2008-09 Seasonal Awards + All-Pro's

End Of The Year Awards
Offensive Player Of The Year: DeAngelo Williams, CAR
DeAngelo Williams had one heck of a season. Williams had five games in which he had more than one Touchdown. He had an additional seven games in which he ran for over 100 Yards. However, what may have been most impressive out Williams' season is that he got stronger as the season went on and had his two best games in the two biggest games of the season. Williams had nine games over 4.5 Yards Per Carry But all of this is moot when you consider that this man put up 20 Touchdowns while splitting carries. Any other season that would make him the clear-cut MVP.
Runner-Up: Michael Turner, ATL

Defensive Player Of The Year: James Harrison, PIT
With all due respect to DeMarcus Ware, who came dangerously close to setting the Single-Season Sack Record, it is my belief that James Harrison was just more impactful. Harrison was the first 3-4 Outside LineBacker to amass over 100 Total Tackles. Harrison wasn't tops in the NFL in terms of Sacks produced, but he was in terms of Yards Per Sack. Harrison also led the league in Forced Fumbles, and his Safety and Interception are both top 5 at the 3-4 Outside LineBacker position. Accounting for the 7 times his opponent was Flagged for Holding, Harrison could've broken the record. Harrison was the unquestioned leader on what people consider the league's best Defense. *If Ware does set the record, then he becomes my winner
Runner-Up: DeMarcus Ware, DAL/Albert Haynesworth, TEN

Offensive Rookie Of The Year: Matt Ryan, ATL/Matt Forte, CHI
Matt Ryan is the obvious choice and all. I mean come on, as a Rookie QuarterBack he had his team competing for a 1st Round Bye come Week 17. The Falcons' weren't expected to be anywhere near the Post-Season, let alone be an NFC powerhouse. Ryan's campaign, however, is hurt by the fact that he had a strong running game in Michael Turner and had an elite Wide Reciever in Roddy White to help him. Ryan, however, made some tight throws and some veteran throws that no other Rookie QuarterBack would've made and was intergral in some of the Falcons' wins.
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Matt Forte should also win this award because he was flat out a Superstar. Forte, this season, was what many fans thought Reggie Bush would be when he came out a few seasons ago; A HalfBack that could run for 1,000 Yards and then add numerous factors in the passing game. Forte may not have the best Yards Per Carry, or even the most impressive statline, but it is Forte's presence on the Bears that made them a contender for the Post-Season when they probably should've been done back in Week 10 or so. The fact that Forte is 2nd in Yards From Scrimmage and tied for 8th in TDs from Scrimmage. Matt Forte carried this Bears team and deserves more than the 1 or 2 votes he'll get.
Runner-Up: Chris Johnson, TEN/Steve Slaton, HOU/Joe Flacco, BAL

Defensive Rookie Of The Year: Brandon Flowers, KNC
I can't think of anybody outside of the Chiefs fanbase who have thought anything interesting about Brandon Flowers this season. But Flowers was the best Rookie CornerBack. Sure, he didn't post the best Interception totals or the best Pass Defensed totals, but he did what was most imporant... stop the opponent from getting receptions. Flowers had the best metrics amongst all Rookie CornerBacks, as well as posted an impressive 90+ Yard Interception vs. the Jets. Flowers also got involved in the run game with 4 Stuffs and started just about every game.
Runner-Up: Chris Horton, WAS

Comeback Player Of The Year: Antonio Bryant, TAM
All due respect to Chad Pennington who was an important cog for the resurgent Dolphins, but Antonio Bryant is the Comeback Player Of The Year. Why? Because he, quite literally, had to come back to the NFL. Pennington was just benched due to the stupidity of the "Mangenius". Bryant didn't take a single snap for an NFL team last season, and yet, this season he is in the top 12 in the 3 major receiving statistics. Not bad for a guy who won the Flanker spot on the roster due to the star going down due to injury. Oh, not to mention that he had the best game for a Wide Receiver all season in the Carolina game.
Runner-Up: Chad Pennington, MIA

2008-09 League Most Valuable Player: Peyton Manning, IND
The Colts have been in 8 close games so far throughout the season. Of those 8 close games, they've won 7 and lost 1. Of those 7 wins, it was a Peyton Manning-lead drive that put points on the Board that was the difference between a "Win" and a "Loss" in 5 of them. His late game heroics against the Vikings, Texans, Patriots, Steelers and Chargers(All 5 of which are above average teams, despite the Charger's record) are the difference in the Colts' season. So the difference between a 6 win season and a top 3 Record in the AFC is Peyton Manning. Oh, did I mention that Peyton Manning has had all 5 starting Offensive Linemen in only one game this season? Did I also mention that he's missing 3/4ths of his starting secondary and that a key cog in his offense, Joseph Addai, has been banged up?
Runner-Up: DeAngelo Williams, CAR

2008-09 Coach Of The Year: Mike Smith, ATL
All due respect to Tony Sparano, but Mike Smith just had more crap to deal with, and didn't have the help necessary to help him out. Sparano had Parcells to help him out, and had a franchise who's worst problem was that it couldn't win close games (hence 1-15 instead of 7-9). Smith was part of a franchise that didn't have a single player that was worth noting except for Roddy White and John Abraham. While those two guys showed up, Smith was capable of bringing out the best in his Rookie QuarterBack, took a chance on Michael Turner and worked with and even made ballsy moves like benching standout LineBacker Michael Boley. Sparano hasn't had that kind of decision making thrusted upon him.
Runner-Up: Tony Sparano, MIA

All-Pro First Team

QB: Philip Rivers, SDG
Sure, Rivers didn't lead the league in Passing Attempts or Passing Yards, but he didn't need to. That is because he led all QuarterBacks in the most important passing statistic... Touchdowns(34). Even if you take away his 5 in which Darren Sproles did most of the work, he's still top 2 in this aspect. Rivers' season was the best by any QB this season, bar none, and he didn't have half the hype surrounding him like those other two, and he did it with a lot of his offensive Superstars being injured at various points.

HB: DeAngelo Williams, CAR
Mr. Williams, like Mr. Rivers, didn't lead the league in the unimportant rushing statistics. Heck, he even split a lot of carries with a running mate with statistics that I wish my team's HalfBack would've put up this season. However, his 20 Touchdowns From Scrimmage on the year beat out the competition, and he did it on less carries than the opposition. His 5.5 YPC is only bested by Derrick Ward and no one else in the NFL has more runs of 40+ Yards. Finally, in consideration with all this is that he hasn't fumbled on the season.

HB: Michael Turner, ATL
I remember when San Diego let him walk and many analysts said that Turner would be "great". I couldn't help but laugh and wonder how they could determine that based pm a YPA that was helped by a lack of carries. Man, I was wrong. Turner saw that YPC drop an entire yard (4.5), but he hit the ground running in Week 1 and never looked back. Sure his receiving totals are horrible, but believe Ryan's passing totals look so well because of him. His 1,699 Yards Rushing and 17 TDs are both amongst the tops at the position.

FB: Brad Hoover, CAR
Earlier this season when I contemplated voting for the Pro Bowl, I found that the HalfBacks were doing great up the middle, despite the fact that Carolina had used two separate Centers due to injury. There, however, was no drop off. Eventually, after hearing Stewart rave about him, I went and looked at Hoover's numbers. In an age where the 2-Tight End-Set is becoming the norm, The Panthers predominately ran out of the I-Formation and Hoover was a big reason for that, helping produce over 1,250 rushing yards, 16 TDs, and 60 First Downs.

TE: Tony Gonzalez, KNC
This was a down year for him and what does he do? He produces more Yards than all other Tight Ends in the NFL. Mr. Gonzalez produced, yet another, thousand yard season and also was a security blanket for Tyler Thigpen with 10 TDs and 20+ 3rd Down grabs for a First. But what made Gonzo's season so impressive is the moments in which he came up big, like clutch grabs vs. San Diego, musceling his way in for points numerous times, and being one of only two people to bring in more than one reception vs. Nnamdi Asomugha.

WR: Andre Johnson, HOU
Andre Johnson is a one man wrecking crew. Let me rephrase that… Johnson is a one man Receiver crew. Don’t believe me? Check out Owen Daniels’ and Kevin Walter’s statistics. While those two guys are very talented you had best believe they see a lot of good production because they line up opposite of Mr. Johnson here. Funny how, two off-seasons ago, I called him overrated due to his drop problems. Apparently that eye surgery was all he needed. Johnson came pretty darn close to a triple-crown type season and set some NFL records along the way.

WR: Calvin Johnson, DET
Calvin Johnson could very strongly be argued to not deserve this place. On the same token Johnson has a strong argument to be here as well. I, however, feel that, when voting All-Pro and Award consideration more than simple numbers need to be taken into account. Johnson, aka Megatron, was on what will now go down as the worst team to every play Football. However, instead of giving up on the season Johnson willed the Lions into their final three games and gave them the chance to be in those games. I would just like to see what he could do in more than 3 or 4 games where they’re close and he’s going against strong man coverage..

LT: Michael Roos, TEN
Michael Roos has been a top 5 Tackle for at least a couple of seasons now, but this season he made a strong push for the number one spot. Roos has allowed all of one sack on the season and is a mauler in the passing game, rarely needing help. However, he finally got a competent "Outside-The-Tackles" HalfBack to boost his run blocking numbers too. Roos was a strong influence in Rookie Chris Johnson's season, allowing him to run Left Off-Tackle for 232 Yards and 3 TDs. Its no coincidence that this is where Johnson saw his biggest success.

LG: Justin Blalock, ATL
I can't believe it was only last season that I was cursing the Steelers for not taking this guy in the 2nd, only to turn aroud and say that it was the best non-move that we ever made. Blalock is the Falcons' only Lineman that Atlanta has run behind at least once in every single game. Horrid in the passing game last season, Blalock has improved drastically, affording only 3 sacks on the year. Falcons HalfBacks have run Left Guard-Trap 90 times for 499 Yards, with an impressive 7 TDs, 28 First Downs, and only 3 Stuffs going into Week 17.

C: Nick Mangold, NYJ
Ever since entering the league Mangold has been excellent at the point of attack, and as a result I've believed he's the next coming of Jeff Saturday. This season it would seem that he is proving that belief to be true. Mangold saw his worst season in terms of penalties, but they only amounted to 26 penalty yards. In fact, one could argue that, disciplinary-wise, this was his worst season to date. But Brett Favre can do that to you. But in terms of production and leadership, Mangold was on. This includes 4 TDs, and 20 First Downs up the gut.

RG: Chris Snee, NYG
Said it last year, and I will say it again. Chris Snee is the best Right Guard in the NFL. Sure, my bid for a Super Bowl MVP for him was a little ridiculous, but this guy is dominant. The best Lineman on what is, arguably, the top Offensive Line in the NFL. It's not even close how large of a gap there is between Snee and the next guy. It doesn't matter who is running the ball, they're most likely running Right Guard-Trap, made evident by 28% of their run plays being called so. 5 TDs and 34 First Downs don’t hurt either.

RT: David Stewart, TEN
The other half of the Titans' elite Tackle duo for the past three seasons, David Stewart is perhaps getting more recognition than Michael Roos from the media. Stewart has only allowed 1.5 Sacks on the season, but that's what's not most impressive about his season. It's the lack of a single penalty upheld against him. He's also getting it done in the run game. Whereas Roos gets it done in the speed running game, Stewart is someone LenDale White owes quite a few gamechecks to, helping him punch in a good amount of TDs on the Right Side.

RDE: John Abraham, ATL
Despite what some people might say, there hasn't been a more dominant Defensive End this season than John Abraham. While I had him as a top 10 pass rusher coming into the off-season I didn't believe he'd finish with anything more than 8 to 10 Sacks. But, like Michael Turner, he started strongly in Week 1 and never looked back. Abraham was a force on the season with 16.5 Sacks. For good measure he threw in 3 more plays behind the Line of Scrimmage and 4 Forced Fumbles. Abraham was a man possessed this season.

LDE: Jared Allen, MIN
Prior to the start of the season Jared Allen was penciled in by many, myself included, to be the eventual Defensive MVP with a possible 20+ Sack season. While he fell short of those of those expectations due to a slow start, no other Defensive End had a stronger end to the season. While his season wasn't as good as last year, he somewhat met expectations with 14.5 Sacks, and 6.5 Stuffs, good for the most plays behind the Line of Scrimmage this year. He also contributed 2* Safeties, 3 PDs and 3 Forced Fumbles.

RDT: Albert Haynesworth, TEN
Is there any other Defensive player in the NFL with as large of an impact as this guy in the past 2 seasons? Haynesworth is the only Defensive Lineman in the NFL that can literally play any Down Technique that there is. Whether he lines up at the 3-4 DE, 4-3 DE, DT or NT. Haynesworth has recorded at least 1 Sack and .5 Stuffs at the Left End, Right End, and the Defensive Tackle positions. His 14.5(8.5 Sacks, 6 Stuffs) plays behind the Line of Scrimmage is unheard of from a Defensive Tackle. 3 Forced Fumbles, 1 Recovery and 2 PDs show the dominance.

LDT: Haloti Ngata, BAL
Haloti Ngata is the only Defensive Linemen with a season that could rival that of Haynesworth's and yet he didn't even make the Pro Bowl. Ngata anchored a Run Defense that was no worse than 3rd at any point in the season, and did it when moving to the Nose Tackle position due to Kelly Gregg's injury. He still spent time at the DE position as well and was dominant there as well. Ngata posted a dream season for a 3-4 Nose Tackle. 55 Tackles, 1 Sack, 5 Stuffs, 2 Interceptions and 5 PDs and numerous Wide Receivers tracked down.

LOLB: DeMarcus Ware, DAL
Let me put it this way. DeMarcus Ware made a run at the NFL Single-Season Sack Record. DeMarcus Ware broke the Consecutive-Game Sack Record. DeMarcus Ware has drawn more comparison to Lawrence Taylor than any other 3-4 OLB in history all of a sudden. When you have a season like that, it's a virtual impossibility for you to not make the All-Pro squad. This marks Ware's 2nd straight season as my 1st Team All-Pro Outside LineBacker, but this year was much better than the previous. If you don't know the statline by now, then shame on you.

MLB: Ray Lewis, BAL
What? Ray Lewis? He's over the hill. He's not that great... I'm sorry. Ray Lewis shows you the difference between a "Good" LineBacker and a "Great" one. The former is good for a few years. The latter is always good. Ray Lewis had, far and away, the most complete season by an Inside or Middle LineBacker this year, and did it while most of the NFL Fanbase forgot about him after Week 5. Lewis made numerous plays at the Line of Scrimmage and out in space. Whether it was getting an interception or stuffing a HalfBack.

ROLB: James Harrison, PIT
What can I say about this guy that hasn't already been said? While I believed he could take a step from 2nd Team All-Pro to the 1st Team, I, in no way, shape, or form believed that this guy would be a strong candidate for Defensive Player Of The Year. Harrison has set all kinds of benchmarks, both as a Steeler, and as a Defensive player in general. Harrison has done something that doesn't seem likely for 3-4 Outside LineBackers... amassed over 100 Total Tackles. His league leading 7 Forced Fumbles and an Interception don't hurt either.

LCB: Nnamdi Asomugha, OAK
I don't think I even need a paragraph to describe why this guy is so good, unlike the others. However, I will, like I've done in my other explanations, explain that I think he is slightly overrated due to the talent, or lack thereof, around him. If you thought being targeted only 35 times in a season was something, then you can't even believe his season this year, including at least five games in which he did not allow a single completion to any receiver. It's no coincidence that DeAngelo Hall, Gibril Wilson and Michael Huff all looked bad... because you have to avoid this guy.

RCB: Antoine Winfield, MIN
I know I may receive some flak for including him over other players with more favorable numbers, but the fact of the matter is that, without Antoine Winfield, the Minnesota Vikings would not have even been in contention for a Playoff spot. Sure, Winfield was stout in coverage, having top coverage metrics alongside Sheldon Brown, Nnamdi Asomugha and charlse Woodson's of the world. But Antoine Winfield gets the nod because of them because his heroics won the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers games for the Vikes.

SS: Troy Polamalu, PIT
A healthy Troy Polamalu is the league's Best Safety, Free or Strong. Troy Polamalu might have had his best season this year when you consider all things. Heck, his interceptions vs. Kevin Kolb and Philip Rivers are two of the best catches I've ever seen and I don't think any other Defense would've made them. Polamalu has 7 different games with an Interception, most of which were due to good coverage. His 5 plays behind the Line of Scrimmage don't hurt either. He was as consistent as it got, as he was only beaten for one big play, an 8-Yard TD Pass.

FS: Michael Griffin, TEN
What?! No Ed Reed? You're darn right, and I stand by this decision full-heartedly. Michael Griffin came into the season as an unknown. He was viewed as the bottom member of the 2007 Safety class. Well I guess he used it as fuel, because, not only did he become a "Play Maker" with 7 Interceptions, 1 Sack, 1.5 Stuffs, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Recovery and a Touchdown but he became a solid coverage guy that was only beat for two truly significant big plays... a 60 Yard Post Route to Andre Johnson and a TD pass in Zone. I'll take that over any FS's season in a while.

All-Pro Second Team

QB: Drew Brees, NWO
Personally I believe that Brees' season was hyped up way too early and the MVP talk was clearly too early, however, that does not negate what he did for this New Orleans' team this season. Brees, obviously, posted the numbers, leading the league in Attempts, and posting 34 Touchdowns and only 17 Interceptions, with 5,000 Yards to support his case, but he did this despite the fact that much of his offense was injured at various points throughout the season. He was a bonified leader this season and produced regardless of whom was in the lineup.

HB: Adrian Peterson, MIN
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Be wary, Peterson is still the premier HalfBack in the NFL, but Peterson quickly fell from a top 2 MVP Candidate to no longer on the radar in the span of two games. Why? Because he had a little case of "Fumblitis". However, that doesn't negate that, his numbers, prior to those games, warranted 1st Team consideration for the majority of the season. In fact, Peterson won the rushing title and put up numbers most HalfBacks would kill for. However, his YPC and TD totals find him slightly falling to the 2nd team.

HB: Thomas Jones, NYJ
I remember that Jets fans and I were trying to tell people that Thomas Jones would rebound to his Chicago form with the additions added to the FullBack and Offensive Line positions in the Off-Season. While some believed us, these claims, for the most part, fell on some deaf ears. However, Jones showed up strong and did much better than I believe that any of us would've though. Jones posted career highs in every positive statistic, and career lows in every negative statistic. Most impressive where his 15 Touchdowns From Scrimmage.

FB: Mike Sellers, WAS
Mike Sellers has been heralded as underrated by Redskins fans and analysts alike for years. Heck, even I didn't feel justified in placing him in the "80 Most Impactful Players" list last year. While there could've been other Redskins' blockers on either team, their injury shortened years ruined their chances. However, there is no way to ignore the impact that Mike Sellers had on Clinton Portis' running. Portis ran for 13 more First Downs, 2 More Touchdowns and 273 more Yards in the Power-I than as the Single Back. Not to mention the rise of .8 YPC.

TE: Jason Witten, DAL
Man. I'm sorry, but there is no other Tight End on the level of Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez. Despite being injured, despite being tired, despite being in unfavorable situations in both of their cases, all they do is produce! Jason Witten went through a large amount of time with broken ribs and still managed to out produce every other Tight End except for Tony Gonzalez. Mr. Witten is clutch and there's a reason he is looked at first before Terrell Owens is. Witten continues the trend of Jay Novacheck(my favorite player ever) of excellent Dallas Tight Ends.

WR: Larry Fitzgerald, ARI
Larry Fitzgerald could very well be the SE Wide Receiver on the 1st Team, however, because of the Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston factor his status was harmed. Fact is, Fitz could be argued as having had the best season of all Wide Receivers, but, in my eyes, the system he plays in will always harm him. As stated for Calvin Johnson more than just the raw numbers were considered. Fitzgerald had one hell of a season and he and Boldin made Kurt Warner look much better than he is (remember those Warner for MVP Talks? Laugh Out Loud.) Unfortunately for Fitz he plays across from Q. Otherwise he’d be the unquestioned FL Wide Receiver on the 1st Team.

WR: Steve Smith, CAR
When you consider the fact that Steve Smith only played in 14 games this season and was top 10 in every Wide Receiver number, it makes you wonder if he would have been the 1st Team Flanker had he not punched teammate Ken Lucas. Steve Smith lead the league in Yards Per Reception for Wide Receivers that are worth noting (i.e. have more than just a few catches) and his reception and TD totals weren’t bad either. However, what might have been most impressive about Smith’s season is that he made constant catches in double coverage with games on the line that Jake Delhomme just heaved up.

LT: Ryan Clady, DEN
By now I am sure that you are well aware of Ryan Clady. I mean we are aware of a few Broncos fans that have been boastful about Ryan and his .5 Sacks Allowed. To counteract this boasting, numerous fans of other teams have provided two prominent arguments. Those are a.) Clady receives regular TE help and b.) Cutler rolls away from Clady a lot. While the latter of these two accusations are true, after doing research, the former accusation is most certainly not. Clady only had Tight End help on 13% of the Broncos' passing downs. Maybe he should've been a Pro Bowler after all.

LG: Steve Hutchinson, MIN
Make no mistake about it. Steve Hutchinson very well could've been the first teamer. The problem is, however, is that the Falcons ran Left Guard-Trap at least once every game. The Vikings didn't. That isn't to say Hutch didn't pull, but it hurt his case. That and the fact that there wasn't much of a fall-off between running Left Guard-Trap and running Right Guard-Trap for the Vikings this season, whether it was Taylor or Peterson. The 4 Touchdowns and team-high 29 First Downs don't hurt either. His Pass-Blocking, however, took a step back.

C: Shaun O'Hara, NYG
Perhaps what is most impressive about Shaun O'Hara's season is the lack of miss-steps during his season. Only 2 penalties and only a single sack allowed on the season. However, what is equally impressive is that Earth, Wind and Fire have run for 6 Yards Per Carry when running it up the gut. Throw in the fact that he was extremely instrumental in the numerous audibles that Eli Manning called this season, and I don't think there is much of a drop off between him and Mangold this season. O'Hara very well could've been the 1st Teamer.

RG: Brandon Moore, NYJ
I don't think that it would be fair to include him on this team without denoting that a lot of his production came from some excellent clearing blocks between him and Damien Woody. The entire right side of Mangold, Moore and Woody where clearly the trusted side to run on, and this is evidenced by the 160+ rushes to this side and the resulting 12 TDs. Coupled with over 700 Yards Rushing running Right Guard-Trap (though it didn't always clearly look like it), and I think the Jets'll be find when Alan Faneca, who instilled toughness in this line, is gone.

RT: Jon Stichcomb, NWO
Is the Right Tackle position in the NFL that unimpressive for yet another year? Aside from Stewart and the 3rd Teamer, who got in on his Run-Blocking, there weren't too many downright mauling Right Tackles in the pass and run game. Stitchcomb has been pretty good since assuming the starting role when Brees came to town, and this year was his best. He is a large reason that Brees was kept off of his backside, allowing only 1.5 Sacks on the season. What makes this particular numbers so impressive is the rather large number of Dropbacks Drew Brees underwent.

RDE: Justin Tuck, NYG
Michael who? Osi what? Justin Tuck took over the premier pass rusher role in New York and had no problem adjusting. Tuck's versatility was limited as a lack of depth at DE didn't allow him to also play Defensive Tackle in the rotation, but he was still dropped into coverage more than your average 4-3 Defensive End. Tuck turned in an astounding season, and was, in my opinion, the true leader of the Giants defense. Heck, with Home Field Advantage on the line Justin Tuck played a night game with the Flu and still managed to produce. Guys' tough.

LDE: Julius Peppers, CAR
Somewhere, deep down inside, you knew that last season was a fluke for Julius Peppers. Even better is that he was asked to play the much tougher Right End position to line up across from the Left Tackle. Despite this, Julius Peppers turned out a season with some career high numbers. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a more dominant performance than his game against Oakland. It'll be interesting to find out what happens to Peppers this off-season with an All-Pro caliber season under his belt right before hitting Free Agency.

RDT: Kevin Williams, MIN
Last season I said that Pat Williams is the more important cog to the "Williams Wall". Those sentiments remain true, however, there is no denying that Kevin Williams, like Haloti Ngata, had a season that many other Defensive Tackles would love to have. Williams produced 60 Total Tackles, 8.5 Sacks, 7 Stuffs, 1 Forced Fumble, 4 Passes Defensed and 2 Blocked Kicks. That is an impact at every level of play possible from a Defensive Tackle. I could very well make an argument for Williams over Ngata based on personal performance, but I feel a 4-3 NT does more than a 4-3 UT/NT.

LDT: Jonathan Babineaux, ATL
Jonathan who? Hell, I just know him as one of the J Babineaux's. But truth is, there is a reason John Abraham was capable of staying healthy all regular season for the first time in a while. Because this guy, while not always, was managing to take other Blockers away from him to prevent him from getting beat up by a Tackle and a Guard on every pass rushing snap. Babineaux lead NFL DTs in Stuffs with 10 and also contributed 3.5 Sacks. Abraham was at his best, whether at the Left or Right End, when he was next to Babineaux.

LOLB: Joey Porter, MIA
Last year most people thought Joey Porter was done. The Dolphins ran a lot of 4-3 style plays last season and left Porter exposed as they tried to turn him into a coverage LineBacker. Sure, he can cover better than the average 3-4 OLB, but it’s not his specialty. So Sparano and Parcells figured to work around their players' talents and went to predominate 3-4 calls on Defense this season. What happened? Joey Porter had arguably the best season of his career with 47 Tackles, 17.5 Sacks, 3 Stuffs, and 4 Forced Fumbles.

MLB: Barrett Ruud, TAM
Barrett Ruud is one of the players that I wasn't particularly fond of last season. In fact, I called him overrated at one point I believe because someone mentioned him as a top 10 Middle LineBacker. Well, Mr. Ruud blossomed into something special this season. Something All-Pro special. Few LineBackers were better than Ruud in terms of coverage this season, whether it was zone coverage or man coverage. His statline was kind of pretty as well with 137 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 4 Stuffs, 6 PDs and 2 Interceptions. All while his two OLBs were underperforming.

ROLB: Terrell Suggs, BAL
Terrell Suggs wasn't a dominant pass rusher this season. Heck, I don't think there was a QuarterBack in the league that located Suggs pre-snap like they did the previously three mentioned Outside LineBackers. But Suggs was playing for a contract and might have had his best overall season since entering the league. Suggs had 17 Plays behind the Line of Scrimmage(8 Sacks, 9 Stuffs), but also had 9 Passes Defensed and 2 Interceptions, both returned for Touchdowns. You can believe that Suggs' season will warrant a large contract this off-season.

LCB: Cortland Finnegan, TEN
When he got off to a quicker start than any CornerBack in the NFL there seemed to be a Cortland thread every week on every forum on the Internet, and rightfully so. But this caused apprehension about Cortland Finnegan and when Finnegan stopped racking up the Interceptions people seemed to just stop talking about him. I kept looking at this kid, and once he contained Greg Jennings, who was on another level at the time, I knew he was an All-Pro. Finnegan ended up with a season akin to last years, though allowing less receptions and yardage, and adding 17 PDs, 5 Ints, and 1 TD to his season.

RCB: Sheldon Brown, PHI
Man, Sheldon Brown is just freakishly good. I'm just glad that some people are finally starting to notice him. It only took 5 or 6 seasons. Even with Asante Samuel brought in, Sheldon Brown still managed to be the best CornerBack on the Eagles. Brown showed this season that, even with another elite CornerBack playing opposite of him, Brown could force the opposition to throw at that guy. There aren't too many guys in the league that could do that. Sheldon Brown did not allow a single TD on the season.

SS: Yeremiah Bell, MIA
Two years ago Yeremiah Bell came into the Dolphins' starting rotation with a few weeks left in the season and shook things up. He helped the Dolphins D to allow fewer points per game, less yardage on the ground, and less yardage in general. Then, in Week 1 of the 2007 season he went down with an injury so we never got to see if he could do it for a whole season. Well, this season he proved to us that he could. Bell offered well over 100 Tackles to the season, mainly in the box, but he made some plays in coverage from time to time as well.

FS: Ed Reed, BAL
How can anybody deny that Ed Reed is a great Safety? This was another one of his "down years" and he managed to be in the tops for Interceptions again. Whether they're from overthrown passes, tipped balls, or Ed making a break, Ed Reed knows how to catch a pass. Ed Reed also knows what to do with the ball when he gets it into his hands. His 3 Touchdowns were good enough to place him on the 1st Team All-Pro but a bunch of noticeable gaffs that wouldn't go noticed in previous seasons dropped him to the 3rd team over more consistent Free Safeties this season. His season finale heroics, however, boosted him back to the 2nd team.

All-Pro Third Team

QB: Peyton Manning, IND
Here he is... Your League Most Valuable Player... On the Third Team All-Pro?! Yup. Because the operative word in that acronym is "Valuable." Sure, Peyton Manning wasn't the league's best QuarterBack, statisitcally, but when you factor in everything, he still was a top 3 QuarterBack this season, even with a slow start. Peyton Manning had a "down year" with only 4,000 Passing Yards and 27 Passing TDs. If that's a "down year" than just imagine how great Manning truly is? In all honesty, this is, quite possibly, Manning's best season ever... including his 49 TD Pass Season.

HB: Clinton Portis, WAS
Clinton Portis was, literally, three tries away from making this team. What I mean was that he didn't make the initial Third Team All-Pro list, nor the second one. However, I realized that, despite his career low in Touchdown production, I could not ignore the fact that, for the first half of the season he was the League MVP. Additionally, it would be incredibly ignorant to ignore that Portis is still 4th in Rushing Yards despite being banged up. Portis is also top 5 in Total Yards From Scrimmage on the season. He's just a few TDs short of a higher team bid.

HB: Brandon Jacobs, NYG
Brandon Jacobs I apologize. 2 off-seasons ago I called you an overrated player that couldn't carry the load. While the latter is somewhat true, Jacobs is far from overrated. In fact, he's the opposite. Nobody ever seems to talk about Jacobs, despite the fact that he is the Giants Offense. Not Plaxico, not Eli, not anyone else. You. When Jacobs is in the line-up and playing the Giants are the best team in the NFL. Sure Derrik Ward had himself a nice little season, but Jacobs is the playmaker, and that's evidenced by all those Touchdowns in an incomplete season.

FB: Madison Hedgecock, NYG
I don’t even need to pull up the numbers. The Giants rushing attack may be one of the best of all time, and guess what? You cannot do that without a FullBack. Hedgecock may not be the most important cog in the offense, or even the most important cog in the run game. However… when he is called upon for duty Hedgecock lowers his head and gets the job done and some times hauls in a reception or two. Not bad for somebody that I did not like because he replaced Jim Finn.

TE: Owen Daniels, HOU
I think that, by now, everybody knows who Owen Daniels' is. Every forum that I frequent makes mention of how underrated he is. Sorry, but Daniels is no longer underrated. He's a perennial All-Pro. Owen has gone off for consecutive 750+ Yard seasons, and numbers like those are always going to have you in contention for an All-Pro spot. Daniels' lack of Touchdowns hurt him, but this is all forgiven by the fact that he is one of the two best Tight Ends in the NFL at moving the chains. He is also only bested in YAC at the Tight End position by Cooley and is second to Cooley for the best hands at the position this season with 2 Drops.

WR: Anquan Boldin, ARI
Anquan Boldin, or “Q” as he’s known around the Arizona fanbase is one hell of a Wide Receiver. First let’s comment on how tough he is to have a “Broken Sinus” and return to football in only 2 Weeks when most players would’ve called it a season. But forget that. Boldin only played in 12 games this season, and still was one of the top producing Wide Receivers in the league and was one of the best Wide Receivers at getting into the end zone. It is arguable that he and Fitzgerald could both have been 1st Teamers had they played the entire season healthy. Either way it’s incredible to have two Wide Receivers that are All-Pro worthy.

WR: Roddy White, ATL
Roddy, Roddy, Roddy. Man, if there were any of us that thought last season was just some lucky fluke, he proceeded to make us shut up and eat our crow. White is a very strong reason why Matt “Matty Ice” Ryan will win the Offensive Rookie Of The Year from the Associated Press. White made some athletic catches when it most mattered and did some good blocking to the outside for Norwood as well. Matt Ryan and Roddy White will be a connection to hear about for years to come? Manning/Harrison 2.0?

LT: Chris Samuels, WAS
I know that Samuels didn't finish the season, but for the 12 Games that he did play there wasn't a more complete Left Tackle than Samuels. Chris Samuels was rock solid, allowing just 3 Sacks going into his game vs. Baltimore. But, like always, Samuels was a pure mauler in the run game, helping to clear Clinton Portis for over 5 YPC on carries that went Left Off-Tackle. It is no coincidence that, once Samuels went down, Clinton Portis' production and time went down. It would seem that Chris Samuels' is Clinton Portis' crutch.

LG: Rich Seubert, NYG
This just in... That guy across from Chris Snee isn't so bad. Heck it is rare that you see somebody make a comment about Rich Seubert. It's usually Diehl, Snee and O'Hara getting praise, and McKenzie getting chastized. But Seubert isn't half bad. I mean, if you want to see then take a look at the Week 16 matchup against the Panthers when it was him doing most of the pulling duties instead of Chris Snee to free Derrick Ward. The 5 Touchdowns to that side don't hurt his case either, nor do the mere 3 Sacks allowed.

C: Olin Kreutz, CHI
Olin Kreutz? Olin Kreutz? Yeah. Suprises me too. It was only last season in which Olin Kreutz was proven to need a top 10 HalfBack to bolster his numbers up the gut, and even to protect his pass blocking numbers. And while Forte isn't a top 10 HalfBack he will be one day, so I yield the benefit of the doubt to Kreutz. Kreutz had an excellent pass blocking season offering up 0 Sacks on the season going into Week 17. Matt Forte, however, despite not being the biggest HalfBack went for 271 Yards and 3 TDs on 4.8 YPC up the gut.

RG: Mike Brisiel, HOU
Speaking of Rookie HalfBacks that experienced success running between the Tackles, what about Steve Slaton? Boy did he show up late in the season. Steve Slaton averages 4.8 Yards Per Carry, however, most of that comes running Off-Tackle. However, there is one run type between the Tackles that Slaton has experienced success with. Guard-Trap Right which was run 75 Times for 438 Yards, 19 First Downs and 3 Touchdowns. Brisiel also did decent for the Texans vaunted passing game, only allowing 2 Sacks on the season. He didn’t play up to his numbers, however.

RT: Damien Woody, NYJ
It should be noted that Brandon Moore made the second team due to Woody's ability to attack in the run game at the second level. Woody isn't on here because of his passing ability. Nor is he on here because of an ability to not get penalties like much of the others listed. Nope. Woody is on here because his play, when watching film on the Jets, stands out. I don't think I saw another Lineman get out to the 2nd level like Woody did all season. It's the reason Thomas Jones had so much success running Right. Heck, even on Jones' Denver run Woody never gave up blocking until Jones reached the endzone.

RDE: Robert Mathis, IND
No Bob Sanders? No problem. Because, like every year, two or three Defenisve players on the Colts Defense steps it up and makes the entire Defense look better than it is. Robert Mathis is vastly underrated and continues to post high Sack totals, but this season he decided to step it up. Mathis racked up double digit Sack totals, as well as was a force in forcing fumbles. He also had 4 Stuffs and he produced 4 multiple-sack games. His 3 Passes Defensed aren't too shabby either. His numbers, minus the sacks, are virtually identical to Second Team All-Pro player Julius Peppers.

LDE: Aaron Smith, PIT
If Aaron Smith didn't prove how gosh darn good he is last season, than this year should have been no question. Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel both missed numerous games at the Nose Tackle and Right Defensive End position. That is 66% of the Defensive Line for the Steelers. Despite missing that time, over the games in which those guys did not play, the Steelers Run Defense was still ranked first until their eventual falling from that position. This is because Smith held down the point of attack and prevented teams from running for large totals. He also threw in 5.5 Sacks, 3 Stuffs, 4 PD and 60 Tackles for god measure.

RDT: Tommie Harris, CHI
Tommie Harris almost didn't make this team. I had to do some thorough research before including him. But Harris had 11 plays behind the Line of Scrimmage with 5 sacks and 6 Stuffs. Tommie Harris and Dusty Dvoracek combined to help the Bears form the 4th best Rush Defense Unit in the NFL. Harris didn't exactly have an incredibly strong season, but he and Dvoracek both had good seasons that, when combined were one of the better seasons in the NFL.

LDT: Kris Jenkins, NYJ
Everyone knows about Kris Jenkins' season by now. Personally I think that it's a little overblown. I will vouche that he certainly had an impact, but I do not believe the difference between last year's defense and this years is solely on the shoulders of Jenkins. However, Jenkins was dominant at the point of attack. Ask the New England interior Offensive Linemen if you don't believe me. Jenkins posted what is, statistically; his 3rd best season and did so in adjusting to a new technique and new position. Next season he could very well push for the league's best NT position.

LOLB: LaMarr Woodley, PIT
Numerous "Breakout Player" threads were created around NFL forums and LaMarr Woodley's name was found in almost all of them. People knew that Woodley would be a stout pass rusher, but many didn't know he would end up posting some of the better numbers in the NFL. Woodley managed to cool down towards the end of the season, but still provided some pressure. Woodley was also pretty good in coverage when asked to perform the duty, such as covering Terrell Owens in zone coverage on a 3rd down pass. Woodley was an integral part on the Steelers D.

MLB: Jon Beason, CAR
Jon Beason is a great LineBacker. He's going to be something special. And for his entire career he will be compared to Patrick Willis which is going to be interesting as they're both very good Middle LineBackers. Beason is the Middle LineBacker, and unquestioned leader, on a Defense that was top 10 in numerous statistics at various points. At one point in the late season the Panthers were 3rd in Scoring Defense, 3rd in Rush Defense and were amongst the top defensive units. You can bet your bottom dollar this guy had a lot to do with it.


ROLB: Chad Greenway, MIN
Is the 4-3 Outside LineBacker position dead? I mean except for Greenway and Briggs there weren't too many decent seasons out there. Greeway secretly had himself a nice little season and did much more than make a simple tackle here or there. Greenway managed to produce over 100 Tackles as well as an impressive 5.5 Sacks and 7 Stuffs as well as 3 Forced Fumbles and 5 Passes Defensed. When Jared Allen was having his struggles earlier in the season it was Greenway who picked up the slack. His 16 Tackle game vs. Tampa Bay was probably the best Defensive game of any player all season.

LCB: Charles Woodson, GNB
Charles Woodson looked poised to repeat his first team success of last season early on in the season. He wasn't allowing completions and when he was being thrown at he was picking it off and taking it back for a Touchdown. However, members of the Packers' secondary started to get injured, as did members of other units on the Defense and Woodson's numbers started to fall. Sure, Woodson still had a top 5 season, but because of his eventual downfall in games such as the Carolina and Houston games, he dropped down to the 3rd team.

RCB: Ike Taylor, PIT
How good is the CornerBack position in the NFL when Ike Taylor has his best season and only manages to pull in a 3rd Team All-Pro spot? Tracking Taylor all season long, I had him allowing somewhere around 450 Yards through the air and 2 Touchdowns going into Week 17. Taylor was matched up against the likes of Randy Moss, Braylon Edwards, Terrell Owens, Andre Johnson, Derrick Mason, Reggie Wayne and more and did one heck of a job. Unfortunately Taylor had a string of 4 games in which he as only thrown at five times.

SS: Chris Hope, TEN
You know that your secondary is good when 75% of it is worthy of All-Pro consideration. Chris Hope has been elite Safety ever since the 2004 season, but it is just now that everyone knows how good he is due to his large game on Monday Night Football. Hope is a versatile Safety that has the range enough to play a Cover 3 Free Safety and the hard hitting ability to play a Strong Safety in any system around. You can believe that Hope's tutorship is a large reason as to why Griffin had such a strong season.

FS: Nick Collins, GNB
Do many people even know who Nick Collins is? I mean, coming into this season, I knew him as nothing more than that Safety with 4.2 Speed and nothing else. Combine Well, he most certainly actualized his speed, and maybe his talent. I found it funny that, towards the end of the year, people started naming Ed Reed as a Defensive Player Of The Year candidate because he had a few good games against Philly and Washington when Collins went untalked about despite already posting superior numbers by Week 10. He still has superior numbers with 7 Interceptions (only 1 gift wrapped to him), 15 PDs, 72 Tackles, 1 Stuff, 1 Forced Fumble and 3 Touchdowns.


HM: Patrick Willis, SNF
London Fletcher, WAS
Karlos Dansby, ARI
HM: Corey Webster, NYG
Darelle Revis, NYJ
HM: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, NYJ
HM: Thomas Davis, CAR
Lance Briggs, CHI
HM: Alan Faneca, NYJ
Kris Dielman, SDG
HM: Mike Patterson, PHI
HM: Mario Williams, HOU
HM: Brian Dawkins, PHI
HM: Greg Jennings