NFL's Most Underrated Player?

          

Casual fans don’t know who he is. Most football followers can’t even pronounce his name properly. Only football purists know his true value. Who exactly, am I talking about? I’m talk about none other then the BEST cornerback in the league, Nnamdi Asomugha.

            Darrelle Revis. Asante Samuel. Charles Woodson. These are the most common names mentioned when people are asked who the best CB in the NFL is. You will even hear some say Champ Bailey, or even Antonio Cromartie. (Excuse me while I puke) The fact of the matter is, while all of these CB’s are most certainly top ten, (Except Cromartie) not one of them compares Asomugha.

            How can that be you ask? How is it possible that the NFL’s most underrated player is also the best at his position? Surely if he was that good you would hear his name more often. Surely we would see him on the highlight packages coming up with a big interception or forced fumble. Surely if he was that good he would be a Fantasy Football stud.  Well, the answer to that is very simple. Asomugha is so good that the play never happens near him. Asomugha is so good at covering opposing Wide Receivers that Quarter Backs simply stopped throwing the ball in his direction. That’s why you never hear Asomugha’s name. That’s why you never see him in the SportsCentre highlight packages.

            I’m not trying to take anything away from CB’s like Revis and Woodson. Far from it. In my opinion, they are both top 5 at their position. All I’m saying is that neither is on the same level that Asomugha is. Ever hear that football expression “The CB is being left on an island”? That’s the case when it comes to the level of play between Asomugha and the rest of the CB’s in the NFL.

            Just to show you how dominant Asomugha is, take a look at some hidden stats that for some reason do not garner media attention, yet are a great indicator of how well a corner is playing.

In 2009, Nnamdi Asomugha was:

Thrown at 29 times. (1.8 per game)

Allowed 9 Receptions (0.56 per game)

Allowed 144 yards (9 yards per game)

Allowed 0 Touchdowns

            If those numbers don’t impress the hell out of you, then I don’t know what will. He did not allow a single touchdown to be scored on him the entire season!

The hidden stats continue. In 2008, only 2 players caught more then 1 pass against him. Those 2 players? Future Hall of Famer’s Randy Moss and Tony Gonzalez.

            Coaches  Mike Shanahan, Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Gary Kubiak and even Defensive Co-ordinator Rob Ryan have all gone on record saying that Asomugha is the best corner back in the league.

            So many times I hear football pundits say that the “shut down corner” is a thing of the past; that in this new pass happy league there can never be a shut down corner. Well I respectfully, yet strongly disagree. There is 1. Only 1. And that player is Nnamdi Asomugha.

So this is my personal shout out to Asomugha, the most underrated player, as well as best cornerback in the league. It’s about time people started giving him the credit he deserves. Will you?

The Best of the NFL; Mid Season Awards have arrived!

We are officially at the Half-Way point if the NFL season, and I think it's safe to say that this is easily one of the weirdest seasons in NFL history. Pre-Season Superbowl contenders are flopping, garbage teams from last year are excelling, Star players are being traded and waived in the same month... it's just crazy. But of course, there are the players who year in, year out never disappoint.

Now, without further delay, let's get to it!

MVP of the Year: Tom Brady, New England Patriots.

I hate giving this award to Mr. Gisele but I have no choice. He is currently the most important player on the First place team in the NFL. He lost his elite wideout this season but has still managed to win every game without him. Oh, and the starting tailback of the Pats offense? The all world Ben Jarvis Green Ellis. Runner up: Peyton Manning.

Defensive Player of the Year: Laron Landry, Washington Redskins.

This was a damn hard choice.In fact, I had a hard time choosing between 3 players. I have no doubt that many of you will look at this selection and think "What the hell is Ryan smoking?". Well hear me out. Laron plays on a terrible defense. They play in a 3-4 when they should be playing in a 4-3. However, This year he was moved back to his original position at SS and the results are off the charts. 76 Tackles, 1.0 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble and 7 Passes Defensed. Runners up: James Harrison, Clay Matthews.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams.

No brainer. Sure there are other Rookies this year having a good season, but was Bradford has been able to do this season with the Rams is absolutely Incredible. After 8 games this season, Bradford has led the Rams to more wins (4) then they had over the last two seasons combined. (3 out of 32). If thats not worth some recognition, then I don't know what is. It is also worth mentioning that Bradford has 11 Touchdown passes, compared to 8 INT's. Damn impressive for a rookie. Runner up, Jahvid Best.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions.

Like The other Defensive player award, this one was almost impossible to decide. Literally a coin flip. Suh, or Thomas? In the end, I had to go with Suh. What tipped the scale in his favor was the fact that he already has 6.5 sacks. While impressive for any player through the first half of the season, what makes this ULTRA impressive is that Suh is a interior lineman. He's not a defensive end or even a pass rushing OLB. Combine that with his 27 tackles, 1 interception and fumble recovery for a touchdown, and I just couldn't go against him. Runner up: Earl Thomas

Comeback Player of the Year: Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles.

This award may very well change by the end of the year as Polamalu is quietly having a great season. as a matter of fact, I would argue that no defender is more important to his teams defense then Troy. But thats neither here nor there. anyway, back to Vick. Yes vick has only played in 5 games and started only 4, but look at where Vick's career was just last year. he ended the season as the 3rd string QB and it appeared that Vick's days as a starter were over when he couldn't beat out Kolb in training camp. Well one ill timed Kolb concussion later, and we are here talking about how Vick looks like the Vick that amazed us 5 years ago. His stats line does not lie. 7 TD's. 0 INT's. 108% passer rating. Oh, and he's undefeated this season as a starter. Runner up, Troy Polamalu.

Coach of the Year:  Tie. Todd Haley, Chiefs & Raheem Morris, Buccaneers.

Ok so I'm cheating and not picking a clear winner. Well it's only the half season awards so sue me. Both coaches have done different things with their respective teams that merit this award. Morris was very seriously on the hot seat coming into this season. His QB Josh Freeman is still only a sophomore, and was not all that impressive in '09. the running game is powered by Cadillac Williams who is always injury prone and inconsistent. But what Morris has been able to do with LeGarette Blount has been absolutely remarkable. As for Haley, his team is the youngest in the league. He has more rookies starting then any other coach would want, X2. So the fact that he is able to get these rookies to buy into his system and play like seasoned vets is truly incredible. At the end of the day, both teams have their teams winning their division when they were expected to be basement dwellers. No Runners up.



And there you have it, my Mid Season player awards for the NFL. Let me know what you think. am I over rating someone? Not giving your favorite player enough credit. Let me know in the comments below!