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NFL INSIDER
There's plenty of credit for New England's perfect year
By CHAREAN WILLIAMS
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Now that the have finished off the greatest regular season in history, it's time to figure out where the credit goes.
The Patriots scored the most points (589) and the most touchdowns (75) in a season. They also had the largest point differential (315).
Tom Brady set the record for touchdown passes in a season (50), and Randy Moss set the NFL record for receiving touchdowns in a season (23).
Brady, who plays the most important position on a team, is the league MVP. But Brady had never been an All-Pro and had never been a league MVP until this year, when Moss arrived from Oakland. It was not coincidence.
Moss deserves credit, too.
Moss is the league's offensive player of the year. It's similar to the St. Louis Rams in 1999 and '01. In those two seasons, Kurt Warner was MVP and Marshall Faulk was offensive player of the year. (Faulk won both awards in 2000.)
But what about Mike Vrabel for defensive player of the year? Or Bill Belichick for coach of the year? Both are deserving, but I didn't vote for either.
My reasoning on Belichick was this: The Patriots were picked to win the Super Bowl before the season started. Their undefeated season was talked about as a possibility after a 38-14 victory over the Chargers in Week 2.
The Patriots did do something that had never been done before in a 16-game season, but I don't think anyone is surprised. In fact, after their 24-20 victory over the Colts in Week 9, I think it would have been a surprise if the Patriots hadn't gone undefeated.
The Awards
MVP -- , QB, Patriots: He had the best season a quarterback ever has had, with a 68.9 completion percentage, 4,806 yards, 50 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 117.2 passer rating.
Runner-up: , QB, Packers
Comeback Player -- Greg Ellis, OLB, Cowboys: Before he played in Week 4, it appeared he might never make it back on the field from the Achilles' heel he tore last season. But despite not starting his first game until Week 7, Ellis finished tied for sixth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks.
Runner-up: Albert Haynesworth, DT, Titans
Defensive Rookie -- Patrick Willis, ILB, 49ers: Chad Johnson said he still doesn't know Willis' name, but he knows his number after watching game film of Willis making every tackle. Willis led the league with 174 tackles. He is the real deal.
Runner-up: Jon Beason, ILB, Panthers
Offensive Rookie -- Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings: Peterson set the NFL record for rushing yards in a game with 296 against the Chargers. He had a 224-yard game against the Bears.
Runner-up: Joe Thomas, OT, Browns
Defensive Player -- Bob Sanders, SS, Colts: How valuable is Sanders to the Colts? They played 12 games without him last year and had one of the worst rushing defenses in NFL history. Sanders came back for the postseason, and the Colts won the Super Bowl. This season, with Sanders playing 15 games, the Colts ranked third in total defense. It's why the Colts rewarded him with a five-year, $37.5 million contract last week.
Runner-up: DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Cowboys
Offensive Player -- , WR, Patriots: He had one of the best seasons ever for a receiver with 98 catches, 1,493 yards and a record 23 touchdowns.
Runner-up: Brett Favre, QB, Packers
Coach -- Jack Del Rio, Jaguars: Jacksonville had no Pro Bowlers voted to Hawaii. It likely will have no All-Pro selections. (The Patriots likely will have the MVP and the offensive player of the year.) If the Jaguars have no all-star talent, then there has to be some reason why they won 11 games. The only explanation is coaching.
Runner-up: Bill Belichick, Patriots
ALL-PRO TEAM
Fifty writers do the voting for the NFL All-Pro team. Results will be released Jan. 10. Here is how Star-Telegram NFL writer Charean Williams voted:
OFFENSE
QBTom Brady, Patriots: Threw a record 50 touchdown passes during a perfect 16-0 season.
RBLaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers: Had 602 yards in the final five games to win another rushing title. His 1,474 rushing yards were 133 more than -up Adrian Peterson, who missed two games and had eight other games with fewer than 80 rushing yards. Peterson totaled 144 rushing yards in his final four games.
RBBrian Westbrook, Eagles: Had 2,104 yards from scrimmage (1,333 rushing, 771 receiving).
FB Tony Richardson, Vikings: Minnesota led the league in rushing with 164.6 yards per game.
WRRandy Moss, Patriots: He broke Jerry Rice's NFL record with 23 receiving touchdowns.
WRReggie Wayne, Colts: It was a tossup between Wayne and Terrell Owens, but Wayne led the league with 1,510 receiving yards.
TEJason Witten, Cowboys: Antonio Gates is the best tight end in the NFL, but Witten had the best year: 96 catches, 1,145 yards, 7 touchdowns.
LTWalter Jones, Seattle: Browns rookie Joe Thomas was considered, but Jones is the best.
LGSteve Hutchinson, Vikings: He was the biggest reason Adrian Peterson rushed for 1,341 yards and Chester Taylor for 844.
CJeff Saturday, Colts: Was a big part of Colts' high-powered offense.
RGLeonard Davis, Cowboys: One of the best free-agent signings of the off-season.
RTJordan Gross, Panthers: In a weak year of right tackles, Gross was the best of the bunch, having given up only one sack.
KR/PRDevin Hester, Bears: The toughest pick of the whole All-Pro team. Cleveland's Josh Cribbs is equally deserving. Hester returned four punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns.
DEFENSE
DEMario Williams, Texans: No defensive end had a bigger portion of his team's sacks.
DTKevin Williams, Vikings: He and teammate Pat Williams are the best pair of interior players in the league.
DTAlbert Haynesworth, Titans: Would have been strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate if he hadn't injured his hamstring.
DEPatrick Kerney, Seahawks: Jared Allen, Aaron Kampman, Osi Umenyiora and Kyle Vanden Bosch deserve All-Pro, too.
OLB DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys: He was one of the league's most dominant players with 84 tackles and 14 sacks.
ILBLofa Tatupu, Seahawks: Single-handedly beat the Eagles with three interceptions and 11 tackles.
ILBPatrick Willis, 49ers: He was the best rookie this year with a league-leading 174 tackles. Opponents raved about him.
OLBJames Harrison, Steelers: Mike Vrabel deserved to be here, too, but Harrison was the team MVP of the league's best defense.
CBCharles Woodson, Packers: Teammate Al Harris is going to the Pro Bowl, but Woodson had a better season.
CBAsante Samuel, Patriots: Had six interceptions and is in line to become a very rich man this off-season as a free agent.
SS Bob Sanders, Colts: He had 96 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions.
FS Ed Reed, Ravens: Was tied for third in the NFL with seven interceptions.
PAndy Lee, 49ers: He and Oakland's Shane Lechler became the fifth and sixth punters ever to finish with a 40-yard net or better; Lee won the spot with 42 punts inside the 20.
Charean Williams, 817-390-7760
http://www.star-telegram.com/329/story/384981.html
There's plenty of credit for New England's perfect year
By CHAREAN WILLIAMS
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Now that the have finished off the greatest regular season in history, it's time to figure out where the credit goes.
The Patriots scored the most points (589) and the most touchdowns (75) in a season. They also had the largest point differential (315).
Tom Brady set the record for touchdown passes in a season (50), and Randy Moss set the NFL record for receiving touchdowns in a season (23).
Brady, who plays the most important position on a team, is the league MVP. But Brady had never been an All-Pro and had never been a league MVP until this year, when Moss arrived from Oakland. It was not coincidence.
Moss deserves credit, too.
Moss is the league's offensive player of the year. It's similar to the St. Louis Rams in 1999 and '01. In those two seasons, Kurt Warner was MVP and Marshall Faulk was offensive player of the year. (Faulk won both awards in 2000.)
But what about Mike Vrabel for defensive player of the year? Or Bill Belichick for coach of the year? Both are deserving, but I didn't vote for either.
My reasoning on Belichick was this: The Patriots were picked to win the Super Bowl before the season started. Their undefeated season was talked about as a possibility after a 38-14 victory over the Chargers in Week 2.
The Patriots did do something that had never been done before in a 16-game season, but I don't think anyone is surprised. In fact, after their 24-20 victory over the Colts in Week 9, I think it would have been a surprise if the Patriots hadn't gone undefeated.
The Awards
MVP -- , QB, Patriots: He had the best season a quarterback ever has had, with a 68.9 completion percentage, 4,806 yards, 50 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 117.2 passer rating.
Runner-up: , QB, Packers
Comeback Player -- Greg Ellis, OLB, Cowboys: Before he played in Week 4, it appeared he might never make it back on the field from the Achilles' heel he tore last season. But despite not starting his first game until Week 7, Ellis finished tied for sixth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks.
Runner-up: Albert Haynesworth, DT, Titans
Defensive Rookie -- Patrick Willis, ILB, 49ers: Chad Johnson said he still doesn't know Willis' name, but he knows his number after watching game film of Willis making every tackle. Willis led the league with 174 tackles. He is the real deal.
Runner-up: Jon Beason, ILB, Panthers
Offensive Rookie -- Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings: Peterson set the NFL record for rushing yards in a game with 296 against the Chargers. He had a 224-yard game against the Bears.
Runner-up: Joe Thomas, OT, Browns
Defensive Player -- Bob Sanders, SS, Colts: How valuable is Sanders to the Colts? They played 12 games without him last year and had one of the worst rushing defenses in NFL history. Sanders came back for the postseason, and the Colts won the Super Bowl. This season, with Sanders playing 15 games, the Colts ranked third in total defense. It's why the Colts rewarded him with a five-year, $37.5 million contract last week.
Runner-up: DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Cowboys
Offensive Player -- , WR, Patriots: He had one of the best seasons ever for a receiver with 98 catches, 1,493 yards and a record 23 touchdowns.
Runner-up: Brett Favre, QB, Packers
Coach -- Jack Del Rio, Jaguars: Jacksonville had no Pro Bowlers voted to Hawaii. It likely will have no All-Pro selections. (The Patriots likely will have the MVP and the offensive player of the year.) If the Jaguars have no all-star talent, then there has to be some reason why they won 11 games. The only explanation is coaching.
Runner-up: Bill Belichick, Patriots
ALL-PRO TEAM
Fifty writers do the voting for the NFL All-Pro team. Results will be released Jan. 10. Here is how Star-Telegram NFL writer Charean Williams voted:
OFFENSE
QBTom Brady, Patriots: Threw a record 50 touchdown passes during a perfect 16-0 season.
RBLaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers: Had 602 yards in the final five games to win another rushing title. His 1,474 rushing yards were 133 more than -up Adrian Peterson, who missed two games and had eight other games with fewer than 80 rushing yards. Peterson totaled 144 rushing yards in his final four games.
RBBrian Westbrook, Eagles: Had 2,104 yards from scrimmage (1,333 rushing, 771 receiving).
FB Tony Richardson, Vikings: Minnesota led the league in rushing with 164.6 yards per game.
WRRandy Moss, Patriots: He broke Jerry Rice's NFL record with 23 receiving touchdowns.
WRReggie Wayne, Colts: It was a tossup between Wayne and Terrell Owens, but Wayne led the league with 1,510 receiving yards.
TEJason Witten, Cowboys: Antonio Gates is the best tight end in the NFL, but Witten had the best year: 96 catches, 1,145 yards, 7 touchdowns.
LTWalter Jones, Seattle: Browns rookie Joe Thomas was considered, but Jones is the best.
LGSteve Hutchinson, Vikings: He was the biggest reason Adrian Peterson rushed for 1,341 yards and Chester Taylor for 844.
CJeff Saturday, Colts: Was a big part of Colts' high-powered offense.
RGLeonard Davis, Cowboys: One of the best free-agent signings of the off-season.
RTJordan Gross, Panthers: In a weak year of right tackles, Gross was the best of the bunch, having given up only one sack.
KR/PRDevin Hester, Bears: The toughest pick of the whole All-Pro team. Cleveland's Josh Cribbs is equally deserving. Hester returned four punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns.
DEFENSE
DEMario Williams, Texans: No defensive end had a bigger portion of his team's sacks.
DTKevin Williams, Vikings: He and teammate Pat Williams are the best pair of interior players in the league.
DTAlbert Haynesworth, Titans: Would have been strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate if he hadn't injured his hamstring.
DEPatrick Kerney, Seahawks: Jared Allen, Aaron Kampman, Osi Umenyiora and Kyle Vanden Bosch deserve All-Pro, too.
OLB DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys: He was one of the league's most dominant players with 84 tackles and 14 sacks.
ILBLofa Tatupu, Seahawks: Single-handedly beat the Eagles with three interceptions and 11 tackles.
ILBPatrick Willis, 49ers: He was the best rookie this year with a league-leading 174 tackles. Opponents raved about him.
OLBJames Harrison, Steelers: Mike Vrabel deserved to be here, too, but Harrison was the team MVP of the league's best defense.
CBCharles Woodson, Packers: Teammate Al Harris is going to the Pro Bowl, but Woodson had a better season.
CBAsante Samuel, Patriots: Had six interceptions and is in line to become a very rich man this off-season as a free agent.
SS Bob Sanders, Colts: He had 96 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions.
FS Ed Reed, Ravens: Was tied for third in the NFL with seven interceptions.
PAndy Lee, 49ers: He and Oakland's Shane Lechler became the fifth and sixth punters ever to finish with a 40-yard net or better; Lee won the spot with 42 punts inside the 20.
Charean Williams, 817-390-7760
http://www.star-telegram.com/329/story/384981.html
