We’re at the quarter pole of the season, time enough to discern who have been the shining stars of this young NFL campaign. With that in mind, I name my First Quarter MVPs. I will nominate one offensive and defensive player from each division, before selecting my first quarter Offensive and Defensive MVPs. We’ll do the NFC today, (Friday), and tomorrow, the AFC.
NFC EAST
OFFENSIVE
Donovan McNabb QB Eagles
11 TD, 1 INT for McNabb, and the Eagles passing offense ranks 1st in the league. And you know he’s “valuable” because the Eagles are in first place despite 23rd ranked defense in the league. An honorable mention to Cowboys running back Julius Jones, who is among the league leaders with 388 rushing yards.
DEFENSIVE
Antonio Pierce LB Giants
The pickins are slim on defense from this division. Every single team here ranks in the bottom third of the league in pass defense, and only Dallas ranks in the top 10 overall. Dallas hasn’t had anybody on defense stand out, though. Pierce wins because his Giants rank 9th in the league against the run, and he is tied for the league lead with 5 tackles for a loss.
NFC CENTRAL
OFFENSIVE
Rex Grossman QB Bears
The Bears stood by Rex through 3 seasons of injuries an ineffectiveness, and they are reaping rewards where other teams that did the same thing for the Kyle Bollers of the world never have. Grossman has thrown 10 TDs against 3 interceptions, and has a passer rating of 100.8. He’s as big a reason as any why the Bears are off to a 5-0 start, as is Bernard Berrian, the fast receiver who is on pace for a 1600 yard, 16 TD season. That is cause for concern though, because it’s highly unlikely Berrian will keep that pace up, and he’s been Grossman’s main weapon this year. Once defenses start planning to shut down Berrian specifically, Rex will have to adjust.
DEFENSIVE
Lance Briggs LB Bears
Briggs and Brian Urlacher have played at about an equal level of excellence this year, but Briggs doesn’t get the pub that Urlacher does, so I will give him his due. Keep an eye on Lions rookie LB Ernie Sims too, he is a straight-up beast, and he leads the NFC North in tackles with 44. Unfortunately, he has no help on that woeful unit.
NFC SOUTH
OFFENSIVE
Deuce McAllister RB Saints
The Saints’ offense has worked this year because opponents have to respect their running game. They have to respect the running game because of Deuce McAllister. Deuce has more than shared the Saints’ running load with Reggie Bush, he’s among the league leaders with 380 rushing yards. He also has 4 TDs. Falcons QB Michael Vick is in the conversation, but you can’t ignore the fact that Atlanta ranks 31st in the league in passing. They won’t get far in the postseason running a high school offense, which is exactly what they run.
DEFENSIVE
Julius Peppers DE Panthers
The Panthers defense has been surprisingly mediocre so far this year, but it’s not because of Peppers. He has 6 sacks and 3 tackles for a loss. He’s also forced 2 fumbles and has a crazy total (for his position) of 4 passes defensed. Whenever he’s on the field, he’s the best player on that field.
NFC WEST
OFFENSIVE
Stephen Jackson RB Rams
Now Mike Martz’s unique offensive stylings are being used to destroy Kevin Jones’ career in Detroit (instead of Jackson’s in St. Louis), Jackson has been given a much bigger role in the Rams offense, and he has responded. Although he has only 1 TD this year, he also has 465 rushing yards, an average of 93 per game. He’s the biggest reason why the Rams are the surprising leaders in the NFC West at 4-1.
DEFENSIVE
Leonard Little DE Rams
Little’s fortunes have revived this year along with that of his team, for whom he’s playing in his 9th season. He has 5 sacks already this year after averaging only 8 the prior two seasons. An honorable mention goes to Niners corner Walt Harris, who has played very well this year, picking off 3 passes, forming two fumbles, and breaking up 8 pass attempts, second most in the league.
AND THE WINNERS ARE”¦.
1ST QUARTER NFC OFFENSIVE MVP
Donovan McNabb QB Eagles
It’s close between him and Grossman, but if you define “valuable” as, “His team is good with him, but would blow goats without him”, then you have to give the nod to McNabb. The Eagles have relied entirely on their offense this year for their 4-1 start, and that offense relies very heavily on McNabb.
1ST QUARTER NFC DEFENSIVE MVP
Julius Peppers DE Panthers
Yes, watching the Bears defense play is like watching a snuff film, so Briggs (and Brian Urlacher, and Tommie Harris), are undoubtedly great candidates. But none of those guys has matched the individual production of Peppers. Without him, a mediocre Panther defense becomes really bad.
And that’s the NFC. Come back tomorrow and I will hand out the awards for the AFC.
