NFL Midseason Crystal Ball: Awards and Super Bowl Predictions

The 2009-2010 NFL season has been an engaging one.

Some of the same story lines clog up headlines, such as the comebacks of Brett Favre or Washington fans upset with their coach. Then you have the surprises to the season, ranging from the Broncos to Cedric Benson.

With so much football yet to be played, here’s a look at who is most deserving of the league awards thus far and a stab at what is to come.

MVP: Drew Brees

He is the leader of an undefeated team. Yet this applies to another QB in the league as well. So what happens when you put them through the Ryan Leaf test?

If you put Leaf under center with the Colts, you might still have a playoff team. That’s because scoring 10 points every game would make this team a .500 ball club. Peyton Manning usually has the luxury of playing with the lead and never enters a game with the pressure of thinking, “If we don’t put up 30 points today, it won’t look good.”

You put Leaf on the Saints and they’ll fall apart in their pre-game chant. Brees has succeeded in all elements of football this year: getting the lead early, protecting the lead, coming back, two-minute drills, etc. This is his award to lose.

Offensive POY: Chris Johnson

This award is not the “Offensive MVP.” It is simply the “Offensive Player of the Year.” There is no Ron Dayne test for this award. It is merely who has statistically had the best season. There are many indicators of statistical success for each position, whether it is 40 TDs for a QB or 2,000 yards for a RB.

Chris Johnson is putting together an amazing story this season for the Titans. 6.7 yards per carry is a good start to his deserving the award. Just imagine if they had a chance to protect a lead earlier this year. Through the first six weeks, he got 20 carries only one time.

Now that Vince Young is under center again (geez, Jeff, how long was it gonna take you?), Johnson looks like a sure bet to match, if not beat, his projected total of 1,918 yards rushing this season.

Defensive POY: Jared Allen

The first toss-up of the night. Darren Sharper is fully deserving of this award. He is on pace to score as many touchdowns as LaDainian Tomlinson. Jared Allen is on pace to have over 20 sacks.

What makes Allen more impressive is he is achieving everything while being game-planned around. Opposing teams are putting a lot of focus into slowing him down. The Packers tried to help their LT by putting their TE and HB support to his side. Ask Aaron Rodgers how that turned out. Sharper still has those plays where his risk-taking gets the best of him and he gets beat.

Regardless, you can’t go wrong with either one.

Offensive ROY: Percy Harvin

Turrible. That is the only way Chuck could describe these rookies on the offensive side.

Mark Sanchez looked like he’d continue where Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco left off, but he’s been a little wacko since that game against New Orleans. He has plenty of time left to regain control of this award from the guy currently atop the totem pole, Percy Harvin.

Continuing in the role he learned at UF, Harvin is taking focus off the backfield with his big play ability and providing a spark in the return game. Nothing special to his résumé, which is why I would label this group terrible as well.

Defensive ROY: Brian Cushing

Four straight games with at least one interception have put Jairus Byrd in the mix for the award if he can continue to start once the veterans are healthy.

The front-runner of the award is still Brian Cushing though. The first of the USC linebackers to be drafted, he has not disappointed. He is excelling next to DeMeco Ryans. Who would have imagined Cushing out-tackling the tackling machine?

Even with the foot injury bothering him over the last month, he has risen to second in the league in total tackles. Impressive to say the least.

Comeback POY: Cedric Benson

No heart. No work ethic. No desire to achieve greatness. His former teammates had to deny accusations of intentionally injuring him during practice instead of saying any praise to his name. No such thoughts have entered the minds of Cedric Benson’s current teammates.

Benson is second in the league in rushing and no longer is getting bit by problems off the field, whether it be alcohol or post-game talks. Although I give Benson the benefit of the doubt in that it wasn’t as bad as they say in Chicago, it seems he has matured his way to success on and off the field.

Coach of Year: Josh McDaniels

Who’s laughing now? For a young coach to receive as much criticism as McDaniels did before a single game was played and still start as strong as the Broncos did speaks volumes.

McDaniels was one of the few individuals that saw past Jay Cutler’s unfulfilled potential and into Kyle Orton’s production and winning percentage. He picked a great staff, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, he won’t stay atop the leader board for this award for reasons explained below.

Asst. Coach of Year: Larry Coyer

Who is Larry Coyer? That is what 95 percent of the nation is saying right now. We’ll just say he lost his leader on the field early this season. He is succeeding without much top-tier talent. He is making his QB look like a MVP candidate—all by leading the top-ranked defense in the league.

Yes, the Colts have the No. 1 defense in the league, and that is the main reason why they remain undefeated. Coyer deserves a shot as a head coach next year in the league.

Exec of Year: Brad Childress

Although his main role is not an executive one, Childress made the best move of the offseason by convincing Brett Favre to return to the league and get revenge on his Packers. The decision has paid off for Childress, as he is no longer on the hot seat and has his team in the driver’s seat for the division championship.

Division Winners

Eagles

Vikings

Saints

Cardinals

Patriots

Steelers

Colts

Chargers

Super Bowl Prediction

Saints 31, Colts 24

10 Bold Predictions

1. Donald Brown and Chris Wells burst onto the scene down the stretch and really come alive in the playoffs.

2. Minnesota will be the top team to be hit by injury before this season is over. Between their three offensive playmakers, between age/running style/injury résumé, things are going too healthy to hope it can continue for 17-plus weeks.

3. New England wishes it had a kicker with the nerves of an Adam Vinatieri in the closing seconds of the Conference Championship.

4. Miles Austin will not start on any fantasy team that wins a league championship  Roy Williams...maybe. Jason Witten? Of course.

5. Denver repeats a collapse down the stretch to the Chargers but will look back on the trade and still feel good about themselves.

6. Donovan McNabb has one hell of a second half to the regular season.

7. Mike McCarthy will be fired if Green Bay fails to make the playoffs.

8. The Chiefs will be on the clock

9. Mark Sanchez will finish the year looking more like an NFL QB than Matt Stafford.

10. Vince Young finishes the year so well that he almost steals the Comeback Player of the Year award from Cedric Benson, even with the year he is having with the Bengals.

—Kyle Strausbaugh