Thursday, August 31
PFW's midseason awards




After eight weeks of the 1999 season, here's what stands out in the NFL:

Offensive MVP
Quarterback Kurt Warner, Rams. Every wanna-be NFL quarterback is calling the Iowa Barnstormers right about now. Runner-up: Quarterback Brad Johnson, Redskins. He's the reason the offense is piling up numbers faster than the stock market.

Warren Sapp inline
Warren Sapp and the Bucs defense face a huge challenge in St. Louis.
Defensive MVP
Defensive tackle Warren Sapp, Buccaneers. Weight Watchers should ink him as a spokesman after his play this season. Runner-up: Linebacker Junior Seau, Chargers. Just imagine if the Bolts had an offense.

Offensive Rookie of the Year
Running back Edgerrin James, Colts. Where are the loudmouths who wanted Ricky Williams now?

Defensive Rookie of the Year
Defensive end Jevon Kearse, Titans. He seems to be the piece Tennessee's defense was missing. Runner-up: Cornerback Champ Bailey, Redskins. The nickname is pretty apt.

Most surprising team
St. Louis Rams. Like you saw this coming.

Most disappointing team
Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets (three-way tie). Sure, injuries are to blame, but to fall this far this fast is still a huge letdown.

Best fans
Tennessee Titans. The savvy Adelphia Coliseum crowd was exceptionally loud when the Rams had the ball and deathly silent when the Titans had it during a Week 8 showdown.

Worst fans
Philadelphia Eagles. The Veterans Stadium crowd cheered while Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin lay motionless on the turf in Week 5. Where's the stadium courtroom when we need it?

Most tyrannical owner
New Redskins boss Daniel Snyder. Next week on "Fox NFL Sunday:" When Owners Attack.

The Charlton Heston as Moses award
Cowboys wide receiver Raghib Ismail. It must have taken divine intervention for him to part the defense and get that wide open on the game-winning touchdown in overtime in a Week 1 victory over the Redskins.

The "I've got a secret" award
The Denver Broncos. The team was fined $25,000 after not listing quarterback Bubby Brister on the injury report before Denver's Week 5 game at Oakland. Brister missed the game with a hip pointer suffered in practice.

The budding rivalry award
Bengals quarterback Akili Smith. Leading up to Cincinnati's Week 5 visit to Cleveland, Smith talked about how he felt the Browns "used" him as a negotiating ploy in the days before the draft. After he led the Bengals to a last-second touchdown to beat the Browns, Smith pointed at the Browns and their fans. Browns quarterback Tim Couch, whom Cleveland chose instead, said he took Smith's display personally. Let the bad blood flow.

The "If you can't say something nice ..." award
Redskins wide receiver Albert Connell. The third-year man said Cowboys cornerback Deion Sanders couldn't cover him before the teams' Week 7 matchup. Sanders took umbrage and came out like a man possessed, making a tackle for loss (really!) on Washington's first play from scrimmage. He later scored a punt-return touchdown as Dallas posted a 38-20 victory.

The "Mother of ..." award
New Orleans Saints. Mike Ditka's crew gave up a touchdown on a Hail Mary to the Giants at the end of the first half in Week 7, then worked on defending the Hail Mary in practice the following week, only to lose to Cleveland on another Hail Mary as time expired in Week 8.

Pro Football Weekly Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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ALSO SEE
PFW's Midseason All-Pro Team

ESPN.com experts' midseason awards

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Mort Report: Not a pretty picture

Focal Point: Is parity good or bad?

AFC: Many could be contenders

NFC: Plenty of funny stuff

NFL Question of the Week

Scales all tipped toward AFC

ESPN.com's NFL Power Rankings