NFL Awards Watch: Nov. 11

By Nate Sandstrom

First, I heard ESPN's Tom Jackson make a crazy comment about Kurt Warner being NFL MVP after last night's poor excuse for a Monday Night Football game. Then, the Cardinals fans standing behind the ESPN set outside the game started chanting MVP.

Huh?

It's a nice comeback story that Kurt Warner is leading the league in pass efficiency, but I don't buy him as an MVP candidate any more than I do Jason Campbell, Philip Rivers or Drew Brees, who all also have nice passing numbers. I consider Offensive Player of the Year the more appropriate award category for Warner, the one-time employee of the grocery store of my teen years, Hy-Vee.

I prefer to nominate a trio of running backs as my leaders in the MVP race in Michael Turner, Clinton Portis and Adrian Peterson, in that order.

Prior to Pittsburgh's demolition of the Washington Redskins, I probably would've designated Portis as the leader, butI've pushed Michael Turner into the lead role in the past two weeks as Atlanta keeps winning. I believe the big performance he put on in Week 1 helped set the tone for the season, and the production from the league's #3 rusher has taken pressure of rookie QB Matt Ryan and allowed him to emerge and contiue gaining confidence.

Speaking of Matt Ryan, he is part of a tight race for Rookie of the Year that includes fellow 1st-round draft pick QB Joe Flacco, Tennessee RB Chris Johnson, Chicago RB Matt Forte, late draft pick and Redskins S Chris Horton and Houston RB Steve Slaton. I'll give Johnson the slightest early lead, but I'm going to defer a full designated leader another week on this one.

In the first week of this feature I designate Green Bay S Nick Collins leader of the race for Defensive Player of the Year after he returned his third INT for a touchdown this season. It initially looked to me like it was the game-winner, but A-Pete was able to get the actual game winner a few minutes later.

Still, Collins, a third full-year starter, is tied for the league lead with five total picks. He's added 41 tackles and 14 pass break-ups to go with it.

Also in the discussion for D-POY is secondary mate Charles Woodson, who also has 5 INT's; Tennessee CB Cortland Finnegan, who has been a leader in the stout Titans secondary; Giants DE Justin Tuck, who has flourished on a revamped New York DL; Minnesota CB Antoine Winfield, who has made big plays while constantly being put out on an island; as well as do-everything Niners LB Patrick Willis.