Safeties Need Not Apply
This year, Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed had nine picks in the regular season, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He also recovered a fumble for another score, had a sack, and was the best player on a defense that allowed the second fewest running yards, passing yard, and points allowed.
He did that with a pass rush that only tied for 12th in sacks, so it's not like he was feasting on ducks from battered QBs. The Ravens went 11-5, with Reed playing a starring role in the stretch drive; it's (very) safe to say that they don't make the playoffs without him, and might not have gotten past the Dolphins in round one.
And your most valuable player of the year was... Peyton Manning, who threw for 4000 yards and 27 touchdowns, in a year where his quarterback rating was just the fifth highest in the league, and his lowest since 2002.
Well, OK, fine. That's what happens in the league where Most Valuable Player should just be renamed QB/RB With The Best Year. Or maybe Best Manning. It's all the same thing, which is to say, nothing that anyone really needs to get too upset over, since it's absurd on its face.
But then the AP names its defensive player of the year... and it's the Steelers' James Harrison. Now, I don't mean to demean Harrison here; he had 16 sacks and 7 forced fumbles, both career highs. He's a great player. But shouldn't the second place guy, Dallas's DeMarcus Ware (with 20 sacks and 6 forced fumbles) have split off his vote, since you could make the argument that Harrison wasn't even the best pass rusher? (For the record, I'd rather have Harrison. But you get the point.)
So, um, not to be too delicate about this, but who does Ed Reed need to service to get the recognition he deserves? I'm not a Ravens fan, but he hits like a truck. He shows up huge in big games. And, well, HE SCORED THE SAME OR MORE TOUCHDOWNS ON DEFENSE THAN EVERY OTHER *TEAM* IN THE LEAGUE THAT WASN'T GREEN BAY.
I've watched the entire career of Brian Dawkins. Ed Reed just had a better year than Dawk ever did. He might have just had the best season for a safety ever. And the best that anyone can give him is the third-best defensive player?
Well, look at it on the plus side, Raven Fan. Maybe he plays better when he's mad.
2 comments:
Dude, you're sounding like Gregg Easterbrook, e.g. from last year:
"Not only does the NFL MVP almost always go to a quarterback or running back, but no offensive lineman has ever won. Obsession with glamour boys -- even though 90 percent of football action happens away from the ball -- extends from the Hall of Fame selectors to the stacked Pro Bowl ballot (see below) to the brewpubs, tailgates and fantasy leagues of our great nation. Swimming against this tide, TMQ annually confers the coveted 'longest award in sports,' the Tuesday Morning Quarterback Non-QB Non-RB NFL MVP."
Well, when you vomit up 10K words a week on the NFL, some of them won't make you want to throw the writer off a building.
That describes Easterbrook, though of course, your mileage may vary.
The thing is, we *can* measure Reed's performance; it's right there in the picks and touchdowns. Linemen work as a group; there will likely never be a most valuable one, though there is always one for each team.
Now, if I start making excuses for Bush, railing against Teh Jews, or eating paste in public, you can compare me to that fetid pile. Until then, please, um, don't...
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