Second Annual NFL Dezzy Awards!!

As we approach the end of, yet another exciting NFL season, we can take look back at the players that made waves this season. Some were surprising, and other were routine, but all are worthy of being mentioned. But first things first, we will take a look at the Conference Championship games.

AFC Championship Game
N.Y. Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

See I am very biased. Aside from being a diehard Redskins fan, I also grew up being a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I can remember days of Mark Malone, Bubby Brister, Dermonti Dawson, Kevin Green, Louis Lipps, Eric Greene, Bam Morris and Neil O’Donnell (I have since forgiven him for blowing the 1995 Super Bowl to the Dallas Cowboys). I can remember people making fun of me for liking the lowly Pittsbugh Steelers in the late 80’s. But as the decade turned, so did the fortune of the Steelers. When players like Kordell Stewart, Greg Lloyd and Rod Woodson became cornerstones, the Steelers started to pick it up. Then I was being accused of being a bandwagon hopper. Well folks since 1984 I have been following the Redskins and the Steelers. And unless the Steelers are playing the Redskins, I am going to pick them. So guess who I am picking to win the AFC Championship Game between the Jets and the Steelers??!!! I love what Rex Ryan has done with the Jets’ Defense. Most people didn’t give him credit because he had a player in Ray Lewis who is a lock at being a Hall of Famer. So Rex was overshadowed in his brilliance. What do you think of Rex Ryan now? Yeah he can be a little over the top, but Rex is good, PERIOD!!! I just don’t think it is their time yet. The Jets will be a powerhouse, but they’ll have to wait until next year.

Pittsburgh 24, N.Y. Jets 13


NFC Championship Game

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
Jay Cutler has shown me enough this year to actually consider him a Top 20, maybe even a Top 15 NFL QB. It wasn’t for lack of talent. I just never saw him rise to the occasion when the stage got big. Last week, I saw it. I saw the Jay Cutler that I wanted to see in Denver. I saw the Jay Cutler that could easily win a Super Bowl. I think Cutler is underrated. I think Jay Cutler could be an elite QB. But up until last weekend, I really couldn’t voice my opinion. I used to put him on blast because I thought that he was underachieving. I think Cutler could be better than Tom Brady. With all of that said, I still think the Bears are not going to beat that nasty 3-4 Defense of the Green Bay Packers. I think that Aaron Rodgers IS an elite NFL QB. I think that Aaron Rogers can, and has, been proven to step up in big games. And none was bigger than knocking off the #1 seeded Atlanta Falcons last week in blowout fashion. No disrespect to the Bears. I think that they will be right back in the NFL Playoffs next year. It reminds of the Saints of a few years ago when they met the Bears in the NFC Championship game. You knew they were good enough to win the game, and that they would be back in the playoffs, but it was just the Bears’ time that year. I think that it is just the Packers’ time this year, and they will be one of the very few Wild Card teams to make a Super Bowl appearance. Sorry Bears fans.

Green Bay Packers 24, Chicago Bears 20



ON TO THE DEZZY AWARD WINNERS!!!!

It will be brief this year, I handed out too many awards last year and it took to long to type.  I will go backwards.


BEST DEFENSIVE BACK
This was a bit more difficult than I thought. There was one guy that play all 16 games and was a Rookie to boot. The other guy only played 10 games, but his impact was unmatched. And I love watching him play. There was yet another guy who played only 10 games, but missed the last 6 with an injury. If you haven’t figured it out. My picks came down to Rookie Devin McCourty, Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. But the winner is….

Ed Reed (Free Safety, Baltimore Ravens) (8 INT’s in 10 games). Nuff said.

BEST LINEBACKER
I had a tie. Some people are not going to like this, but when you start looking at the trend of the Defensive scheme’s in the NFL, you’ll notice that a lot of teams are switching to the 3-4 Defense. Most of the Rush End’s in the 3-4 are converted Defensive Ends who are now playing a hybrid Defensive End/Outside Linebacker. Although Brian Orakpo should have won this award, especially seeing as though he was being held about 80% of the time…… The winners of this award are…..

DeMarcus Ware (Outside Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys [led the NFL with 15.5 sacks]) and the game changer, Clay Matthews (Outside Linebacker, Green Bay Packers). And Matthews is a baby. Wait until he learns how to play.

BEST DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
The big fellas deserve to get some love too. Right?!! I took into consideration that these guys only get press when they are NOT doing their job. But if they are doing their job, someone else gets the attention. But not me!! I know when you have a guy doing his job up front. And this young man has done a lot to help his team transition to the 3-4 Defense. And he too is a baby. The winner of this award is…..

B.J. Raji (Defensive Tackle, Green Bay Packers)

BEST DEFENSIVE LINE
I will continue to give this award to this team until someone tops them. No need to drag it out. They can do whatever, whenever and however they want. And they don’t even need to blitz to create pressure. This award goes to…..

The New York (football) Giants’ Defensive Line

BEST WIDE RECEIVER
It kinda pisses me off that this guy got it together after Michael left Atlanta. There were days it seemed as though he had left his hands in locker room on game day. I don’t if it was him, but one of the Falcons receivers used to complain that Vick threw the ball too hard. Hmmm! Anyway, he got it together and is not considered one of the best WR’s in the NFL. And with 10 TD catches to go along with 115 receptions and 1,389 yards, this guy deserves the praises now. The winner of this award goes to…….

Roddy White (Wide Reciever, Atlanta Falcons)

BEST OFFENSIVE LINE
As usual, they protected the Golden Boy of the NFL even though they had a few key injuries later on. This was routine, but I still have a lot of respect for the coaching staff. Not all of their Offensive Linemen are 1st Round picks, so what are they teaching these guys? LOL… This award goes to……

The Indianapolis Colts’ Offensive Line


BEST RUNNING BACK
Here is where the controversy starts. I think that this guy only floated under the radar because he plays in, what I believe, is a small market. His team also took a step backwards this year in terms of wins. But this young man caught my eye in the Preseason and played well enough to win the Rushing Title this year. Now if his team can get it together, he will be a household name. And to think he was on the practice squad for 12 of the 16 games last year. Good job scouting. This award goes to…..

Arian Foster (Running Back, Houston Texans)


BEST QUARTERBACK
This could have gone to two or three people, but I had to give it to the guy that is usually on top and has been doing it for 10 years straight. And when I say doing it, I mean winning. And I still say, this guy is the best QB in the NFL until someone can dethrone him. Imagine he played all 16 games this season and only threw 4 INT’s to 36 TD passes. WOW!!! I will shout if from the roof tops. This is the best QB in the NFL hands down. He doesn’t need any big name WR’s. He’s been doing it for 10 years without any real help. Hell the one year he had two top tier WR’s he went undefeated during the regular season. The Golden Boy can’t touch him. This award goes to….

Tom Brady (Quarterback, New England Patriots).


COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
I am literally smiling. I wish I could shake this young mans hands. His name conjures up discussions that cross race lines. His punishment sparks so much debate that it probably ruffled more feathers than President Barack Obama’s Inauguration. To a man, I grew up in the hood too. I grew up on 14th and Clifton Street, right here in Washington, D.C. I saw it too. I didn’t like it, but what was I going to do? I was 8 years old. The older cats would have whipped my ass had I snitched. Dogfighting is probably one of the worse things that I have ever experienced. Up until the first moment I was able to witness a dog fight. I hated dogs. I thought that they were bullies. Remember I grew up in the hood. A stray dog was common place. I spent most of my adolescence running from them. But on this day, I wanted to run to them to help. I literally hated it. And the guys doing it were just like me and every other Brotha in the hood. Mistakes are nothing to be ashamed about. And this young man took everything society threw at him. Hell he even went to jail with “real killers.” Who the hell else is going to Leavenworth, KS for dogfighting. This was an attempt at a legalized form of lynching in America. But just like the cream of the crop. This man rose from the ashes. Everyone criticized him for being lazy. Said that he was never a QB in the NFL, and would never play again. Some even suggested that he change positions to prolong his career. But just like his skin color, no matter where you play him, you can't change him. He is a QB. He led the Philadelphia Eagle to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth. More than that, he captured the imagination of all of the Brotha’s in the hood. When he succeeded, as a Black man, we felt like we all succeeded. His masterful performances this season was the period at end of the most overuse catch phrases. But it stuck when he said it. And he said it with his performance(s) not his mouth. I’M BACK!!!! Congrats bro. His 62.6% Completion percentage, 3,018 Passing Yards, 21 Passing TD’s and only 6 INT’s were very impressive considering he wasn’t even supposed to start the season. But he also had 100 carries for 676 Rushing Yards and 9 Rushing TD’s. Who else in the NFL can come close? This award goes to….

Michael Vick (Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Anyone that knows me, knows that I am very biased when it comes to Defensive Backs. I think that they are underappreciated and overlooked unless they are making a ton of Interceptions or scoring a lot of Defensive TD’s. Guys like Darrelle Revis will not get a lot of Interceptions, but they sure as hell can throw off the other teams passing game. There is a young guy that caught my eye during the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine last year. And he only came in and tied for 2nd place in the NFL for Interceptions this year. I think in 5 years, he will be mentioned with Revis and few others as one of the top Cornerbacks in the NFL. I am pretty sure Martin Rooney of the Parisi Speed School in New Jersey would love to get his hands on him. This award goes to…..

Devin McCourty (Cornerback, New England Patriots).

COACH OF THE YEAR
This guy started the year on the hot seat and now finds himself in the NFC Championship Game. His team finished 12-4 and the #1 seed. His QB had been written off as a failure, but he believed in this young man and it has paid off. He was one of two Black coaches to be the first to cross the race barrier and make an appearance in the Super Bowl. Although he lost, his statement was made. I am worthy of this job. This award goes to….

Lovie Smith (Head Coach, Chicago Bears)

NFL MVP AWARD
And the final award. The Award for which you’ve all been waiting. Really, it was easy this year. Unfortunately although his team went 14-2, they got bounced in the Divisional Round by a team that was just better on that day. No need to drag it out. I’ve already made a statement for this guy. The NFL MVP Award goes to….

Tom Brady (Quarterback, New England Patriots).

Leave your comments/thoughts/concerns. I will be glad to hear them.