Three Point Stance 2.08.09 TPS 2009 Year-End Awards Edition
Posted by Cody Dalton on 02.08.2009
With the NFL season over, 411manias Cody Dalton hands out his year-end awards in the NFL. Who was Player of the Year? How about Team of the Year? Or Moment of the Year? Read the article to find out!
Thanks everyone for joining me against here on the Three Point Stance. The NFL season has officially ended with the crowning of a champion last week and we now enter the off-season. Before we do that though, it is time to hand out this year's awards. Now, the NFL usually does this after the regular season, but I like to see how everything shakes out before I give anyone any award. So, without further ado, here is the 2009 Three Point Stance Year-End Awards
TPS COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Obviously, there are a lot of candidates for this award. It goes to the NFL Player who had the biggest comeback season and return from an injury or poor play. Here are the nominees:
Jake Delhomme, QB, Carolina Panthers 3,288 yards, 15 TDs, 12 INTs
(Previous season did not play because injured)
And the winner is .
KERRY COLLINS, QB, TENNESSEE TITANS
Chad Pennington won the NFL's award and I don't doubt that Chad had a tremendous season, but Tennessee's Kerry Collins became the quarterback that the Titans needed. He transformed Tennessee into a championship contender and gave them the steady, but not spectacular quarterback that they needed. I'm proud of the guy for going out there, giving it his all, and becoming the player that I truly know he is.
TPS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Many consider this past NFL season to be "The Year of the Rookie". In that year though, I will give out an award for the very best rookie in the league. Here are the candidates for the award
Ryan did a lot of things for the Falcons. He took them from hopeless to hopeful. He made them a winning team after years of losing. He gave them a guiding light in the face of dark. Finally, he helped erase the painful memories of Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino. For that, Matt Ryan is head and shoulders above all other rookies in this class.
TPS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Many defenders stepped onto the NFL field this past year and delivered huge hits, big blows, and great plays to opposing teams.
James Harrison, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers 107 tackles, 16 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 1 INT
A few years ago, this guy was contemplating becoming a Greyhound bus driver. Now, he's in the league, signed, and is slowly becoming a star. Faced with re-signing Joey Porter, the Steelers chose to let him go and put their faith in Harrison. A few years later, the Steelers gamble paid off huge. After this past Sunday, Harrison owns the longest play in the history of the Super Bowl. With his 16 sacks and 7 forced fumbles, Harrison had a definite impact in how the Steelers played defense this year and in my mind was the best defensive player out there, bar none.
TPS COACH OF THE YEAR
There were many men to lead their teams to victory and triumph from the sideline this year. Some had complete turnarounds, while others helped to establish their dominance. Here are the candidates for TPS Coach of the Year:
Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons
Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans
Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins
And the winner is
JEFF FISHER, TENNESSEE TITANS
This may not be the politically correct choice, but Fisher had a great year. He won his first division crown since 2002. He helped guide the Titans to a 13-3 record and the #1 seed in the AFC. It was a truly amazing season for Tennessee. While, Smith and Sparano turned their teams records around, it isn't necessarily coaching. Smith was given both Matt Ryan and Michael Turner. Sparano was given a great mind for talent in Bill Parcells, which helped to land key pieces like Chad Pennington, Jake Long, and others. With Fisher, he made key changes with the pieces he had (aside from Chris Johnson) and developed a team that was a "B" to an "A+" team.
TPS TEAM OF THE YEAR
Only one team can be called the TPS Team of the Year. It goes to the NFL team who had the best season overall and who is considered the very best that the NFL has to offer. Here are the finalists:
Tennessee Titans 13-3 record, AFC South Champions
Pittsburgh Steelers 12-4 record, AFC North Champions, Super Bowl XLIII Champions
New York Giants 12-4 record, NFC East Champions
Arizona Cardinals 9-7 record, NFC West Champions
And the winner is
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
East pick for me. They won their division and more importantly, they won the Super Bowl. The most impressive stat for this team was that they held the toughest schedule in the NFL, but still managed to not only win the playoffs, but win the division and record-setting Super Bowl. While the other nominated teams had great seasons, they cannot say they won the Super Bowl.
TPS MOMENT OF THE YEAR
The TPS Moment of the Year goes to the play, catch, run, pass, or score that was most memorable for the 2008 season. Here are the nominees:
Santonio Holmes Super Bowl winning grab
Detroit Lions complete first winless season
Plaxico shoots himself with illegal gun
And the winner is
DETROIT COMPLETES FIRST WINLESS SEASON
This was a close choice for me, but in the end, the Lions were the biggest moment of this season. They did something that no NFL team had done before: Go 0-16. There is hope on the horizon for the Lions though. They'll have the #1 pick in the NFL Draft this year and with no Matt Millen, that means it won't be a wide receiver. They have a new head coach in Jim Schwartz, who brings his winning attitude from Tennessee to the Motor City. Lions fans can only hope they have a Falcons-esk turnaround and at least win one game.
TPS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Here were are. The biggest award of the season. It's the TPS Player of the Year Award sponsored by me. It goes to the player who had the biggest impact on his team and without him, would be in pretty bad shape. Here are the nominees:
Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings 1,760 yards, 10 TDs
Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons 1,699 yards, 17 TDs
And the winner is
KURT WARNER, QB, ARIZONA CARDINALS
Peyton Manning was the AP NFL MVP this year, but no player was more valuable to his team than Kurt Warner. When they needed him to play well, he did. In the three years Warner has started all 16 games, his team has went to the Super Bowl. Baring injuries, retirement, or being replaced on the field, the Cardinals should see success again.
ALL TPS TEAM
Simply the best of the best at every position. Here is the team:
QB: Peyton Manning
RB: Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner
FB: Le'Ron McClain
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson
TE: Jason Witten
OT: Joe Thomas, Jake Long
OG: Alan Faneca, Steve Hutchinson
C: Kevin Mawae
DE: Justin Tuck, Julius Peppers
DT: Albert Haynesworth, Kevin Williams
LB: James Harrison, Joey Porter
CB: Charles Woodson, Cortland Finnegan
S: Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu
K: Stephen Gostkowski
P: Shane Lechler
Well folks, thanks for joining me for this special edition of the Three Point Stance! I'll be back next week with a recap of the Pro Bowl, as well as a look into the 2009 off-season.
Until then
Cody Dalton's book on sale now! "Sideline Warriors: The Greatest Sports Coaches and Managers of All Time" http://www.lulu.com/content/2003212
No middle linebacker? Damn it, I was interested to see who you would put.
James Harrison is a beast, simple.
Posted By: Brad (Guest) on February 08, 2009 at 12:41 AM
I should have been player of the year; only for a one shot deal though.
Posted By: RVD (Guest) on February 08, 2009 at 12:46 AM
I know a lot of people tend to overlook it because it was only 0-14 but Tampa Bay had the FIRST actual winless season. Yes Detroit went 0-16 but Tampa lost all the games they could possibly lose as well. They only played 14 back then. Both have basically a 0% winning percentage. So in my eyes the Lions going 0-16 isnt really all that special as it has been done before.
Posted By: Guest#5266 (Guest) on February 08, 2009 at 12:03 PM
I really hope you're not back next season. You do ought to suck. "Duh, all the teams have great records but they can't say they won the Super Bowl." Shouldn't that logic apply to the COACHES as well as the teams? Narr.
Posted By: John Rodgers (Guest) on February 08, 2009 at 02:39 PM
If you don't like my column John, don't read it. As for you comment which is clearly Pro-Tomlin, the guy didn't really do that great of a coaching job. He had the pieces in place from the Cowher era and inherited a great team.
Posted By: Cody Dalton (Registered) on February 09, 2009 at 02:11 AM
yo fuck kurt warner and his fagget gloves and weird long sleeve better throwin strange lookin fuckin jersey
fuckin queer, go steelers
Posted By: yea bitch (Guest) on February 09, 2009 at 02:52 PM
Can't say I disagree with much however I don't think Fisher belongs in the picture of best Coach.
I think the nominees shoulda been Sparano, Smith, Whisenhunt, and Tomlin.
Smith & Sparano had GREAT seasons and Tomlin winning a superbowl at such a young age is amazing....but damn c'mon Coach Whiz has pulled the Cardinals from the gutter of the NFL. They're the freakin CARDINALS and they just played in the Superbowl.
Posted By: Ego (Guest) on February 10, 2009 at 09:00 PM
There are only 10 people on your defense. Can we safely assume Demarcus Ware is the 3rd linebacker?
Posted By: AdamS (Guest) on February 15, 2009 at 05:33 PM
no ware? woodson and finnegan over asomogha? (might be spelled wrong, but the cb from the raiders that NO ONE THROWS AGAINST)... im taking asomogha against the field and im picking antonio cromartie over woodson for sure but finnegan is no slouch
Posted By: seriously? (Guest) on February 24, 2009 at 09:41 AM
everyone needs to shut the fuck up about tomlin just having cowher's pieces. you still need to play the games as well as win the games and in his case, COACH the games. this is coming from a cowboys fan so leave the man be. i'd take him over bum's son ANYDAY!!!!
Posted By: seriously? (Guest) on February 24, 2009 at 09:44 AM
Come on! Cowboys released TO!!! Be updated!
Posted By: James (Registered) (Guest) on March 06, 2009 at 03:08 PM
And he signed with the Buffalo Bills for a one shot deal. I am now officially the NFL writer. Fucking awesome.
Posted By: James (Registered) (Guest) on March 12, 2009 at 07:52 AM
how could you not consider john harbaugh for coach of the year? rookie coach, rookie qb, played 18 straight games and made it to the AFC championship, while almost everybody expected them to go better than 5-11,6-10-ish
at least give the man an honorable mention
Posted By: robb (Guest) on March 14, 2009 at 11:12 PM
why is it you mention kurt warner for playerof the year but he doesnt make your team list?
Posted By: me (Guest) on March 16, 2009 at 09:44 PM
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