NFL 2010 First Quarter Awards
Although they’re not particularly relevant in the grand scheme of things, everyone loves awards—and since we’re one quarter of the way through the season, I thought it’d be a good time to hand out awards for the best players of the NFL season thus far.
We’re four weeks through the NFL season and although there is still plenty of football to be played, we’re beginning to see the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place.
Without further ado, welcome to the 2010 NFL First Quarter Award Show!
NFL Offensive Player of the First Quarter: Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans
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He seemingly came out of nowhere, but Houston Texans running back Arian Foster has emerged in the early season as perhaps the most dynamic offensive player in the entire league.
An undrafted free agent in 2009, Arian Foster’s career started off slowly. After being signed by the Texans on May 1st, 2009, Foster was later released by the team on September 5th, 2009. Foster cleared waivers and was signed the following day to the Texans’ practice squad, where he remained until November 17th when he was signed to the team’s active roster.
But after an injury to rookie running back Ben Tate and a further fall into oblivion from previous starter Steve Slaton, Foster became the team’s starting running back starting the 2010 season.
Following a monster Week 1 performance in which he ran for 231 yards and three touchdowns against the division rival Indianapolis Colts, Foster has proceeded to extend his lead as the NFL’s leading rusher in 2010.
Foster has already rushed for 537 yards, caught 11 passes for 152 yards, and scored five touchdowns in 2010. If he keeps up this pace, Foster will finish the season with 2,148 yards—142 more than Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson ran for in 2009.
Runners Up:
1. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts
2. Kyle Orton, QB, Denver Broncos
3. Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers
4. Austin Collie, WR, Indianapolis Colts
NFL Defensive Player of the First Quarter: Clay Matthews, LB, Green Bay Packers
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Like his offensive player of the first quarter counterpart, Green Bay’s Clay Matthews is a second-year player who has began his push into the elite players at his position in 2010.
Though Matthews was a replacement Pro Bowl selection in 2009, it wasn’t until this season that the national media seemed to take notice of his intense pass-rushing ability.
Through four games in 2010, Mathews has already accumulated a league-best seven sacks in addition to 11 other tackles. Run or pass, it seems like Clay Matthews is always flying to the ball. The kind of effort he displays is a rare quality to find in today’s NFL player.
In just his second season, Matthews’ leadership skills are visible on the field, as he has done a great job of getting the players around him to perform at a higher level.
Though it is hard to believe that he will keep up this pace, if he keeps working hard and using his speed to get around the edge, there is little reason to believe that Matthews will not be vying for the sack title at the end of 2010.
Runners Up:
1. Mario Williams, DE, Houston Texans
2. Shaun Phillips, LB, San Diego Chargers
3. Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens
4. Charles Godfrey, S, Carolina Panthers
NFL Offensive Rookie of the First Quarter: Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams
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The first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Sam Bradford, has made the St. Louis Rams management staff look brilliant.
Though his six touchdowns with six interceptions ratio may not look impressive and he has certainly made some mistakes, Bradford has also shown the poise and decision-making skills that NFL teams look for in a potential franchise quarterback.
With perhaps the least talented overall NFL roster around him, Sam Bradford has taken the reigns of the St. Louis Rams franchise and brought them to a .500 record in the first month of the season. With two wins, the Rams have already surpassed their 2009 total (one win) and they are currently tied for the lead in the NFC West Division.
There will undoubtedly be more bumps in the road for Bradford this season, but the early indications are that the Rams may have found their quarterback for the future—and more importantly, one who knows how to win games.
Runners Up:
1. Jahvid Best, RB, Detroit Lions
2. Mike Williams, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Tony Moeaki, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
4. Aaron Hernandez, TE, New England Patriots
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NFL Defensive Rookie of the First Quarter: Earl Thomas, S, Seattle Seahawks
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Many fans and experts alike scoffed at the idea presented by the NFL Network’s draft expert Mike Mayock believed that Texas safety Earl Thomas may actually be a better overall prospect than Tennessee safety Eric Berry—but after four games, it appears Mayock might have been onto something.
While Berry has looked good in his own right on the Chiefs, the play of Seattle Seahawks rookie Earl Thomas has been unbelievable early in 2010. In four games, Thomas is tied for the league lead with three interceptions, and has been credited with six additional passes defended while making 23 tackles.
Thomas does need to work on his overall coverage skills, but the playmaking skills that he has shown are reminding many of us of the man who Mayock compared some of Thomas’ skills to—Baltimore Ravens all-pro safety Ed Reed.
Runners Up:
1. Nate Allen, S, Philadelphia Eagles
2. Eric Berry, S, Kansas City Chiefs
3. Ndomukong Suh, DT, Detroit Lions
4. T.J. Ward, S, Cleveland Browns
NFL Comeback Player of the First Quarter: Mike Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
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Written off by most, hated by many, and defended by few, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick looked to be a gimmick player at best in 2009. Though he saw a decent number of snaps, most of the plays designed for Vick in 2009 were “wildcat” style run plays, most of which were ineffective and many would say had a negative effect on the offense’s flow.
But in 2010, after Donovan McNabb was sent packing to Washington and Kevin Kolb went down with a concussion in Week 1, the Eagles had to turn to Vick as their quarterback and leader—and he delivered on a scale that no one—even Vick himself—could have likely imagined.
Vick took the field and immediately blew us away with the kind of speed and arm strength that we remember him having back in the prime of his career. Now 30 years old, many would have expected Vick’s physical skills to have deteriorated with his age and his time out of football, but that simply hasn’t been the case.
Over the first three games of the season, Vick passed for an impressive 750 yards, six touchdowns, and didn’t throw a single interception. He also contributed 170 yards rushing and ran for a touchdown, leading the Eagles to a 2-1 record.
In an unfortunate turn of events, Vick took a crushing hit from two defenders during the Eagles’ Week 4 game against the Redskins and was knocked out of the game early. He was later diagnosed with a rib cartilage injury and his status for next week’s game is still up in the air.
Regardless of when he returns, Vick’s contributions in the first quarter of the season cannot go unnoticed. He was exactly what everyone hoped he would be when he was originally drafted—only eight seasons later.
Runners Up:
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, New York Jets
2. Brandon Lloyd, WR, Denver Broncos
3. Wes Welker, WR, New England Patriots
4. Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago Bears
NFL Coach of the First Quarter: Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs
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If I would have asked you to choose the NFL’s only undefeated team after four weeks in the NFL season, who would you have guessed?
If you would have guessed the Colts, the Jets, the Vikings, the Saints, the Cowboys, or the Patriots, you would have been wrong. But if you would have guessed a team that only won four games throughout the entire 2009 season—the Kansas City Chiefs—you would have been right.
That’s right, Todd Haley’s team, at 3-0, is the only undefeated team left in the NFL.
In fairness, they have only played three games due to an early bye week, and two of those wins came against teams which look to be among the worst in the league in Cleveland and San Francisco—but the point remains that this team is still undefeated and currently in sole possession of the AFC West division, with an inner-division win against the preseason frontrunner, the San Diego Chargers.
The Chiefs defense currently ranks second in the league in average number of points allowed to opposing teams this season, while their rushing offense ranks third in yards per game. The passing attack still needs to start clicking, but the Chiefs have been on a roll early in the season and credit needs to be given to head coach Todd Haley.
With a tough upcoming schedule that includes back-to-back games against Indianapolis and Houston, Todd Haley and the Kansas City Chiefs will be tested in the second quarter. If they remain unblemished through these next four games, Haley’s name will certainly be back in the mid-year awards.
Runners Up:
1. Rex Ryan, New York Jets
2. Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans
3. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
4. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
NFL Most Valuable Player of the First Quarter: Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis
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A three-time league MVP award winner, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning appears to be well on his way to his fifth season as the best player in the NFL.
With two inner-division losses to the Jaguars and Texans already, many are beginning to question the Colts as a team—but no one questions the elite talent of quarterback Peyton Manning.
Currently second in the league in passing yardage (1,365), first in touchdowns (11), second in completion percentage (69.8), and first in quarterback rating (112.2), Manning has been nothing short of amazing in 2010.
Manning’s leadership skills are second-to-none and he will surely get the Colts back on track soon. If he can stay on the pace he is currently at, Manning will throw for an incredible 44 touchdowns with only four interceptions—a ratio that would certainly put him down in the history books for having the greatest season a quarterback has ever had.
Runners Up:
1. Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans
2. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings
3. Clay Matthews, LB, Green Bay Packers
4. Michael Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
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