Raiders midseason awards

By Os Davis  |   Wednesday, October 31, 2007  |  Comments( 23 )

Oakland Raiders
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In connection with the RealFootball365.com alternative midseason MVP awards, a few accolades for key members of the Oakland Raiders at the halfway point. And the awards go to ...

Special teams MVP. Why, Sebastian Janikowski is a no-brainer, of course. The Polish partier is darn near automatic again this season, going 7-of-8 from inside the 50. Janks may have been the sole bright spot in the dismal 13-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 8, as the kicker nailed both his attempts from 50 yards out, including a 54-yarder that represented his second-longest ever. The Raiders raised eyebrows by taking Janikowski in the first round back in the 2000 NFL draft; now, he's the franchise's all-time best field goal kicker.

Defensive MVP. A difficult decision, indeed, with a number of excellent seasons being turned in by certain Raiders this season. Warren Sapp has triggered happy memories for those who recall the dude wearing Tampa Bay pewter in the late 1990s; Kirk Morrison leads the team in tackles and had a monstrous game against the Titans; Michael Huff has shown that he is the future and that future looks like a lot of lights-out defense.

But Thomas Howard's going to take this award home for his all-around play. The overnight-success LB seeks to better his rookie total of 96 tackles, currently on pace for 103. Further, Howard has lumped defenses for his first four career picks to the tune of two TDs and 166 yards, the latter stat a league-high.

And don't forget Oakland's play of the year, Howard's 66-yard interception return against the San Diego Chargers in Week 6.

Wow, Howard is good. So is this Raider defense.

But then there's the the question of offensive MVP. By default, it's gotta be LaMont Jordan, currently on pace to top 1,000 in rushing and 1,400 in total yards; this despite questionable play-calling that sees him getting the ball a mere dozen times each in the past two games. Unfortunately for the Raiders, both Jordan and Justin Fargas have been cold as of late; the highest individual rushing total for October was Fargas' 61 last week, and the pair "earned" 77 cumulative.

From this, two questions are begged: 1. What's up with Dominic Rhodes at this point?; 2. When's JaMarcus Russell going to play?

Rookie of the year. Tight end Zach Miller, no question. Unfortunately, this is just as much thanks to lack of competition as to the excellent stuff Miller has shown in his rookie season, particularly in blocking.

The rest of the Oakland draft class has been the most disappointing aspect of 2007, even beyond the lackluster offense. Fifth-round pick DE Jay Richardson has made something of a contribution, but most of the rest lies fallow. To wit: Third-rounder Quentin Moses, cut, now plays for Miami; Mario Henderson has yet to play; Johnnie Lee Higgins has two catches on the year; Michael Bush is on the PUP list; John Bowie has yet to play; Eric Frampton, cut, bounced around waivers ... you get the idea. Um, when's JaMarcus Russell going to play?

Most Valuable Raiderette. The absolutely delicious Jennifer N. recently received high accolades for an pompom-toting NFL lady in being named a Cheer Babe of the Week by my main dirty old man Gregg Easterbrook. Way back in July, this writer had her pegged as a top-two Raiderette, and it's good to see the gal get her due. I knew she had potential.

Wishing everyone a great second half from RealFootball365.com!
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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CommentsComments: 23  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
raidersensation		02:41 AM
10/31/2007
I think Lechler deserves the Special Teams MVP over Shankowski. Jano missed critical field goals when we desperately needed them....
No.2
Raider Scott		03:42 AM
10/31/2007
Sorry for the late response, I was out of town for the last two days so I am using my first post for all the articles I missed...
No.3
Paul		04:15 AM
10/31/2007
Os Hole somethings never change... Lechler is the special teams MVP. (ur pick) Howard is the defensive MVP. Fargas is the...
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