As we approach Week 15 of the 2008 NFL season, discussions of the MVP award are starting to heat up. Drew Brees is on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season record for most passing yards after throwing for 4,100 yards in his first 13 games.
Kurt Warner has rejuvenated the Arizona Cardinals, as they have won the NFC West division title, the team's first division crown in 51 years. He is right behind Brees with 4,020 yards passing and 25 touchdowns so far this season. Even Tony Romo has returned to his old form after missing a few weeks with a pinkie injury.
The last few weeks of the season will determine who deserves to be the league's most valuable player. We will all know who the most valuable player will be, but who will take the honor of Least Valuable Player?
For the first time ever, I thought it would be fun to start a new tradition: Dan Parzych's LVP awards for each position. For those of you who missed the first article about the offense, it can be found here.
As promised, here is part two of the 2008 NFL Least Valuable Player Awards with the defensive players.
Cornerback: DeAngelo Hall
Even though he was one of the youngest players in the league at his position, DeAngelo Hall was arguably one of the best.
In only his second season in the league, Hall was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 2005 season with the Falcons. He also won the fastest man competition during his stay in Hawaii.
With the way he was playing early in his career, many thought Hall would go on to have a Hall of Fame career. However, there is one problem that seemed to stand in the way of Hall.
Despite his dominant play, many saw DeAngelo Hall as one of the most selfish players in the league. All he seemed to care about was himself.
Unfortunately, Hall was part of the disastrous 2007 season for the Atlanta Falcons that involved the arrest of Michael Vick and the departure of head coach Bobby Petrino. Hall made numerous comments throughout the season that made it obvious that he and Petrino never saw eye to eye.
In March 2008, Hall was traded to the Oakland Raiders for a second- and fifth-round pick. He signed a seven-year deal worth $70 million, $24.5 million which was guaranteed.
After struggling as a Raider, Hall was released eight games into the season. One of the main reasons he was released was that he struggled to adapt to the Raiders' style of man-to-man defense. Wide receivers seemed to have a field day against him when they got him one-on-one.
The Raiders asked Hall to restructure his contract. When he refused, Al Davis decided to release him. However, Hall still made $8 million for the eight games he played ($7 million for signing bonus and $1 million for base salary).
It's obvious that Hall has the potential to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league. We have all seen what he is capable of doing. When it comes to current cornerbacks in the league, he ranks third on the list of most interceptions since 2005 with 18.
Hall was lucky enough to reach a one-year deal with the Washington Redskins after being released from the Raiders. However, Hall receives this award after he failed to live up to his major contract.
Linebacker: Lofa Tatupu
For the last couple of seasons, the Seattle Seahawks have dominated the NFC West. After 14 weeks of the 2008 regular season, the Seahawks find themselves with a 2-11 record.
Everything has gone wrong for the Seahawks this season. One major reason for their disappointing record is injuries. With quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and wide receiver Deion Branch struggling with injuries a majority of the season, it's no surprise the Seahawks find themselves at the bottom of the NFC West.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Seattle Seahawks articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
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