Doling out awards for the 2008-09 NFL season

By Jeff Dickinson  |   Monday, February 02, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

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The dust has now settled from Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, but the celebrating in some parts of the country is still taking place in honor of the 2008 NFL champion Pittsburgh Steelers -- whose 27-23 win Sunday over Arizona became an instant classic.

Besides the Steelers and the Cardinals, how did the other 30 teams fare this past NFL season? Which teams should be proud of their efforts and which ones not so proud?

Many football fans may have questions about the 2008 season that have yet to be answered. Everyone knows that the Steelers are the best team in the league and that the Cardinals are the runners-up, but what about the best (and worst) of the rest?

Here are some (un)official awards to close out the campaign (not necessarily in any meaningful order):

Most Pleasant Surprise

This award is going to have to be split in quarters; well, actually it is a four-way tie for first place. One award goes to each of the following teams – the Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons. No one predicted that the Cardinals would advance to the Super Bowl. They were the perennial underdogs and came within seconds of being world champs.

The Dolphins went from 1-15 to 11-5 and made believers out of everyone in the league. The Ravens advanced all the way to the AFC championship game behind a rookie coach and a rookie quarterback. The Falcons also rode a first-year coach and quarterback to an 11-5 playoff season. All of these four teams have bright futures ahead.

Biggest Disappointment

Contrary to popular opinion, the most underachieving team in the NFL this past season didn’t finish 0-16. The winless Detroit Lions get a dishonorable mention in this category for setting the record for the most defeats in a season, but the Dallas Cowboys are the biggest losers.

Dallas was a preseason pick by many experts to win the Super Bowl. You would be hard-pressed to find teams with more offensive weapons than the Cowboys. So, why did they miss the playoffs and constantly have to battle negative media attention? Because their coach, Wade Phillips, is hapless and their owner, Jerry Jones, is hopeless. Until quarterback Tony Romo can maintain his composure in big games, the Cowboys are destined for mediocrity.

Most Valuable Player

Kurt Warner, the Cardinal QB. At 37 years of age, Warner completed 67 percent of his 598 passes for almost 4,600 yards in 2008. He also threw 30 touchdowns and was the main reason that the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl.

Rookie of the Year

Atlanta signal-caller Matt Ryan. He didn’t have the most impressive numbers in the league, but Ryan showed the poise that was matched only by Baltimore’s Joe Flacco. Ryan helped lead the Falcons to the playoffs after a disastrous 2007 season by completing 61 percent of his passes and throwing for almost 3,500 yards.

Coach of the Year

It has to be Miami's Tony Sparano. The Dolphins were almost as bad in 2007 as the Lions were this year, yet Sparano took a young team and molded it into a serious contender. Miami played well offensively and defensively all season and stunningly dethroned the New England Patriots to win the AFC East.
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About Jeff Dickinson

I have been writing and editing professionally for 18 years. I spent the first three years of my career as a sportswriter for a daily newspaper in Alabama and got to cover sports and get paid for it! It was great until I got married and then it wasn't too much fun being away from my wife every ...
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