The big surprise of the first half of the season is that Super Bowl teams New England and Philadelphia both are 4-4 and struggling.
A bigger surprise is that the Bears are one game better at 5-3.
Maybe there are no surprises at all, given that nothing ever stays exactly the same in the NFL for long, not even Patriot domination.
It’s not a big surprise that the Colts are the only undefeated team at 8-0. They remain the consensus Super Bowl favorites.
It is a surprise that Eli Manning has as many touchdown passes, 14, as big brother Peyton.
It is a surprise that the NFC has more winning teams (eight) than the AFC (seven).
It’s no surprise that a receiver named Moss is having a sensational year. It is a surprise that it’s Santana, not Randy.
And who is Steve Smith?
He’s the 5-9 receiver for the Panthers who is among the surprise MVP leaders at halftime.
It’s midseason awards time.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER OF THE HALF-YEAR
No wide receiver ever has won the award, so Steve Smith will have to settle for outstanding offensive player. MVP belongs to quarterbacks and running backs. Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer edges out Denver’s Jake Plummer. Both are exceeding expectations, but Palmer leads the league in touchdown passes with 18. Without him, the Bengals might be 2-7 instead of 7-2. Plummer’s main contribution is avoiding interceptions. He has only three as the Broncos lead the AFC West.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE HALF-YEAR
Dwight Freeney commands double teams on the edge and still has six sacks for the Colts, while opposite end Robert Mathis leads the league with nine. Freeney edges Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu, who makes plays every time you see him.
COACH OF THE HALF-YEAR
Tony Dungy is about to make people in Tampa second-guess themselves. But wait until Monday night, Nov. 28, when Bill Cowher takes his Steelers to Indianapolis in the game of the second half.
ROOKIE OF THE HALF-YEAR
Tampa running back Cadillac Williams got off to a great start until he got hurt, and Auburn teammate Ronnie Brown has pulled ahead of him. But the pick is the Bears’ Kyle Orton. He’s the only rookie starting quarterback, and his team will win the NFC North, assuming the rest of the league doesn’t vote the division out. Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller gets votes with six TD catches. For defensive rookie, Cincinnati linebacker Odell Thurman is outdoing Georgia and Bengals teammate David Pollack.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE HALF-YEAR
There’s Shaun Alexander, who leads the league in rushing. There’s Ben Roethlisberger, who is leading the NFL in passing without passing much at all. There’s LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates, the two best players at their positions propelling the same San Diego Chargers. But Carolina’s Steve Smith is leading the league in catches, 55, yards, 903, and touchdowns, 9. No wonder the Panthers thought they could get along without Mushin Muhammad. Smith was hurt last season so gets consideration for comeback player too.
SECOND-BEST TEAM OF THE HALF-YEAR
The Colts are the only 8-0 team. But the Bengals are 7-2 and the Steelers, Falcons, Panthers, Giants, Seahawks and Broncos are all 6-2. So who is second-best? Sorry, NFC, it still looks like the AFC is the cream of the crop, with the Steelers edging the Broncos for runner-up.
MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM OF THE HALF-YEAR
The 3-5 Vikings were supposed to make a Super Bowl run after getting rid of Randy Moss. Oops. The 1-7 Packers are reeling from injury, and the 1-7 Houston Texans were supposed to compete for a playoff spot, but there are experts who picked the Vikings to get to the Super Bowl. They can’t get out of their own way.
COMEBACK OF THE CENTURY
Ricky Williams thought he could win something after spending last season globetrotting, but Tedy Bruschi broke new ground when he came back from a stroke and an operation to repair a hole in his heart. From now on, it’s the Tedy Bruschi Award.
BIGGEST DISTRACTION OF THE HALF-YEAR
Terrell Owens beats out Hurricane Katrina. Both make Minnesota’s Love Boat ride look like a simple canoe trip. Although the Owens storm didn’t leave death and destruction in its wake, Owens tried to sabotage the Eagles’ season, just as the hurricane did to the Saints. The difference is Owens should be able to control himself, which makes this an unnatural disaster. The Viking ship was sinking before the escapade on Lake Minnetonka.
WORST INJURY OF THE HALF-YEAR
When the Patriots lost safety Rodney Harrison for the season, they lost the heart and soul of their defense. The Packers lost receiver Javon Walker and running back Ahman Green for the season, and the Rams lost coach Mike Martz to illness. The Jets lost two quarterbacks, Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler, in one day. The Vikings lost quarterback Daunte Culpepper for the season. The Patriots have lost too many starters, including defensive lineman Richard Seymour. Harrison tops the list.
BEST RACE OF THE HALF-YEAR
The NFC East is again the Beast. The Eagles are alone in last place, but the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins know better than to count them out. This is going to be fun until the final week. Runner-up division–the AFC West is as competitive top to bottom, and don’t count out the 3-5 Raiders just yet.
MOSS OF THE HALF-YEAR
They made fun of Washington’s Joe Gibbs for getting rid of receiver Laveranues Coles and adding little Santana Moss. But Moss already has 49 catches, four more than he had all last season with the Jets and 23 more than Randy Moss has with the Raiders.
BIGGEST FLOP OF THE HALF-YEAR
The Detroit Lions’ offense was supposed to break out this season, but quarterback Joey Harrington, running back Kevin Jones, and receivers Roy Williams, Charles Rogers and Mike Williams–all first-rounders–disappeared at the same time. Coach Steve Mariucci may disappear next.
