Midseason MVP awards: Part II (Defense & Special Teams)

By Hugo Guzman  |   Friday, November 10, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Miami Dolphins
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Despite the fact that the Miami Dolphins have lost six out of their first eight games, their defense and special teams have been, dare I say, pretty good.

For starters, Jason Taylor is playing at an All-Pro level, and is in the running for NFL Defensive MVP honors. Also, Miami's special teams unit is one of the best in the league in terms of keeping opposing returners in check.

But that's more or less where the accolades end.

The run defense has been respectable, but the pass defense has been suspect. The kicking game has been flat-out bad. The punting has been below average. And the return game? Well, there's really nothing to write home about there, either.

In any case, without further ado, here are the midpoint MVP candidates for defense and special teams:

Defense

This is the no-brainer to end all no-brainers. At 32 years of age, Jason Taylor is posting arguably his best season since entering the league nine years ago. The former Akron Zips standout has 35 tackles, eight sacks, one interception (for a touchdown), and get this...five forced fumbles.

Those numbers could be the most impressive of any defender in the league, so how could I not make him the Dolphins' midseason MVP?

As for honorable mention, there are a few players worthy of that designation, and both of them are linebackers. Zach Thomas is up to his usual antics, notching 75 tackles (1.5 for a loss) through eight contests, but even more impressive is the fact that his protégé, Channing Crowder, is right on his tail. The former Florida Gator has notched 63 tackles of his own, including two for a loss, and his energy and explosiveness have been a real asset to the defense. Basically, when Crowder gets into the mix, that play is usually over immediately. That's what you like to see out of a second-year player who was overlooked by the entire league, slipping to the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Nobody in the secondary is worthy of mention here. Guys have played well in spots, but no one player has shined throughout the course of the '06 campaign.

Special Teams

This is a tough award to hand out. My instincts tell me to go with returner Wes Welker, but considering that he won MVP honors on offense, and is ranked 29th in the league in kick returns, I must go elsewhere.

I do know this much: it's not placekicker Olindo Mare or punter Donnie Jones. Mare has made only 12 of 19 attempts, which is good for the worst percentage amongst starting kickers, and has missed virtually every clutch kick he has attempted. Jones has been a bit better, pinning 14 kicks inside the 20-yard line, which is actually fairly impressive. But his 43.5-yard average makes him the 21st best punter in the league, and, in my book, that's not MVP-caliber production.

And so the award goes to...

The punt defense?

Yep, that's right, the Miami punt defense. The unit is allowing roughly eight yards per return. They harassed star punt returner Devin Hester last Sunday, recovering a key fumble in the process. The longest punt return they've allowed all season long was a 24-yarder to another former Miami Hurricane, Buffalo's Roscoe Parrish.

The kick return defense has been very stout as well, allowing only one return of over 40 yards (a relatively harmless 41-yarder to the Texans in Week 4), but the group has not shined as bright as its counterparts in the punting game.

Still, I think that the point that needs to be made here is that when your punt defense is earning MVP honors, your special teams unit is not exactly setting the league on fire.

For the Dolphins, hopefully that unit, along with the defensive secondary, will ride its success in Sunday's game against Chicago and turn in a more impressive performance during the second half of the season.

Get original Miami Dolphins analysis and commentary all week long at RealFootball365.com
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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