With the NFL season reaching the halfway point of the season, some games, players and even celebrations are worth trivial awards.
Big 12 Game of the Year (so far):
The New Orleans Saints’ 52-49 triumph against the New York Giants is the only worthy winner. Drew Brees and Eli Manning combined for more than 850 yards passing and 13 touchdowns in one game. The teams combined for 1,024 yards of offense while both defenses were MIA. There were so many touchdowns I think Odell Beckham Jr. was tired of dancing by the time he caught his third touchdown of the game.
Best Touchdown:
Ridicule the Cleveland Browns all you want, but you must respect tight end Gary Barnidge’s butt catch. How many other teams besides Cleveland could score a touchdown on a butt catch? Cleveland is 2-7, but I haven’t seen any of Tom Brady’s targets catch a touchdown with their butts.
Midway MVP:
I hate to echo Rex Ryan, but Tom Brady, you are supposed to be getting worse, right? Brady is 38 years old, but he looks like he’s just entering his prime. There are a couple of guys who have put up great numbers this year, like Andy Dalton, but their accomplishments pale in comparison to Brady’s. Brady’s thrown 2,709 yards and 22 touchdowns against just two interceptions. An 11-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio is pretty good. It looks like those game film study sessions at 3:30 a.m. have paid off in his old age.
Best Celebration presented by Odell Beckham:
There are so many candidates to choose from. Players are whipping and nae-naeing all over the place. Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs pretends to dig a hole when he scores. But all the skill position players should step aside. I’ve got to split the award between a pair of punters. Brad Wing and Pat McAfee have both displayed some sweet golf swings to celebrate big punts. I respect a good golf swing.
Rookie of the ½ year:
Marcus Mariota performs pretty well on an awful Tennessee Titans team. Ronald Darby is impressive at cornerback for the Buffalo Bills. But I’m going to give the edge to Rams running back Todd Gurley. Gurley got a late start to the season, much like last year’s winner, Beckham, and he’s been a game changer ever since. He’s posted 664 yards and four touchdowns in six games with an average of 5.6 yards per carry. Gurley has been explosive, giving Rams fans something to be excited about.
The Bronzed Penalty Flag:
I’m going with quantity over quality. Congratulations, Brandon Browner. Come claim your prize. Browner collected 17 penalty flags this season, more than any other player in the NFL. At this point, I challenge him to branch out and try to get penalized for different things to add some variety.
Unstoppable Force Award:
The Cincinnati Bengals are undefeated, but I still am not as scared of them as I am of the New England Patriots. I expect Dalton’s play to fade when it counts, and Brady’s will get better. Seriously, who wants to play this New England team in the postseason? Even without running back Dion Lewis, the Patriots will be fine because Brady is on fire. The Patriots also boast a top-five scoring defense, and Bill Belichick is still the coach. Moral of the story: The Pats are scary, and I don’t think they can be stopped.
Jack Woods is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Ruston, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @Jack_TDR.