By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
Todd Collins may lack in arm strength, but he was pretty good this season all things considered. Forget the ugly late-game interceptions last week, Collins was one of the biggest surprises of the season…Matt Hasselbeck was pretty clearly not playing at 100 percent last week. The Seattle offense did the best they could not to win that game…I really hope D.J. Hackett ends up on a bunch of my fantasy teams next year. Since the injuries suppressed his numbers so much, he’s definitely someone to target as a value pick in 2008…Referees should always err on the side of the play that is later reviewable as opposed to vice-versa. This drives me absolutely crazy.
The Steelers/Jags game was an instant classic. Jacksonville is clearly the better football team, but they should consider themselves lucky to still be alive. I understand the importance of running time off the clock, but that Ben Roethlisberger designed sweep was quite a head-scratcher. I feel like teams too often fall into the trap of doing what they are “supposed” to do instead of giving themselves the best chance of winning…I love Roethlisberger’s ability to hang tough in the pocket and the impressive YPA, but man, he sure does take too many sacks…Is Hines Ward the best possession receiver ever?…Heath Miller could be a fantasy force if he were featured in the game plan like that more often…I disagreed with Mike Tomlin’s original decision to go for two with the score 28-23 with so much time left – can you really expect to prevent Jacksonville from even a field goal for the final 10:25? But the move to still go for two from the 12-yard line in that situation was the single dumbest decision I’ve ever seen in my life. And I’m not exaggerating.
Ironic how the team that rested its players Weeks 15 and 16 jumped out to the early lead Sunday, while the supposedly sharper Giants took a good quarter to get into the flow of things. In the end, that debate wasn’t really answered…Jeff Garcia was seriously exposed, especially with a hobbled Joey Galloway at his disposal…Michael Pittman is one of the best receivers out of the backfield of any running back in the league.
As good of a first half Cortland Finnegan played Sunday, he was equally as bad during the second half. I think I just sounded like Tim McCarver there…In almost every circumstance, quarterbacks make the receivers, and I’m by no means making excuses for Vince Young’s atrocious 2007, but come on, that Titans wideout corpse was possibly the worst unit I’ve ever seen…Jeff Fisher deserves all the credit in the world for his coaching job this season. That team had no business being in the postseason, especially coming out of the AFC.
The 49ers’ hiring of Mike Martz as offensive coordinator is quite interesting. On the surface, it makes very little sense considering their personnel, especially since their best player is at running back. Still, I’m not ready to lower Frank Gore’s fantasy value next year, as he should approach 80-90 catches.
END OF YEAR AWARDS
Coach of the Year: Bill Belichick – Yes, he was coaching the team with the most talent, but don’t try to get cute; the Patriots went 16-0! If I were starting a franchise from scratch, I’d make Bill Belichick the No. 1 pick, ahead of any current player in the league. It’s an even easier choice when you consider longevity.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Adrian Peterson – A no-brainer.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Patrick Willis – A no-brainer.
Defensive Player of the Year: Nnamdi Asomugha – Jared Allen was the best defensive end, Patrick Willis was the best linebacker, Albert Haynesworth was the most dominant tackle, and Bob Sanders was the class of all safeties, but Asomugha was the NFL’s best defensive player in 2007. Charles Woodson was also terrific, but a toe injury derailed the latter part of his otherwise brilliant season. Asomugha’s numbers don’t stand out – 34 tackles and one INT – but that was because of the single craziest stat of the year: he was targeted 28 times all season long, resulting in a microscopic 10 catches allowed. Almost always lined up in man coverage, Asomugha is a physical, rare talent with the ability to match up with any sized receiver in the league. Part of the reason he saw so few targets had to do with the Raiders’ poor run D, but the same could be said about Denver, and Champ Bailey was picked on this season. A truly dominant, shutdown corner in the NFL these days is a rare thing, and Asomugha is the exception.
Worst Defensive Player of the Year: Jason David – He allowed an eye-popping 14.5 yards per pass. That’s almost unfathomable.
MVP: Tom Brady – The only argument would be Randy Moss, but I look at it like this: if I were playing New England, I’d rather face them without Brady than I would sans Moss.
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