Devo vs. Mahatma NFL Regular Season Awards Round 2: Who ya Got?

Defensive MVP (AFC)

Devo: (Bob Sanders) Antonio Cromartie has had a helluva season. He led the league in interceptions as well as the silent but steady rejuvenation of the San Diego defense. Not to mention, that he had badass 109.9 yard touchdown return on the field goal; the Devin Hester special, if you will. Cromartie gets it; though part of me is just doing anything possible to avoid giving it to Bob Sanders, who was only slightly more involved in the outcome of Colts/Chargers than I was.

Mahatma: (Haynesworth) I’m still going Haynesworth. I’m sorry Bob Sanders is electric player and he makes a lot of things happen. But this guy is still living off his OMG look at what happened to the Colts defense from last season when he came back. No one pointed at the fact that they played the one dimensional Chief and Raven teams, a Patriot team with Reche “O_O” Caldwell starting and sexy Rexy. This season, Haynesworth was blocked by 2 guys on every single play and was still a force. Without him the Titan defense was as average as you get and I’m sticking to it. Not to say that Sanders isn’t a great player but Haynesworth value to his team is way more important than Bob Sanders.

Final Word: (Haynesworth) Didn’t Haynesworth only play 10 or 11 games this year? Can a guy who plays only 2/3 of his team’s games win the Straight Up Sports AFC Defensive Player of the Year? Doesn’t that cheapen the award? Eh, not as much as our (lack of) readership. Haynesworth it is.

Defensive MVP (NFC)

Devo: (Osi Umeniyora) I’d love to give it to Osi again, if only because he owns the Eagles and took Matt Light to Mark Schlereth’s proverbial woodshed. But staying on the theme of best players on unsung defenses, Patrick Kerney had himself 14.5 sacks and helped make up for the fact that their running back is a gutless wonder.

Mahatma: (Aaron Kampman) Demarcus Ware. Osi is great that’s a given but Ware actually had other responsibilities that included covering receivers, backs and tight ends. He also added 14 sacks and 84 tackles with an astonishing 60 solos.

Final Word: (Osi) Yeah, Ware was great this year, an absolute beast. Both times that they played the Giants, he was the Anti-Roy Williams; which is to say he made plays and wasn’t overrated.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Devo: (Adrian Peterson) This is easy. Starting only 9 games he got 1,341 rushing yards. But big ups to my boy Ahmad Bradshaw just the same, the best offensive rookie still playing.

Mahatma: (Peterson) Kevin Boss? Oh right. Give it to Peterson. But being the best offensive rookie still playing on two veteran-laden perennial playoff teams like the Gints and Patsies is like being the best looking person from say Mobile, Alabama.

Final Word: (Peterson) In a slight edge over Boss and Bradshaw, Peterson gets the win. But make no mistake, had Boss and Bradshaw not split the G-Men vote, one of them probably could’ve overtaken Peterson. Or not.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Devo: (Aaron Ross) Patrick Willis led the league in tackles. Tough to argue with him. But again, Aaron Ross is the best defensive rookie still playing. Yeah, you heard me Brandon “Helmet” Merriweather.

Mahatma: (Patrick Willis) It’s still Willis despite Aaron Ross’s stellar rookie campaign. It’s a shame Willis had to deal with a crap defense where he was the only that was there to make tackles.

Final Word: (Willis) This is easy. And more importantly, I can’t think of anyone else besides Willis.

Coming tomorow: the final installment.