Offensive Player Of The Year: Randy MossThe reason that Moss takes this award as opposed to Brady is because he is more valuable to the Patriots offensive success this year than Brady is. In fact, Brady, like in previous years, still manages to be amongst the league leaders in "poor throws" leading to incompletions, but the difference this year is that he's throwing a lot of em up to Randy Moss and he's coming down with more than Brady's old receivers would. For an example see the first Dolphins game. While Tom Brady, Wes Welker is good and Jabar Gaffney are all looking the best they've all looked it's because of the looks their receiving with Randy Moss lining up at Wideout. Moss gives Defensive Coordinator's a chess match every defensive snap and those other three individuals take advantage of it and thus are having their best seasons since being in the league. However, Moss has still managed to get his production in, bringing about 1,500 Yards, 23 touchdowns, and 98 receptions. Moss is having the best season a Receiver has had in the modern pass-happy NFL, including that record-setting touchdown total, and is having the receiver equivalent to what LaDainian Tomlinson did last season. But the most undeniable reason that Moss wins this is because he's the league leader in scoring for non-kicker, thus ranking him 2nd by a mere 3 points. The next closest offensive player is LT tied at 21st.
Runner-Up: Tom Brady. Whether you love him or hate him... love or hate the ineffecient way that he did it, or just plain don't want to acknowledge it as better than the year that Manning did it, the fact is Tom Brady tossed up 50 touchdown passes this season vs. a mere 8 Interceptions. That is 300 points of offense off of touchdown passes, and only turning the ball over a mere 8 times. The only reason I feel that Moss was more deserving of the nomination and win is because his play was more indicative of himself, hence why a Wideout can never win MVP... Brady's play was more indicative of how great this offense clicked, and how well that, not only he, but that entire offense played throughout this season
Defensive Player Of The Year: Kerry RhodesCan I just say that Kerry Rhodes is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, having the best season that a Safety has ever recorded, and yet he wont be a Pro Bowler, not an AP All-Pro. However, he's the Defensive Player of The Year beyond the shadow of a doubt, and the league's best Safety this year. Why is having such a good year? Well, he's 1st in legitimate coverage interceptions amongst all Defense Backs(including CornerBacks) with 5, and 2nd to Sammy Knight in legitimate coverage passes defensed amongst all Safeties with 8. However, what makes it even more impressive is that he's playing in the box effectively as well, being the only Safety within the top 50 defensive players in Stuffs with 6.5. With his remaining two sacks, two forced fumbles, fumble recovery, and resulting touchdown from that recovery, is it any wonder that he's been the league's best Safety? What is most impressive about this stat line? Is that on 3rd down Rhodes has 4 stuffs, a forced fumble, a recovery , 2 passes defensed, 2 Interceptions and his touchdown. It's pretty clear, if you actually bother to look at New York's defensive players, that Rhodes is the league's best defender this year. If Jason Taylor can win on a losing team last year, I see no reason why Rhodes shouldn't win this year.
Runner-Up: Jared Allen. As dominant as Kerry Rhodes has been this season at the Safety position, Allen has been equally dominant in the front 7. With a league-leading 15.5 Sacks, 9 stuffs against the run, 3 forced-fumbles and an absolutely ridiculous 10 passes defensed Allen is unquestionably the league's best Defensive End this year. Allen is the only D-Lineman with over 10 passes defensed. However, he's also only one of a few Linemen with double digit sacks as well, and is fifth in stuffs against the run for D-Linemen and third amongst DEs. Allen is the only DE in the top 5 in all 3 of those statistics.
Offensive Rookie Of The Year: Adrian PetersonBig suprise... After all, this award seemed to be locked up after week 9. At that point, Peterson looked to be the next coming Jim Barry Payton... Well, while he hasn't continued on that pace, hitting a rookie wall that has included both injury and malproductive games, Peterson is still the runaway winner of this award. In a season that saw a noticable decline in HalfBack yardage totals, Peterson is one of the few HalfBacks that have amassed 1,300 yards rushing and 1,500 yards from scrimmage. But perhaps what's more impressive than that are the 13 total touchdowns from scrimmage that Peterson has put up for the Vikings, who's offense seemed to skyrocket from the bottom half of the league to the top once Peterson emerged. Plain and simple, for a short time Peterson had me contemplating doing something I protested I'd never do... place a one year guy in the top 5 at his position.. Seriously, to put it into perspective, there are only two Halfbacks in the league that are top 5
in every HalfBack catergory excluding receptions... Peterson is the first, and the other is last years League MVP, LaDainian Tomlinson. Pretty good company if I do say so myself.
Runner-Up: Dwayne Bowe. Calvin Johnson who? You take the guy with the "potential" and "perfect Wide Receiver body"... Everyone else will take the hard worker, and Bowe is a hard worker. Dwayne Bowe should finish 2nd in the voting. Dwayne Bowe is the only rookie receiver of the 2007 draft class that totaled 1,000 yards(yes, I am constituting 995 yards as a 1,000 yard season). He also provided 5 receiving touchdowns and 70 receptions. What's most impressive about all this... He did it for the Chiefs who had no competent QuarterBack, run game, or Receivers for that matter... Bowe was the only Chiefs Wideout that was thrown at 40 or more times.
Defensive Rookie Of The Year: Tanard JacksonTanard Jackson was robbed of a Pro-Bowl spot, and he doesn't lead the league in tackles, so nobody is talking about him for Defensive Rookie of The Year honors except for a select few. While what Patrick Willis is doing is his impressive one has to realize that a significant portion of his tackle totals are indicative of his defense being on the field so much because of an inept offense. Jackson, however, is a key-player on one of the league's best defenses that is vastly responsible for it's team's success. Jackson has 7 Legitimate Coverage passes defensed, placing him in 3rd place amongst all Safeties. Jackson has helped to return a Buccaneers defense, that looked like a shade of it's self last season, to an amazing pass defense that now ranks 1st at the end of the season. This pass defense ranks 1st overall because it is 2nd in number of pass plays 20+ yards or more given up, with 31(22 w/ Jackson as a starter), which is indicative of how well he's been playing. However, why I place him over Willis winning the award(though he actually wont) is because of their 3rd down play. While Willis has more complete 3rd down statistics, prior to Jackson sitting the last 7 quarters of the season, Jackson's numbers were virtually even in terms of stops in less attempts at a tougher position to do it. If Bob Sanders is in the running for DPOTY, and the preliminary talking says that he is, then Jackson should get a heavy bid at Defensive Rookie Of The Year.
Runner-Up: Patrick Willis. Let's not lie, Willis is, arguably, having the best season ever for a rookie LineBacker, and broke the "unofficial official" record of 169 tackles in a season with his 174 tackles. He has emerged as the unquestioned leader on that 49ers defense, and is playing well with an ineffective 3-4 Defense around him that is much better than it looks on paper. However, aside from his tackling, which, while tackle numbers don't impress me, manages to impresses me because of how crisp it is, Willis hasn't made too many plays for me to annoint him a top 10 player at his position, while Jackson is nudging at the S position at around 13 or 14. Unfortunately for Willis he reminds me a lot of Ernie Simms of last year.
Comeback Player Of The Year: Bobby EngramYeah, you remember that Bobby Engram fellow, right? You know, even though the Seahawks WR Corp has always been deep, he's that guy that has always seemed to be a key part of their Receiving Corp. Well this year, he's proven to be an even more key component, emerging for over 1,147 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns. Now I realize that these aren't Randy Moss numbers, but there is a key difference in Engram's performance and Moss'. Moss' improvement is a result of not trying the previous year. Engram's improvement, however, comes a year after being diagnosed with "Graves Disease" the previous year, and only playing 7 games as a result. Despite this, Engram returned for another season in the NFL and produced his best season ever, not only statistically, but effeciency and example-wise. While Moss is incredibly impressive, Engram is just downright impressive and a story that the media should cover and show the kids these days what it means to persevere. While Seattle has a Corp that has two former 1,000 yard recievers, Engram somehow emerged as the unquestioned best out of all three this year, even without Branch's injury. By the way, did I not mention that Engram is lights' out this year, having been thrown at 134 times and only has 2 drops, placing him with the best ratio in the NFL. He also caught an insane 70.1% of passes intended for him. It's ridiculous!
Runner-Up: Ben Roethlisberger. One year after a motor cycle accident that had many calling Roethlisberger the worst starter in the NFL, Roethlisberger has proven last year to be a fluke. He's thrown for 32 touchdowns vs. 11 Interceptions, placing him 3rd in touchdown passes, and has lead his team to an AFC North Championship, and has done it despite the fact that he's been sacked a ridiculous 47 times. However, what's most impressive is that Roethlisberger played his first complete season for the Black & Gold and has amassed his first Pro Bowl appearance if he choses to go and doesn't get injured.
League Most Valuable Player: Tom Brady. Do I think he is the league's Most Valuable Player? Honestly? No. I think that there are a lot of players more important to their team's success and their respective team making the playoffs this season than Tom Brady. However, the New England Patriots are 16-0, and I can say that Tom Brady is a very key component in that record. Without Brady, the Patriots would've been a 13 to 15 win team. But that is how valuable Brady was to the Patriots. That one game difference between 15-1 and 16-0 is arguably more valuable than the 3 or 4 games that other players won for their teams. Oh, did I happen to mention that he directly and indirectly set records for touchdown passes, number of points scored by an offense, and helped his Wide Receiver set the record for touchdown receptions over a 16-game season, and also came pretty darn close to setting the completion % record. Brady also wins this because it seems the player with the most touchdowns always wins this award. However, what's most impressive about Brady's play this season is that his play style didn't change at all. He made the same kinds of throws that he made, regardless of his Wide Receiver corp in the previous seasons.
Runner-Up: Adrian Peterson. NFL Single Game Rushing Record. Three various Franchise Records. 1,300 rushing yards and 1,500 yards from scrimmage. 12 rushing touchdowns and another receiving touchdown from scrimmage. All of those are some impressive feats by Adrian Peterson, but what remains the most impressive is the Minnesota Viking's riding him to a .500 record and a shot at the post-season, something that even Vikings fans didn't see coming. Adrian Peterson's performance throughout this year has players looking better than they actually are. Peterson has given Tony Richardson an undeserved Pro Bowl, and Sidney Rice, though he's underachieved, owes a significant portion of his yardage to Peterson and the Viking's playaction... However, the player that owes Peterson his paycheck? Tarvaris Jackson.
All-Pro First Team:
QB: Tom Brady, NWE - 50 Touchdown Passes, 8 Interceptions, 16-0 Record, a sure-fire league MVP coming in the wakes, and numerous records set. Tom Brady had this spot, and arguably the league MVP locked up by week six. No QuarterBack's season came close to Brady's. Hell, on paper, Brady had the best season ever for a QuarterBack. I doubt that anyone will come close to this season, but then again, I said that 3 years ago.
HB: Adrian Peterson, MIN -13 Touchdowns and 1,500 Yards From Scrimmage as well as a heavy bid for the league MVP. Peterson set numerous franchise records as well as an NFL record with the most yards ever ran for in a single game. However, as impressive as all of this was, what was perhaps the most impressive about his season was that he, aside LaDainian Tomlinson, were the only HalfBacks in the top 5 for every respective statistic for HalfBacks.
FB: Thomas Tapeh, PHI -Lead-blocker for the League's All-Purpose Yardage leader. Westbrook ran 20 more times with Tapeh as a lead-block than alone, and yet managed the same amount of yardage. The key differnce, however, is Westbrook's ability to follow Tapeh for first downs and touchdowns. 53% of Westbrook's 1st downs where with Tapeh as a lead block and 10 of Westbrook's 12 touchdowns were with Tapeh throwing some key blocks.
TE: Jason Witten, DAL -Essentially Witten sat out the final game, leaving after a few series, which cost him to lead two of three Tight End statisics. Even still, Witten finished with 96 receptions, 1,145 yards receiving, and 7 touchdowns. Witten had, undeniably, the best season by a Tight End this year, and even before Tony Gonzalez had a catchup game, had one of the best seasons ever for a tight end, and probably still does have one.
WR: Randy Moss, NWE -23 Touchdowns... That's all I really have to say. He finished 2nd, overall, in scoring, with the next closest offensive player ranking tied for 21st. However, Moss finished 7th in receptions, 2nd in yards, 1st in touchdowns, and tied for first in first downs. That is one hell of a season, and while some may disagree with it being the best season ever for a Wideout, on paper, it arguably is.
WR: Terrell Owens, DAL -Despite sitting out the last game of the season, and missing a critical amount of time vs. Carolina with an ankle injury, Owens managed to produce a top 5 season in this one where Wide Receivers were playing lights out. Owens turned in the 5th most receiving yardage, was third in touchdowns with 15 and ranked 3rd in big plays over 20 yards. Most impressive about that? He did it on 10 and 20 receptions less than the two individuals above him.
LT: Jammal Brown, NWO -He may have missed a game, but it doesn't change the fact that Brown did something amazing. He allowed 2 sacks on the season at the Left Tackle position. Despite this, he wasn't honored with a Pro Bowl appearance. It'd be understandable, if it weren't for the fact that Brown was responsible for protecting Drew Brees who was throwing so much he set the NFL record for completions and attempts in a season.
LG: Eric Steinbach, CLE -Jamal Lewis suden reemergence as a Pro Bowl calibur HalfBack this season is no coincidence. It was because Eric Steinbach was blocking lights out when it came to run blocking. Lewis managed a whopping 5.2 Yards Per Carry behind Steinbach, and ran fo 5 touchdowns. More impressive? Lewis ran for 44% of his first downs running to Steinbach's side, and Steinbach never was flaged for holding the defender.
C: Jeff Saturday, IND -Is there any question that Jeff Saturday is the NFL's best Center? Saturday, once again, for the 9th time in his career, has allowed 1 or less sacks throughout a season. Even more impressive? For the 2nd time in as many seasons Saturday has been flagged only once, this year for Holding. But what's most impressive about this "little guys" performance is another "little guys" performance. Joe Addai still chooses to run behind him more than any other Colts' lineman.
RG: Brad Butler, BUF -In his first season starting, Butler has emerged as one of the league's best Guards. Not only an excellent run blocker, as Marshawn Lynch runs for over 5 per carry behind him and another 3 touchdowns. Fred Jackson averaged 7 yards per carry behind Butler as well. Aside from providing the most first downs, despite not having the highest lead block % on the O-Line, Butler was also the league's 2nd best pass blocking Guard, allowing only 1.5 sacks and never holding the opponent.
RT: Jordan Gross, CAR - Gross was far and away the league's best pass blocking Right Tackle and it wasn't even close. Gross afforded a mere 3 sacks on the season, and let's not forget that he didn't exactly have anyone stout avoiding the rush in the backfield all season. Despite this, he only was flagged for holding a mere one time. He also proved a valuable run blocker for Foster and Williams, affording them over 200 yards on the ground.
RDE: Jared Allen, KNC -Easily the league's best Defensive End this year, Allen notched a league-leading 15.5 sacks and 10 passes defensed. However, he was no slouch against the run either, managing 9 stuffs vs. the run as well. Perhaps what was most impressive about Allen's play was that he esentially took away the first 5 yards of the field from all of his opponents and managed to do it in a mere 14 games. Allen should finish no worse than 2nd in the DPOTY voting.
LDE: Patrick Kerney, SEA -While Kerney may have started the season off slow in terms of sack totals, when he caught on in November the rest of the league had hell to pay. Now Kerney finishes 2nd in Sack totals at the end ofthe season with 14.5. However, he's not just a pass rusher, as he's offered 3.5 Stuffs against the run, and interception, and an astounding 5 forced fumbles... Kerney was the NFL's best Left Defensive End.
LDT: Pat Williams , MIN -"Fat Pat" Williams had a season that most Defensive Tackles would kill for.. Williams racked in an astounding 11 Stuffs behind the Line of Scrimmage on his own, best at the position. However, when you figure that the Vikings' Middle LineBacker E.J. Henderson contributed another 12.5 because of Williams' penetration and you see why he should be an All-Pro. Williams' three passes defensed, two sacks and fumble recoveries don't hurt either.
RDT: Albert Haynesworth, TEN -Another one of those individuals that should receive significant Defensive Player of The Year attention, Albert Haynesworth only played 11 games. The majority of the 5 games in which he was absent, the Titans lost. Additionally, the Titans' defense was run all over. Despite his short season, Haynesworth has 7.5 stuffs, 6 sacks, 5 passes defensed, and is a key reason that Kyle VanDenBosch made the Pro Bowl. He's come a long way from being "the face-stomper"...
LOLB: DeMarcus Ware, DAL -All off-season I heralded this guy as the league's best 3-4 Outside LineBacker, and he cemented that notion beyond the shadow of a doubt this season. However, he may be the league's best OLB regardless of defensive arrangement. Ware finished in the top 5 in sack totals, put up 84 tackles, 8.5 stuffs, 4 forced fumbles and 2 legitimate passes defensed, with another batted down at the line.
MLB: Nick Barnett, GNB -How many of these players are DPOTY candidates? Seriously, Nick Barnett was starting his case in Week 1 when he made a tackle for loss and then intercepted a screen pass on the very next play. He hasn't stopped since. Barnet posted 131 tackles, 5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 3.5 Sacks, a fumble recovery and 3 legitimate passes defense, with 2 direct coverage interceptions from excellent plays on the ball.
ROLB: Thomas Howard, OAK -Somebody move this guy to CornerBack quick! No, but seriously, when a LineBacker has 11 passes defensed and 6 Interceptions with 2 touchdown returns, a good portion of them are tipped balls or not from direct coverage. However, 6 of Howard's PD are from direct coverage, and an astounding 3 of his interceptions are as well. However, he's no slouch offering up 96 tackles, a sack, 4.5 stuffs and a fumble recovery as well.
LCB: Charles Woodson, GNB - Woodson wasn't exactly a playmaker, outside of his fumble return for a touchdown, however, what he was was a shutdown CornerBack that was very influential in how the Packers defense played. Perhaps the best way to show Woodson's impact was the Dallas game in which Green Bay had to revert to ineffective zone coverage. Woodson, plain and simple, kept Wide Receivers out of the endzone. While Woodson wasn't exactly picking off the best-thrown passes, he did his first job best... keep the opponent out the endzone.
RCB: Terence Newman, DAL -Another guy who didn't start for the first two or three weeks of the season, this time because of injury. Though Newman didn't turn in his best season in terms of preventing the opposition from reaching the endzone, he did turn in 4 interceptions and 12 passes defensed. Of these, 3of the interceptions were legitimate, made in direct coverage, with one resulting in a TD. The other interception, though a missthrow was still excellent. His 10 direct PDs don't hurt either.
SS: Sammy Knight, JAC -Among all Safeties, Sammy Knight maintained the most legitimate coverage passes defensed throughout the NFL's 2007 regular season with an astounding 9. He also contributed 3 Interceptions through legitimate direct coverage, and was even asked to do a significant amount of coverage against 3 and 4 Wide Receiver sets, hence the numbers. However, Knight managed to play effectively in the box contributing 93 total tackles, 3 stuffs and a forced fumble.
FS: Kerry Rhodes, NYG -The player that should, undeniably be the league's Defensive Player of the Year, Kerry Rhodes is the only Safety in the NFL that is within the tops of every metric. He turned in 6.5 stuffs, 5 legitimate interceptions, which ranked first amongst all Defensive Backs, and turned in the 2nd most legitimate passes defensed amongst all Safeties with 8, and managed to be a force within the box with two sacks, two forces fumbles, a recovery and a touchdown.
All-Pro Second Team:
QB: Ben Roethlisberger, PIT -In a 15 game season Ben Roethlisberger managed to throw for the 3rd most touchdowns in the NFL. However, the guy who threw for the 2nd most played only 15.5 games. The reason, however, that Roethlisberger makes the second team is that with less talent on the offensive line and at the skilled positions, Roethlisberger tossed only 4 less touchdowns and a whopping 8 less interceptions. Aside from the yardage tossed by the QuarterBacks, which is made very different by the Yards After Catch by the Receivers in favor of Romo by 500 yards, and Ben Roethlisberger had the better season by far.
HB: Brian Westbrook, PHI -As mentioned in his backfield mate's profile, Westbrook is the league's leader in yardage from scrimmage. He ran for the 3rd most yardage of all HalfBacks, but then added an additional 700+ yards receiving out the backfield and proved that he was the league's best all-purpose runner beyond the shadow of a doubt. This man is probably a solid MVP candidate if Brady isn't playing this year and probably would've won it, given that he's the only player with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
FB: B.J. Askew, TAM -For years, if there was an All-Pro from Tampa at the FullBack spot, his name would've been "Mike Alstott". Well B.J. Askew is paving the way for any HalfBack that runs in Tampa. Prior to going down with a devastating knee injury, Carnell "Cadillac" Williams managed 3 touchdowns, all ran for behind Askew. When Cadillac went down, Earnest Graham came in and ran for 9 touchdowns behind Askew as a key blocker. Askew was lights out, and Alstott might find himself out of a job.
TE: Tony Gonzalez, KNC -Contrary to popular belief, Tony Gonzalez deserved his Pro Bowl bid, and even though Jason Witten didn't play the entire season finale, it can be argued that Gonzalez had the best season amongst all Tight Ends in the NFL. Gonzo ended the year first amongst all Tight Ends in receptions(99), yardage(1,172) and though he wasn't in the top 5 in touchdowns, he turned in a respectable five touchdowns. He was a very important factor in Dwayne Bowe receiving for 995 yards. However, Gonzo was still a pertinent blocker as well, which he why he finishes as a 2nd team All-Pro.
WR: Braylon Edwards, CLE -Remember last season when it seemed like Mark Clayton was the AFC North 3rd-Year Wide Receiver that would emerge... boy was that idea wrong. Braylond Edwards came onto the scene hard and heavy this year, surpassing everybody's expectations. Though Edwards was 17th in receptions, he managed nearly 1,300 yards receiving and and a whopping 16 receiving touchdowns, good for 2nd place amongst Wide Receivers. Equally as impressive is that Edwards finished 4th in big plays amongst receivers.
WR: Reggie Wayne, IND -If I told you that Marvin Harrison would've went down early in the season and Reggie Wayne would've produced the most receiving yardage, would you have believed me? Well either way, he did, and if not for his "low" touchdown totals, he probably would've been a first team All-Pro with his high reception totals(104) and league-leading yardage(1,510). Wayne also went for the second most big plays at the receiver position and fell two first downs short of a three-way tie for first for first down receptions. Given he sat out the last game, and had no legitimate number 2 option, and he deserved his spot strongly.
LT: Joe Thomas, CLE -Honestly, if Jammal Brown had allowed a sack or two more, Joe Thomas probably would've won the first team position because, unlike Brown, he was incredibly effective when it came to run blocking. Thomas' 4.25 sacks allowed are impressive when you actually take the time to examine each one one-by-one. While Thomas was never a lead block for a significant portion of rushes, every time he was, Jamal Lewis, a Power Back, was never tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Given that Thomas only had 1 hold his season was very impressive.
LG: Steve Hutchinson, MIN -Minnesota HalfBacks averaged 5 Yards Per Carry running behind Steve Hutchinson as a lead block and plowed it into the endzone a grand total of eight times. However, what continues to make this accomplishment impressive is that Steve Hutchinson didn't have a single hold held up throughout the season and had only 1 false start. That false start marked Hutchinson's first penalty in three seasons, and Hutch's pass protection improved over last season, leaving him a 2nd-team All-Pro.
C: Brad Meester, JAC -Brad Meester only played in 11 Games this season, but in those 11 games he continued to cement the fact that he is the league's best run blocking Center. The two-headed monster known as Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor run behind Center significantly more than they do anywhere else. 56% of all of their rushes have come up the middle, and once Meester came back is when Fred Taylor went on his tear that had numerous individuals claiming he should go to the Pro Bowl. Up the middle they went for 10 touchdowns and 47 first downs, and while those weren't all Meester, most of them were.
RG: Chris Snee, NYG -The Giants had a HalfBack by committee type offense this season that was a large reason they went 10-6. Regardless of who was in there, they won. Perhaps, because Snee was blocking lights out at the Right Guard position. New York HalfBack's averaged 5 yards per carry running behind this guy as a lead block, and ran for 702 yards. More impressive are the 7 touchdowns and the 31 first downs ran forbehind Snee. His 1.5 Sacks allowed and 1 Hold round out an excellent season.
RT: John Runyan, PHI -Again, let me say that the Right Tackle play this season hasn't exactly been particular, however, Jon Runyan played pretty good this season. Runyan's most impressive aspects were his pass protection and his ability to get out in front of Brian Westbrook on screen plays. Runyan was a key aspect in Westbrook's screens, and while Andrews was getting a lot of the credit, Runyan deserved some of it as well. Runyan's 5.5 sacks allowed offered a .5 sack improvement over last season, and the fact that he commited no penalties last season shows how ridiculously disciplined he was.
RDE: Trent Cole, PHI -If Trent Cole predominant played Left Defensive End he would've won this position, but because the majority of his snaps are logged against the Left Tackle, he had to settle for the second team. Cole's statistics ranks very similair to first-teamer Jared Allen's with the sole difference being the passes defensed. Cole managed to turn in 14.5 sacks on the season and an astounding 10 stuffs against the run. However, Cole has put forward a good 4 forced fumbles and a recovery, as well as 2 passes defensed.
LDE: Michael Strahan, NYG -When Osi Umenyiora tallied 6 sacks against the Eagles his ticket was punched for Hawaii. He added 7 more sacks throughout the season, but he probably wasn't even the 2nd best DE on the Giants. Michael Strahan, however, was arguably the league's 2nd best Left Defensive End. Strahan offered up 9 sacks, and numerous QB pressures alongside all Giants DEs. But Strahan also contributed 8 stuffs against the run, a forced fumble, a recovery, and 2 passes defensed.
LDT: Casey Hampton, PIT -Over the last three seasons it was argued who was the superior Nose Tackle, Casey Hampton or Jamal Williams. Well, both lost their respective Left Defensive End, and their play suffered, however, Hampton managed to step his personal game up which is why he's the fisrt Nose Tackle listed. Hampton's LineBackers totaled 26 sacks thanks to his penetration, and his team's run Defense ranked number 3 in the league. Hampton also turned in 2.5 stuffs and .5 sacks.
RDT: Darnell Dockett, ARI -Arizona Cardinal's Defensive Tackle Darnell Dockett turned in an impressive season, and at one point in the season, was considered the best DT in the NFL, statistically. To end the season, Dockett turned out 58 tackles, 9 sacks, and an impressive 6.5 stuffs. He added an additional 2 forced fumbles, 2 recoveries and a pass defensed. Dockett, achieving career highs in the first 5 statistics, turned in a very good season.
LOLB: James Harrison, PIT -Joey Porter who? All Off-season Steelers fans protested that Joey Porter's departure wasn't a big deal, and it looks like they knew what they were talking about, huh? Harrison turned in 86 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 7 stuffs against the run, 6 forced fumbles, an additional 3 recoveries, 3 passes defended, and an Interception. Harrison's season can give him a claim at possibly being the league's 2nd best overall 3-4 Outside LineBacker behind DeMarcus Ware.
MLB: Lofa Tatupu, SEA -Although Tatupu turned in three, almost identical, interceptions vs. A.J. Feely, don't let it negate the fact that he turned in a very impressive season. Tatupu registered 109 tackles, a sack, 3 forced fumbles, 7 stuffs, another interception to those previous 3, and an additional 9 passes defensed(6 of which were in direct coverage). Tatupu is showing no signs of slowing down from his rookie season.
ROLB: Julian Peterson, SEA -Tatupu's LineBacking Corp mate turned in an impressive season, and for the first 8 weeks of the season was the front runner for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Peterson turned in, as a 4-3 Outside LineBacker, 74 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 4 stuffs, 2 Interceptions(both legitimate), 2 fumble recoveries, and 3 passes defensed, 2 in coverage, 1 batted by him at the line of scrimmage.
LCB: Marcus Trufant, SEA -After Marcus Trufant's 2006 season, who in the heck would've thought he'd have an opportunity to be a 2nd team All-Pro falling just short of the 1st team. Despite being the league's 2nd worst Corner in 2006, Trufant pulled a complete 180 degree turn and played as one of the three best Corners in the 2007 NFL season. Trufant turned in 78 solo tackles, 15 passes defensed(8 legitimate) and 7 Interceptions(3 legitimate), one of which lead to a Touchdown.
RCB: Asante Samuel, NWE -Remember this guy? Remember how he was the dime back for like three or four weeks because he held out for most of the off-season? Well, when he finally got back to his starting position, he showed why he deserved it. He managed 5 Interceptions and 16 passes defensed upon returning to the starting position, which doesn't figure in the interception and 2 PDs he had before starting. Of these 10 PDs are legitimate, alongside 3 interceptions and a resulting touchdown.
SS: Darren Sharper, MIN -Whether you believe it or not, Darren Sharper put together a decent season. While he as literally not a force in the box, with 0 sacks, 0 stuffs, and mininal plays within the Box, he was still a force against the pass. Sharper turned in 8 passes defensed and 4 Interceptions. Of those, 3 of the Interceptions were in legitimate coverage and 5 of the passes defensed where in legitimate coverage. The remaining interception via misscommunication resulted in a 20 yard touchdown return.
FS: Ed Reed, BAL -One thing you have to love about Ed Reed is that in a "down year" he still manages to produce 7 interceptions. While he only turned in 39 total tackles, he managed to turn in 2.5 stuffs against the run. However, in typical Ed Reed style, Reed turned in multiple interceptions, 3 of which were legitimate. He also turned in 13 passes defensed, 5 of which came against excellent throws.
All-Pro Third Team:
QB: Tony Romo, DAL -Tony Romo's two bad games against Buffalo and Philadelphia are the reason he isn't the 2nd team's QuarterBack. His inconsistancies are the reason he fell a notch below. While Romo throws together great seasons, he, like Brett Favre seems to be the only QuarterBack that you can "garuntee" will have a bad game sometime soon. However, whoever you are, and whether you like him or not, you have to admit that his 36 touchdowns and 4,000 yards are impressive.
HB: LaDainian Tomlinson, SDG -Tomlinson had a "down year" and still managed to win the Rushing Title. Tomlinson was the league's only HalfBack to put up near 1,500 yards rushing, and added an additional 475 yards receiving on 60 receptions, placing him 2nd in yards from scrimmage. In his "down year", Tomlinson managed to produce 15 touchdowns rushing and another 3 receiving. If not for the fact that he has a better offensive Line, Tomlinson would've been the 1st teamer.
FB: Lorenzo Neal, SDG -How exactly do I put this? Even though he did well without "Lo Neal" towards the end of the year, LaDainian Tomlinson is not the same back without Neal. He's still the league's best back, but Neal just plain and simple paves opening lanes up for Tomlinson to find pay dirt. It's no coincidence that the majority of Tomlinson's touchdowns come in the Power I. It's also no coincidence that once the Chargers started to go more Power I that Tomlinson's numbers caught up that eventually earned him the rushing title.
TE: Kellen Winslow II, CLE - While Kellen Winslow Jr, known by NFL fans as "K2" was wrongfully passed up for a Pro Bowl spot, it wasn't by Tony Gonzalez. It was by Antonio Gates. Winslow finished 3rd in yardage for Tight Ends, 1st in Yards Per Reception amongst Tight Ends with over 20 receptions, and managed to turn in an additional 5 touchdowns on 82 receptions. Not to mention he was robbed of an amazing game-winning touchdown catch vs. Arizona that cost the Browns their shot at the playoffs.
WR: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, CIN - I've been saying it for years, and I'm finally vindicated in saying so, that TJ Houshmandzadeh is every bit as good as Chad Johnson. "Housh" as he's known aroud the league tied for the league lead in receptions, producing the 13th most yardage amongst all Wide Receivers. But Housh's biggest asset this year was his ability to get the ball into the endzone for an enemic Bengal's offense. Housh reached paydirt 12 times, tying him for 4th most amongst Wide Receivers.
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, ARI - You probably forgot about this guy, given that everyone is stating that he isn't even the best Wide Receiver on his team, but Larry Fitzgerald produced a very good season, capped off by his Week 17 performance. Fitzgerald produced the 4th most yardage amonst all Wide Receivers this season, and edged out Chad Johnson because he always had better touchdown totals throughout the season, finish with 2 more than him. Plus Fitz put up 100 receptions in 1 less game.
LT: Chad Clifton, GNB/Michael Roos, TEN - Chad Clifton has been the league's best Tackle in my eyes for about 2 or 3 years, and this year was no different. Though he started off having a down year, eclipsing his total sacks allowed last season within the first half of the season, the latter half of the year he finished strong. In the end Clifton allowed a mere 3.5 Sacks on an offense that was about as pass heavy as if gets in the NFL. | The people over at Football's Future know about this guy, but nobody else really does,but Michael Roos is one of the 5 best Tackles in the NFL, and was robbed of a Pro Bowl berth. In his 3 years starting in the NFL Roos has given up a mere 13.5 sacks, including only 4 this season. Most impressive about that is he was only flagged for holding once, and false started only 3 times. Additionally, VY had, arguably, some of his best rushing totals behind Roos.
LG: Alan Faneca, PIT - Steelers fans may think he's over the hill, but he actually isn't. Sure, the Steelers O-Line is horrible at pass blocking, and Faneca is one of the worst pass blocking Guards, and even managed to regress, but he's still been one of the Steelers better pass blockers overall, and for the 5th year in a row, did not have a lasting holding call. But just like in year's past, Faneca is the lead block for Willie Parker on an astounding 37% of his rushes, and averages his 2nd best YPC behind Faneca and his most first downs.
C: Andre Gurode, DAL - Andre Gurode's going to Hawaii in February and deserves it. Gurode is easily remembered as the guy that got his head stomped on by Albert Haynesworth, but Gurode has played a large hand in helping Marion Barber III, Julius Jones and Tony Romo lok good. The 'Boys' backs have run for 4 touchdowns running behind Gurode and he has been good in pass blocking as well, allowing 1.5 sacks and being flagged only twice. Flo Adams can learn discipline from him.
RG: Bobbie Williams, CIN -You probably heard of a guy named Kenny Watson that came in and replaced Rudi Johnson up in Cincinnati. Well, despite the horrid play of Rudi Johnson, Bobbie Williams continued to be the Bengals best run blocker for another year. Running behind him, Kenny Watson didn't average the best numbers, but he did put up what was most important... 6 touchdowns. However, when Johnson did play he was runnning behind Williams for 4 Yards Per Carry and a touchdown.
RT: Erik Pears, DEN - While they didn't do it as often as possible, running to the Right, the Denver Bronco's HalfBacks had major success, averaging 5.5 Yards Per Carry. That's why Pears makes this list. The Broncos' Backs ran for about 1/6th of their yardage to the Right, despite running that way about 14% of the time. His decent pass protection has helped protect Cutler, yielding 6.5 sacks and only being flagged four times. Not great, but not bad for a 2nd year player.
RDE: Mario Williams, HOU - All I can say is... I told you so. Taking a "sure-fire" Defensive star is a much better pick than taking a HalfBack that can't be an everydown back. Williams, in only his second season in the NFL has emerged as one of the league's premier pass rushers, bringin 14 sacks, 59 tackles, 4.5 stuffs, 2 forces fumbles, a recovery and a pass defense in his Sophomore season. When it was all said and done, Williams was robbed of a Pro Bowl spot, but not this All-Pro spot.
LDE: Aaron Kampman, GNB - Throughout the off-season I kept hearing that this guy was the best Defensive End in the NFL, whether it be the Left or Right Side. Well, while he certainly wasn't the best last season, he wasn't a slouch. His run support left something to be desired with only 1.5 stuffs, but he was stout against the pass with 12 sacks and a forced fumbles and recovery.
LDT: Vince Wilfork, NWE - It appears that Vince Wilfork has finally taken the leap expected of him. In a year where Jamal Williams regressed and Casey Hampton and Vince Wilfork stepped their games up, Wilfork arguably played as the league's best Nose Tackle. His filtering allowed his LineBackers to achieve 24.5 sacks, and his force against the rush allowed for the Pats to rank 10th against the run. Most impressive is that he did it for 6 weeks without Richard Seymour.
RDT: Kevin Williams, MIN - Working alongside our first teamer, Pat Williams, the other Williams, Kevin, turned in a pretty decent season. He offered up 38 total tackles, 3 sacks and 4 stuffs against the run. He also offered a Forced fumble and a recovery. But his most impressive plays of the season were his plays where he got his hands up. Williams defended 6 passes, and turned two of them into Interceptions that he returned for touchdowns. I don't think I've ever seen a Defensive Tackle do that.
LOLB: Mike Vrabel, NWE - After having much success as one of the Patriots' 3-4 Inside LineBackers, Mike Vrabel was moved to the outside where he found immense success. Vrabel was capable of producing two 3-sack games, and probably should've been a 2-time Defensive Player of the Week this year. Vrabel turned in 77 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 1.5 stuffs, and 5 forced fumbles. A pretty competent season at the 3-4 OLB position.
MLB: Brian Urlacher, CHI - Despite what the average fan and the media thinks, Brian Urlacher had one of his betters seasons this year. In fact, Urlacher shed the mold of a "North-South" LineBacker and played the way that many fans had been claiming he used to play in the past. Urlacher finally made an actual dent in the passing game, racking up 12 PDs(8 legitimate) and 5 Interceptions(3 legitimate), including one returned for a touchdown. He added 2.5 stuffs, 5 Sacks and 123 total tackles.
ROLB: Michael Boley, ATL - This guy was robbed of a Pro Bowl, but he certainly was one of the three bright spots to come out of Atlanta this season. Boley turned out 103 tackles, 3 Sacks, 2 Interceptions(both legitimate), 7 passes defensed(5 legitimate) and also contributed 3 forced fumbles. Boley had a ridiculous season and yet flew under the radar because the big story in Atlanta was how they sucked, their coach "sucked", and how Michael Vick and the aforementioned Coach screwed them over.
LCB: Sheldon Brown, PHI/ Ike Taylor, PIT - For the 3rd time in 4 years, Sheldon Brown has been the Eagles' best CornerBack. Allowing few touchdowns, and only having one "bad" game against Seattle where he allowed a go ahead TD, Brown played lights out this season. Brown offered up 68 total tackles, 2 stuffs against the run, and a forced fumble. Brown also offered 14 passes defensed(9 legitimate) and 3 Interceptions(1 legitimate). Brown has been exremely consistant. | Once again, if Ike Taylor had a decent set of hands, he'd probably be a 1st team All-Pro on both mine and the Associated Press's lists. Taylor turned in 69 solo tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and recovery, 16 passes defensed(11 legitimate) and 3 Interceptions(1 legitimate), one for Touchdown. Taylor's season is best recaped when realizing that aside from the Anthony Smith play to Randy Moss, Taylor gave up no big plays over 40 yards and was left on an island a lot.
RCB: Nnamdi Asomugha, OAK - In all honesty, Asomugha could've honestly been a 1st teamer... if his team's run defense was even marginally better. In terms of blanketing Wide Receives, Asomugha had one of the best seasons in NFL history, and arguably the best considering the day and age we live in. He was only charted as the target roughly 29 times and allowed few completions but still logged 6 legitimate passes defensed and a legitimate interception. But the number of throws against him yields a bias because teams were taking advantage of the front 7's inability to stop the run.
SS: Bob Sanders, IND - In all honesty, despite their down years, I could still make a case for Roy Williams or Troy Polamalu, because they both turned in as many turnovers as Sanders and had as good a season as Sanders did. The only difference is that Sanders is loved by the media. However, Sanders was part of the #1 pass defense in the NFL and offered career bests of 3.5 sacks, 6 passes defensed(3 legitimate) and 2 Interceptions. However, his defense finishing #1 in Points and Pass D pushed him over for the final spot.
FS: Sean Taylor, WAS - Despite the fact that he passed away last month, and wouldn't have played a complete season anyway, this spot isn't simply to be a memorial to Sean Taylor. The fact is, that while he was playing, and before he died, Taylor was playing his best season of his career, bouncing back from one of the worst seasons ever by a Safety. Taylor had offered up 9 passes defensed(1 legitimate) and 5 Interceptions(1 legitimate)
Runners-Up that fell Just Short:
*Cooper Carlisle of Oakland fell just short of 3rd team RG to Williams*
*Ronde Barber of Tampa Bay fell just short of 3rd team CB to Asomugha*
*Logan Mankins of New England fell just short of 3rd team LG to Faneca*
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