and for the first time in a long time, they have an elite rushing attack.  Drew Brees loves this guy, and I'd be willing to bet Reggie Bush, Mike Bell, and Pierre Thomas do too.

Right Tackle :  Michael Roos, Tennessee Titans

No stranger to this accolade, Roos is the best right tackle in the game today.  Unfortunately, this run-blocking phenom is buried under Tennessee's poor record, but he is still an elite player.

Defense

Defensive End :  Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings

Allen has to be considered the most feared pass rusher in the league.  He is simply outstanding at his craft, and when he smells blood, he doesn't just get a taste—he has a feast.  Allen has 10.5 sacks this season, tied for the NFL lead, and has also forced three fumbles to go along with a touchdown.

Defensive End :  Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis Colts

Freeney is another pass-rushing specialist, and he is good at it.  No one has more sacks since 2002 than this undersized end out of Syracuse, who causes havoc for opposing offensive linemen every week.  His 9.5 sacks are second in the NFL, and he has also forced a fumble.

Defensive Tackle :  Kevin Williams, Minnesota Vikings

Williams is a dominant force at defensive tackle for the Vikings.  He is an excellent pass rusher, and is equally as capable against the run.  He has five sacks this season for the Vikings.

Defensive Tackle :  Haloti Ngata, Baltimore Ravens

Ngata doesn't have gaudy statistics like he did last season, but he takes on a double-team almost every play.  He is that dominant.  I have never seen anyone with the imposing size of Ngata who is as athletic as he is. 

Outside Linebacker :  Elvis Dumervil, Denver Broncos

Dumervil is tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with 10.5, and he also has two forced fumbles.  Dumervil is playing the best football of his career in a contract season and is proving why undersized pass-rush specialists can still make an impact in this league. 

Outside Linebacker :  James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers

Harrison is following up on his Defensive MVP performance from 2008 with an equally dominant 2009 season.  He has 48 tackles, eight sacks, and four forced fumbles.  He, like Freeney and Dumervil, is an undersized pass-rush specialist, and has got to be the leading candidate for Defensive MVP after his performance thus far.

Linebacker :  Brian Cushing, Houston Texans

Cushing is not only the leading candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year at this point; he could very well be the league's top defensive player overall this season.  Second in the NFL with 78 tackles, he also has 1.5 sacks, 10 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, and a safety.

Linebacker :  Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers

Willis is the most complete defensive player in the NFL today, and has the best coach to improve his craft in Mike Singletary.  The former Ole Miss product has 77 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, seven passes defensed, and a touchdown.

Cornerback :  Leon Hall, Cincinnati Bengals

Leon Hall is having a banner season.  Though he was on the wrong end of the "Immaculate Deflection" in the Bengals' week one contest against Denver, he has had a Pro Bowl caliber season.  He has 41 tackles, four interceptions, 16 passes defensed, and two forced fumbles.

Cornerback :  Darrelle Revis, New York Jets

Revis is capable of shutting down an entire half of the field, which is oftentimes the case.  He is a dominant player in this league, and usually, the cornerbacks who don't have the greatest statistics are the ones who never get the ball thrown their way.  This guy is one of those cases.

Free Safety :  Darren Sharper, New Orleans Saints

Nobody plays center field better than Darren Sharper, the active NFL leader in interceptions.  This season, three of his seven picks have gone back for touchdowns and he leads a resurgent New Orleans defensive backfield.   

Safety :  Brian Dawkins, Denver Broncos

Dawkins doesn't have gigantic numbers this season, but it could be argued that he has had the greatest impact on a team, more than any other acquisition this offseason.  He is electric on the field, and a phenomenal leader.

Special Teams

Kicker :  Rian Longwell, Minnesota Vikings

Longwell is as good as gold.  There is simply no other way to put it.  He has hit on 13 of his 14 attempts this season, and has been a very reliable weapon for the Vikings offensively.

Punter :  Shane Lechler, Oakland Raiders

Lechler will go down as arguably the greatest punter this league has ever known.  He leads the NFL with an average punt of 52.3 yards and a net average of 44.9.  He is the highest paid punter in the league, and for good reason.

Return Man :  Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings

Harvin is tied for the league lead with 860 kick return yards and has two scores in that category.  It was hard to put him in over Joshua Cribbs, but the Vikings don't let Harvin return punts because he is also a key component to their offensive attack.

There you have it, NFL fans.  I hope you enjoyed it and I am ready to hear about all the players I left off of this list!