NFL Week 17

Matt Driffill

    It is officially the last day of the year, and the last day of the decade.  As so, there are tons of stories a writer can write about at this point in time.  Most memorable story lines, events, plays, and games from the past year, or the past ten years.  There is literally no cap on what a writer can take advantage of at this time of year.

    And I’m no different.  I will be writing lists and rankings of assorted goodies on my blog later this week. This is an NFL column for the time being and I shall stick to my morals (while simultaneously trying to drive some more traffic to my blog.  Shhhh!)  So it is the end of the NFL season and that deserves some credit!  Because that also is writers’ gold.  MVP’s, LVP’s, ROY’s, and more!!!

    2009 NFL MVP

Peyton Manning and Drew Brees

I hate giving Co-MVPs out, but there really is not other way this season.  They are #2 and #3 in passing yards, #1 and #2 in passing TDs, #1 and #2 in completion percentage, and they are the leaders of the season’s two best teams.  Three weeks ago you could have made legitimate arguments about Brett Favre with the Vikings and Chris Johnson with the surging Titans, but Manning and Brees ran away with it in these last few weeks.  If the Associated Press tries to choose between one of these two it will be the biggest scandal since Tiger Woods.  They both equally deserve it in a bad way.

2009 NFL LVP

Jay Cutler

Maybe if I wasn’t a Broncos fan he could have avoided this award, but let me make my biased case regardless.  Gay Butler was involved in one of the biggest trades in recent NFL history.  He was supposed to be one piece of the puzzle the Bears needed to get them over the hump. With Forte running the ball, Urlacher on defense, and Cutler zipping it all over, the Bears were considered a serious threat to take the division.  Then what?  Cutler proved he still had the arm that he had in Denver, but he didn’t have the supporting cast to pick him up when he made a bad decision with the football.  He went from being in the Pro-Bowl last season to having a 73.6 QB rating.  For those of you who get confused by the statistic, he’s below Vince Young, Jason Campbell, Alex Smith, David Gerrard, Chad Henne, Matt Hasselbeck, and most importantly, Kyle Orton (89.3 QB Rating).  He’s a good young player, but he’s got a bad attitude and he’s a terrible decision maker.  Until the Bears get him a decent supporting cast and strong offensive coordinator, Jay Cutler will be Gay Butler

2009 NFL Rookie of the Year

Austin Collie

In a year with a lot of big name rookies, the little guy comes out with the hardware.  Collie led all rookies in catches and receiving yards despite being the third, sometimes fourth, option on a potent offensive attack.  The early favorites for the award were Percy Harvin and Knowshon Moreno, but they were unable to keep their hot streaks going.  Mark Sanchez fell off as he began looking more like Joey Harrington then Ben Rothlisberger.  Michael Crabtree could have been, but he didn’t sign until late and his stats reflect that.  Hakeem Nicks comes in second on the Sports Meister’s poll for his late season heroics for the New York Giants, but Collie takes the cake.

2009 NFL Coach of the Year

Jim Caldwell

Kind of a tough one with so many great teams this year.  You could make cases for so many guys, but Caldwell’s the guy.  If Sean Payton wins, I’ll completely understand because obviously the Saints had an amazing year.  You could also make cases for Norv Turner, Marvin Lewis, and Rex Ryan, who has his Jets in line for a playoff birth in his first year.  You could make outside cases for Andy Reid or maybe even Josh McDaniels, but I wouldn’t bet on it.  The only thing that might hold Caldwell back is the benching of his starters, which upset more people than he could have ever imagined.  I think it was all a ploy to get people to know who he is, because really, I bet a lot of people wouldn’t know the name if Indy’s coach if asked.  Some people might even suggest Peyton Manning.

Some other less notable team awards...

Most Likely to Choke in the Playoffs

New Orleans Saints

Most Likely to Have a Coach Who Wears a Stupid Hoodie With No Sleeves

Arizona Cardinals?

Most Likely to be a Playoff team in Need of a Head Coach in a Month

San Diego Chargers

Most Likely Super Bowl Winners

Minnesota Vikings

    My original pick of Indy over Philly is still alive, so I can cross my fingers on that one.  But in the mean time, let’s move onto the picks...

Last Week (7-9-0)

Season (124-113-3)

Home Teams in Bold....

Indianapolis (+7.5) over Buffalo

Picked the Bills last week and I learned my lesson.  I don’t care if the Colts throw out their third string guys, because the Bills are a JV team who have just looked lost pretty much all season.  Can’t say enough about how disappointing the Bills were this season.  On the other end of the spectrum, can’t say enough about how meaningful Peyton Manning is to the Colts, we’re talking about one of the most valuable athletes a sports franchise has ever had.

Carolina (-7) over New Orleans

After back-to-back losses I suspect it’s high time the Saints stop fighting and start resting up for the playoffs.  13-3 isn’t anything worse than 14-2 and they really shouldn’t risk anything this week.  Aside from the fact that the Panthers have rolled a couple of the NFC’s best these past few weeks; yeah I’ll take the ferocious jungle cats of Carolina.

Jacksonville (-1) over Cleveland

This is a trap game if I’ve ever seen one.  The Jaguars are out of the playoff hunt and playing a team that has a roster full of guys looking to impress the big boss man.  But I told myself if the Browns were ever getting five or less points I’d pick against them, and I’m a man of morals, kinda.

Dallas (-3) over Philadelphia

Like I just said, I stick to my guns.  My original pick in the beginning of the year was the Cowboys winning the division and the Eagles being stuck with a wild card.  It still has a chance, so I’m going to root for it.  And for those of you who think I’m rooting for the Cowboys once again, just know they’ll lose their first playoff game.  We all know it.

Chicago (-3) over Detroit

How is a team who just beat the Vikings only laying three to the Lions?  Is this the Vegas sports book or the silly Delaware one?

New England (+8) over Houston

I don’t know if all of the Patriots are going to play the duration of the game as the top 2 seeds in the AFC are already locked up, but it’s the time of year where you don’t bet against Brady and Belichiek.

Pittsburgh (-3) over Miami

Should be a great game as both of these proud AFC franchises are fighting for playoff life... PSYCHE!!! The silly Dolphins have no chance, and neither do the Steelers as they need a slew of helpful losses this weekend to have a chance at sneaking in the playoffs.  But because they do at least have a gambler’s hope at getting in, I think they beat the Fins in Miami.

New York Giants (+9) over Minnesota

I feel like it’d be wrong to pick Brett Favre this late in the year.  It’s like wearing white after labor day; you just don’t do it.

Cincinnati (+10) over New York Jets

Chad OchoCinco is taking shots at the Jets’ all world cornerback Revis.  I’m sure OchoCinco isn’t going to be in the game all four quarters but man he can sell.  I just think the Jets covering 10 is too steep for a rookie quarterback who isn’t even sure if he’s going to get the part in next year’s Aquaman 3.

San Francisco (-7) over St. Louis

F the Rams.  F stands for “Feel bad for...” by the way.

Atlanta (-2.5) over Tampa Bay

If the Bucs can beat the Saints they proved that no matter how talentless your team is, you can still get lucky once a year.  Unfortunately, they used up all their luck in one week.

Arizona (-3.5) over Green Bay

I feel like the Packers haven’t played in a minute!  Seriously, what have they been up to since clinching a playoff berth?  I remember Aaron Rodgers was having a good year, but sitting three weeks in a row can’t be helping his MVP case, right?

Denver (-13) over Kansas City

The Broncos owe it to me, and to the rest of us, to blow out Kansas City at home.  Let’s have a little faith in this squad going into an offseason that could change the next decade for the Ponies.

Baltimore (-10.5) over Oakland

The Raiders have played well against good teams all year.  But now they have to play a tough AFC team that needs a win to get back to the postseason.  Cue the Vince McMahon music for this one.... “NO CHANCE!!!! NO CHANCE IN HELL!!!”

San Diego (-4) over Washington

The Chargers will likely bench most of their players this week, but at home, against a team whose coach will likely be Mike Shanahan, I like the Chargers.  Because after all, it is the regular season, and Norv Turner always knows exactly what he’s doing in the regular season.

Tennessee (-4.5) over Seattle

F the Seahawks.  Go Chris Johnson