These were my individual Associated Press award winners (actual winner in parentheses):
Most Valuable Player: Chad Pennington (Peyton Manning).
Comeback Player: Kerry Collins (Chad Pennington).
Defensive Rookie: Jerod Mayo (Mayo).
Offensive Rookie: Matt Ryan (Ryan).
Defensive Player: James Harrison (Harrison).
Offensive Player: Drew Brees (Brees).
Coach: Mike Smith (Smith).
Mad Dog Mascaro posted some stuff on this year's All Pro teams, so I just wanted to add in the rosters, and also provide my ballot.
Here are the first- and second-team All Pro rosters:
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis.
Running Backs: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota; Michael Turner, Atlanta.
Fullback: Le'Ron McClain, Baltimore.
Tight End: Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City.
Wide Receivers: Andre Johnson, Houston; Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona.
Tackles: Jordan Gross, Carolina; Michael Roos, Tennessee.
Guards: Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota; Chris Snee, NY Giants.
Center: Kevin Mawae, Tennessee.
Placekicker: Stephen Gostkowski, New England.
Kick Returner: Leon Washington, NY Jets.
DEFENSE
Ends: Justin Tuck, NY Giants; Jared Allen, Minnesota.
Tackles: Albert Haynesworth, Tennessee; Kevin Williams, Minnesota.
Outside Linebackers: DaMarcus Ware, Dallas; James Harrison, Pittsburgh.
Inside Linebacker: Ray Lewis, Baltimore; Jon Beason, Carolina.
Cornerbacks: Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland; Cortland Finnegan, Tennessee.
Safeties: Ed Reed, Baltimore; Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh.
Punter: Shane Lechler, Oakland.
Here's my ballot:
OFFENSE:
Quarterback: Peyton Manning.
Running backs: Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner.
Fullback: Le’Ron McClain
Wide receivers: Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson
Tight end: Tony Gonzalez
Tackles: Michael Roos, Jordan Gross
Guards: Chris Snee, Steve Hutchinson
Center: Shaun O’Hara
Place Kicker: John Carney
Kick Returner: Leon Washington
DEFENSE:
Ends: Justin Tuck, Julius Peppers
Tackles: Albert Haynesworth, Kris Jenkins
Outside linebackers: James Harrison, DeMarcus Ware
Inside linebackers: Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis.
Cornerbacks: Nnamdi Asomugha, Cortland Finnegan
Safeties: Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu
Punter: Jeff Feagles
... then I wouldn't have to send him this message in my blog and waste the time of my readers.
But Mantz called us out and accused us of going Neil Best - i.e. cheating on football picks - because we changed two of our picks from earlier in the week. We announced this openly and honestly - unlike Best, who tried to sneak off into the corner so no one would see him - yet Mantz still took valuable time out of his day to write about it.
Memo to Mantz: Dude, I am not gonna change my picks with the flimsy excuse of trying to catch up to you in a contest. Maybe Best would, but not me.
As I've admitted before, I generally suck at picking NFL games. I completely, positively suck. I wish it were not that way. Then again, if you pick games consistently well, people's reaction is, "Good. You should pick 'em right. You're paid to cover the sport." If you suck and embarrass yourself as I have done, it is far more entertaining and far more worthy of attention and abuse.
And thus, of increased page views.
Tom Coughlin met with the media after today's practice. The New York scribes went after him immediately.
First question:
Are you excited?
Answer: "I am excited. I am excited. I think everybody is excited. We have a home playoff game, a divisional playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles, a divisional team. So it is an exciting time."
... I'll go away now.
OK, sure, he's no longer in the playoffs, but Eric Mangini is still in the news having taken the head coaching job in Cleveland.
This photo cracks me up. Not really sure why, but I'm guessing your captions will be even funnier than the photo. Have at it.
BBiB! has this reminder off the spread sheet of people who need to send in their picks to the second annual Glauber Nation Playoff Contest.
If you are on this list, please click here and make your picks:
Sean (heck, he's in 1st place)
Boland
Matt E.
NKR
Gridder Tom
WTFla
Greenbaum
SEF
Tim Teufel
LaMonica
Here is the balloting for this year's AP All-Pro team, and here's the story about the winners.
Locally, Justin Tuck (defensive end) and Chris Snee (guard), and Leon Washington (kick returner), were the first-team representatives for the Giants and Jets, respectively.
Madison Hedgecock (a second-teamer) finished a distant second to Baltimore's Le'Ron McClain (who's really a halfback) at fullback. Snee and Shaun O'Hara (center) were a much closer second at their respective positions. Here's more on the teams, courtesy of Mr. Tom Rock.
What do you guys think about the teams? Surprised Eli didn't get a vote? How about Jeff Feagles? What about everyone's new favorite punter Mike Scifres finishing fifth? Feelings on Pittsburgh's James Harrison, the AP defensive player of the year, finishing seven votes behind DeMarcus Ware?
...because, for the life of me, I simply cannot get this song out of my head (and it's been there for almost a week now).
Just to add on to what Bobby just mentioned in his Four for Friday (5-1=4 ... that's everyone's math lesson for the day)...
Anquan Boldin will be a game-time decision tomorrow night. Ironically, he injured the hamstring on his 71-yard TD reception in last week's win over Atlanta. The three-time Pro Bowler posted his fourth career 1,000-yard season and had a career high 11 TDs despite missing four games with injury this season.
LT (this one, not the one in the picture) is still doubtful. Yes, Darren Sproles has looked good the past two weeks, but let's see how he fares against the league's second stingiest run defense on the road. He had just two touches for nine yards in the (in)famous 11-10 game earlier this season.
It must be nice to have everyone healthy and practicing...
(Photo by George Miller / July 27, 2008)
... three weeks ago!!
Spoke to the former Giants defensive end at the stadium yesterday, and he admits he misses the game so badly sometimes that he would have thought seriously about coming back to play. In fact, he said if the Giants had called before their game against the Panthers three weeks ago, he said he'd come back.
(Would he really have come back? Who knows? He said it, though, so at least I had a lede for today's column in Newsday. It's in the paper, and it's somewhere on the website, but I can't find it. All I see is Stapler's column. Oh, well. It was a good run while it lasted.)
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