Clark Judge of CBS Sports hands out his awards for the 2010 season
Awards: Plenty of surprises, but Brady's greatness a constant - NFL - CBSSports.com Football
MVP: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. This one's so easy a cave man could ... OK, never mind. Let's just say there's Tom Brady, and then there's everyone else. Brady not only is the best player in the game; he's the most valuable, too, and it's not close this season. You can make a case for the guy every year, but this season the record speaks for itself. Brady has BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead for running backs and played most of the season without his top offensive lineman and most dangerous wide receiver, yet he produced one of the most magnificent records in NFL history. I'm not going to recite the numbers here. You know them. All I'll say is this is the easiest decision to make since Denver got smart and cut its losses with Josh McDaniels.
Offensive Player of the Year: Brady. Buffalo had more turnovers last weekend (six) than Brady had all year, but it's not Brady's ability to avoid crucial mistakes that makes him notable. It's the prodigious numbers he puts up. He led the league in touchdown passes. He led the league in passer efficiency. He threw for 3,900 yards. He quarterbacked the league's highest scoring offense. He didn't throw an interception the last 11 games -- a streak that includes 335 passing attempts. He won his last eight starts. And he had the league's best record. Again. It's time we recognize Tom Brady for what he is -- the best in the business and one of the best quarterbacks ever to play this game.
Coach of the Year: Bill Belichick, Patriots. This marks the fourth year he produced at least 14 victories in a season, and, quick now, tell me the last coach to do that. Forget it, I'll do it for you: There wasn't one. Belichick is the first, and this season might have been his greatest year of coaching yet. He won without Randy Moss. He won without a star running back. He won without Logan Mankins for most of the year. And he won with a young, inexperienced and, frankly, not so good defense. But he always wins, and next time you hear the New York Jets talk about how they're the team to beat in this league, keep this in mind: They're not even the team to beat in their own division.
Here's a list of all his award winners and runner-ups:
MVP:
Tom Brady, Michael Vick, Matt Cassel, Josh Freeman
Offensive Player of the Year:
Tom Brady, Arian Foster, Jamaal Charles
Defensive Player of the Year: Clay Matthews, Osi Umenyiora, Cameron Wake, Troy Polamalu
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Sam Bradford, Mike Williams,
Rob Gronkowski
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Ndamukong Suh,
Devin McCourty, Joe Haden
Comeback Player of the Year: Michael Vick,
Wes Welker, E.J. Henderson
Coach of the Year:
Bill Belichick, Todd Haley, Raheem Morris
Assistant Coach: Dom Capers, Charlie Weis, Mike Tice
Most Surprising Team: Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay, St. Louis
Most Disappointing Team: Minnesota Vikings, Cowboys, Texans, Chargers
Most Surprising Player: Arian Foster, Brandon Lloyd, Peyton Hillis
Most Disappointing Player: Brett Favre,
Randy Moss, Donovan McNabb
Best Free-Agent Pickup: Jason Babin, Julius Peppers,
Danny Woodhead
Best Trend: Crackdown on hits to the helmet; Parity; Special Teams getting long overdue recognition as difference makers
Worst Trend: Bad officiating; NFL's insistence on an 18-game schedule; poor clock management
Best Moment: Philadelphia's Miracle at the Meadowlands, Part Deux; Jeff Fisher awarding a game ball to cancer-stricken offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger; Vick's Monday night performance vs. Washington
Worst Moment: Favre lying face down and motionless after a career-ending sack; Spygate II; Sal Alosi's trip
