Chicago Bears: Handing Out Awards at the Week 6 Mark

Week 5's games are in the books and as we trudge through toward Week 6's games, it's time to hand out awards for the first handful of games.

Let's be real for a second before we get to the awards.  As a writer, I am in no way the type to grab two sticks, rub them together and, rather than shining the light created down on the problems within the organization, attempt to blow the ensuing smoke up the collective nether regions of my readership.

But I'm also not one to jump onto the bandwagon and sit back as we collectively point the finger and laugh at the sinking ship.

The truth of the situation is that while, in sports media, extremism sells, there really are shades of gray in the real world.  

Sports are, by virtue, an emotional all or nothing for writers and fans.  But there are rarely just black and white scenarios in sports.  And the Bears ship has not sunk.

All across the sports media panoramic you can read about the awfulness of the 2-3 Chicago Bears.  You'll read that they are done.  You'll read that the offense is inept and the the defense is old and incapable of running the way it has in the past.

And they may be right.  But let's bring this back to Earth for just a moment.

The Bears' three losses have come by way of three teams who have a combined record of 14-1.  Furthermore, the offensive rankings of those teams are first, fourth and fifth.  And against those teams, the Bears allowed the fewest points scored by the Lions this year, as well as the second fewest against the Packers and Saints.  They also allowed the fewest points given up to the Falcons in their meeting.

When looking at the Bears' record and rankings, some context makes a world of difference.

Now on to the awards!

Undrafted Rookie Sensation Award

This wasn't a difficult award to give out.  The Bears currently have four undrafted rookies on the 53-man roster and another four on the practice squad, but only one has stood out.  But that doesn't mean it is less deserved.

Award winner: Wide Receiver Dane Sanzenbacher

Sanzenbacher leads the receiving corp and is second only to running back Matt Forte on the team in receptions.  With security blanket Earl Bennett out, Dane has emerged as Jay Cutler's go-to guy.

Regardless of what that says about the Bears receiving corps, Sanzenbacher has stepped up to help this team, and is so far this teams' best undrafted free agent.

Free Agent Impact Player

Okay, so maybe this is a bit sad.  The Bears brought in five former first round picks through free agency this season in Vernon Gholston, Amobi Okoye, Roy Williams, Chris Spencer and Brandon Merriweather.  They also brought in Marion Barber to aid the running game, as well as Sam Hurd, Nick Reed, Matt Spaeth and Tyler Clutts.

So who's the Free Agent Impact Player?

Award winner: Punter Adam Podlesh.

Last season, Brad Maynard, while still a great directional punter, lost his leg.  He was 30th in the league in net yardage per punt.

Podlesh came in this year and is now ranked 8th in the league in the same category while still doing a good job with directional punting and has placed six punts inside the 20-yard line.

Outstanding Rookie

It's a rough season for rookies.  The lockout set them up for failure around the league, and Chicago has hardly been different.  JT Thomas is residing on injured reserve.  Chris Conte and Stephen Paea are tying to learn the playbook.  There are a ton of undrafted rookies trying to make a name for themselves.

But one rookie has made an impact above and beyond his peers and is also outplaying the veterans of his unit.

Award winner: Offensive Tackle Gabe Carimi

Carimi has sat out with a knee injury for the past three weeks.  But his play still warrants this award.

His play earned him the 20th overall ranking among tackles at Pro Football Focus, as opposed to the 48th and 67th overall rankings for J'Marcus Webb and Frank Omiyale, respectively.

The biggest indicator of his value?  Look at the play of those who have replaced him.  'Nuff said.

Most Disappointing New Acquisition

This wasn't as tough as some might think.  

Award winner: Wide Receiver Roy Williams

There were plenty of former first rounders brought in to fill wholes this year, and most of them have disappointed.  Brandon Meriweather has just plain sucked.  Chris Spencer isn't exactly shoring the line up.  Vernon Gholston isn't even on the roster.

But Roy Williams was a sound decision gone horribly wrong.  Thankfully, he was also short term and cheap.  

Having been a solid contributor in Mike Martz's system before, many hoped he would return to form when he arrived in Chicago and give the Bears their first legitimate No. 1 receiver since Marty Booker in the early '00s.  No so much.

There's still plenty of time for Roy to turn it around, but so far all he's done has been to catch a pedestrian six passes for 80 yards, with only two receptions after Week 1.

What a disappointment.

Defensive LVP (Least Valuable Player)

Major Wright came very close to winning this award.  His play has seriously called into question the intelligence of Jerry Angelo in letting Danieal Manning escape via free agency.  

And had Chris Harris not been felled to injury, Wright would most certainly have run away with it.  But...

Award winner: Safety Brandon Meriweather

Brandon Meriweather earns this award for play that rivals Wrights in it's sheer awfulness combined with the utter waste of elite potential. 

Meriweather's signature thus far has been freelance play that leaves him consistently out of position to make plays in coverage, leaves his gaps unfilled in run defense and leaves fans wondering why GM Jerry Angelo thought that Brandon was worth nabbing after Bill Belichick showed the two-time pro bowler the door.

Additionally, when he is in position to make a play, his tackling technique—one that shirks basic tackling fundamentals for a concept that seems to revolve around tucking one's arms in and launching one's self into the ball carrier in a fashion that is reminiscent of a patriot missile—usually just alter's the opponents' paths rather than actually stopping them.

Meriweather has been what Belichick thought he was.  A man with all the potential in the world but no discipline.

Offensive LVP

While I could have cheated here and given the award to an entire unit, one man has embodied failure like no other on this team.

Award winner: Offensive Tackle Frank Omiyale

Pictured above is the only thing Frank "Gate 68" Omiyale has done well all season:  Helping quarterback Jay Cutler up off the turf after he was destroyed by whoever beat Omiyale.

I am rarely so down on a player as to say that he is incapable of improvement, and I won't go that far here, either.  But Omiyale led all tackles last year in sacks given up.  He is currently fifth in the league in that stat this year, and he's only played 181 snaps since Carimi went down.  He's been benched in both of the last two games.

Were I the Bears, I would have given him his release papers before the game was over.  It's that bad.

Defensive MVP

This was really a two man race.  The defense has been pretty bad as a whole this year, led by poor play at the line of scrimmage and from the back end safeties.  But the play of the Bears two premier linebackers has been, for the most part, very good.

Briggs could have a solid case for this award, leading the team in tackles and stops.  But in the end...

Award winner: Linebacker Brian Urlacher

Urlacher has just made the bigger plays.  He's second to only Briggs in stops and he leads the team in interceptions with two.  He's also recorded a defensive touchdown on a fumble recovery.  But in the end, it comes down to pass coverage, which Urlacher has a considerable edge in, allowing one touchdown (to Briggs' three) and only a 75.3 quarterback rating (to Briggs' 119.7), according to Pro Football Focus.

In his 12th season. 'Lack is still leading the way.

Offensive MVP

This was really a two man race between the only two offensive players on the team who have more than a punchers chance of starting anywhere else in the NFL at this point.

And after Cutler's Olympian performance against the Lions, I had a hard time not leaning the nod his way.  That being said...

Award winner: Running Back Matt Forte

 At this point, there may not be a better all-around running back in the league.  He might not be the top rusher, but I have a hard time arguing than anyone not named Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson is definitively  better.  

The only arguments that you could make for running backs who are in Forte's league as a receiver would be Ray Rice and Darren Sproles.  And Forte can block with the best, as well.  He might not be the best in any single category, but he is consistently among the best in every category.  He is, for my money, the best all-around running back in the league.

And he is the Bears offense.  He is on pace to break Chris Johnson's 2009 record for yards from scrimmage and the join Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the only players in history to cross the 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving, with 1,408 yards rushing on 262 carries and 1,104 yards receiving on 96 catches.

Forte is currently sitting at 45.7 percent of the Bears total offensive yardage gained.  That alone is a stunning figure.

Forte is, to this point, the run-away offensive MVP.

And now it's your turn, ladies and gentlemen.  Step right up to the soapbox below and let your voice be heard!