In less than a week, Americans will decide who the next leader of the free world will be, but in between all the election hoopla, has anyone realized that the NFL regular season is halfway through?
Where are our priorities, people?
In honor of the great debate, I’ve decided to hold my own version of the election, but rather than have it involve Republicans and Democrats, this one pertains to linemen and quarterbacks. It’s time to hand out some midseason NFL awards, according to the popular vote and the Erik K. Horne “Electoral College.”
For midseason MVP, the popular vote would go to New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for his aerial assault on the league, but the Electoral College would select the New York Giants’ Eli Manning. Brees ranks in the top three in the league in passing yards, completion percentage, completions and touchdowns, but all the Saints have to show for it is a 4-4 record in the NFC South. Yes, Manning has a better supporting cast on defense and, yes, Brees has had to deal with his far share of injuries on offense (Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey), but Eli is quietly having a better season than his big brother Peyton, a perennial MVP candidate himself. The youngest Manning has thus far compiled the best regular season quarterback rating of his five-year career (88.9) while leading his Giants to the top of the NFL’s best division.
It’s been Eli, not Tony Romo that’s been the best in the NFC East following an offseason that was overrun with Cowboys talk. We’ll get to America’s Team in a bit.
The people would choose Tennessee’s Jeff Fisher for the midseason Coach of the Year award, but the Electoral College would go with Oakland’s Lane Kiffin – yes, he with the 5-15 career record with the Raiders. Fisher is currently the NFL’s longest tenured coach and his Titans are the last standing undefeated team, but Kiffin receives this distinction for the manner in which he handled the constant threats from Raiders’ owner Al Davis, who made a mockery of a great franchise with his public lambasting and slander of the 33-year-old.
The final straw was Davis holding a press conference to show off a letter he wrote to Kiffin. Rather than expose Kiffin for his alleged insubordination, Davis exposed himself as someone who has been lapped by the 21st century NFL, as well as someone who still loves a projector just as much as a high school science teacher.
