Posted by Will Brinson

Every week, our NFL experts will hand out the Eye on Football hardware to the best of the best from the NFL week that was.

Week 16 NFL Awards
Expert	Offense	Defense	STeams	Coach
Freeman	Brees	Byrd	Janikowski	Schwartz
Judge	Brees	Grant	Akers	Coughlin
Prisco	Rodgers	JPP	Seymour	Coughlin
Brinson	Brees	Bills	Akers	Coughlin
Katzowitz	Cruz	Mayo	Seymour	Coughlin
Wilson	Brees	Bills	Janikowski	Coughlin

One. More. Week. It's terrifying, isn't it? Anyway, before we get to that, let's hit up the (slightly delayed) Week 16 Eye on Football Awards.

On offense, only one voter steered away from record-breaker Drew Brees and there's definitely an argument for Aaron Rodgers. But Brees breaking Dan Marino's record for passing yards in a season gave him the nod for the Eye on Offense Award.

On defense, the Bills defense as a whole picked up the Eye on Defense Award thanks to their evisceration of Tim Tebow and the Broncos.

Another record-breaker, David Akers, gets the nod for the Eye on Special Teams Award based on a tiebreaker in a three-way race with a pair of Raiders.

And Tom Coughlin nearly got the clean sweep for the Eye on Coaching Award with the way he handled his business against the Jets.

Leave your votes in the comments below or scream angrily at us on Twitter @EyeOnNFL.

Eye on Offense Award
Mike Freeman	Clark Judge
Drew Brees, QB, Saints Don't like how the Saints did it but Brees still deserves credit for reaching it. The record is more about perserverance than anything else. Brees was told he'd never make it this far. He wasn't good enough. He's too short. His arm is weak and he proved so many people wrong. That's the best part of this story.	Drew Brees, QB, Saints It's not the four touchdowns or the lopsided defeat of Atlanta that puts him here. It's breaking Dan Marino's record for single-season yardage. It took someone 27 years to make it. The least we can do is acknowledge him with this award.
Pete Prisco	Will Brinson
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers Rodgers throws five touchdown passes against the Bears to lock up home-field advantage in the playoffs and get the No. 1 NFC seed for the Packers. Can we give him this award every week?	Drew Brees, QB, Saints Didn't particularly like the way the Saints gunned for or celebrated the record, but that's on Sean Payton and Brees, and if the Falcons wanted to stop them, they should have. So give Brees his due credit for walking down one of the hardest-to-break records in sports.
Josh Katzowitz	Ryan Wilson
Victor Cruz, WR, Giants Cruz talked trash before Saturday’s Jets game and then backed it up with a 99-yard touchdown reception that was a marvel? It’s hard to believe that last season, Cruz was not even supposed to make the team. Now, he's one of the most exciting receivers in the game.	Drew Brees, QB, Saints Brees broke Dan Marino's 27-year-old passing record and was even accused of running up the score in the process. The accomplishment along with the whining from the Falcons makes him worthy of the honor.
Eye on Defense Award
Freeman	Judge
Jairus Byrd, S, Bills The Buffalo defender returned a Tim Tebow pick 37 yards for a score in a Bills blowout. I'll go ahead and resist the temptation to do a Tebow joke here. It's just really too easy at this point.	Larry Grant, LB, 49ers He starts for the injured Patrick Willis and finishes with 11 tackles, second best on the team. None, however, was more important than the last -- with Grant forcing a Tarvaris Jackson fumble that sealed a San Francisco victory and, in all likelihood, a first-round playoff bye.
Prisco	Brinson
Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, Giants Pierre-Paul had two sacks, three quarterback hits and four tackles. He was all over the field in the Giants victory over the Jets, which was critical to Coughlin's team staying alive for the playoffs.	Bills DST The Bills handed Tim Tebow his first-ever four-interception game and returned two of the picks to the house in a surprise beatdown of the Broncos. That they did it a week after giving up 200 rushing yards to Reggie Bush is all the more impressive/shocking.
Katzowitz	Wilson
Jerod Mayo, LB, Patriots As bad as the Pats defense has been this year, you have to give credit to Mayo for making a difference in New England’s comeback win against the Dolphins. Mayo recorded 13 tackles and his first two sacks of the season to keep the Patriots alive for a No. 1 AFC seed.	Chris Kelsey, LB, Bills This goes to the Bills defense, which intercepted Tebow four times (including two pick-sixes), but Kelsay had two sacks and was in the Broncos backfield all day.
Eye on Special Teams Award
Freeman	Judge
Sebastian Janikowski, K, Raiders Kicked the game-winner against the Kansas City Chiefs to keep their postseason hopes alive. I remember when Janikowski was nothing but the source of fat jokes. Now he might be the best kicker in football.	David Akers, K, 49ers Here's another guy who sets a single-season record, kicking 42 field goals ... with one game still to play. Akers had four in the 49ers' defeat of Seattle, with his last the game winner. I can't imagine where the 49ers would be without him. I know where Philadelphia is.
Prisco	Brinson
Richard Seymour, DL, Raiders He blocked two field goals, including the potential game-winner on the final play of regulation against the Chiefs. Oakland won the game in overtime to keep their playoff chances alive.	David Akers, K, 49ers Andy Reid was off on Akers career -- the Eagles didn't want to pay the man and all he did was kick the most field goals in a single season in NFL history (42). The 49ers don't have the season they're having without Akers being so steady on the special teams end of things.
Katzowitz	Wilson
Richard Seymour, DL, Raiders He was the Chiefs worst nightmare, blocking two field goals -- including the potential game-winner -- to keep Oakland in the hunt for a playoff berth and to eliminate KC. Even if his on-field temper gets him into trouble occassionally, the 11-year vet still has the ability to make big-time plays.	Sebastian Janikowski, K, Raiders Janikowski's game-winner in overtime against the Chiefs kept the Raiders' playoff hopes alive and the kicker finally got his first Pro Bowl trip this week.
Eye on Coaching Award
Freeman	Judge
Jim Schwartz, HC, Lions He exercized the ghosts of the pathetic Matt Millen by getting the Lions in the playoffs. It's quite the achievement by Schwartz in a surprisingly short amount of time.	Tom Coughlin, HC, Giants After listening to Rex Ryan and the Jets talk all week, he and his club respond with a 29-14 defeat that puts them one win from the playoffs. Not only did Coughlin outlast the Jets, he survived a sideline collision that had him limping. The Giants take a cue from their coach: "No toughness, no championship."
Prisco	Brinson
Tom Coughlin, HC, Giants With his team's season on the line, Coughlin led his team to a victory over the New York Jets. Coughlin has been good at getting his team ready for big games. He has another this week against the Cowboys.	Tom Coughlin, HC, Giants The only guy involved with New York football who refused to talk any trash this week? Coughlin. He let his team do the talking for him on the field, knocking around the Jets enough to create questions for Little Brother, and giving the Giants a shot at a division title and a playoff berth.
Katzowitz	Wilson
Tom Coughlin, HC, Giants Whether he’s on the hot seat or not, Coughlin still managed to keep his team level-headed in the face of a torrent of trash-talk from the Jets in a city rivalry game. The Giants just have to beat the Cowboys in order to take the NFC East title. It seems like people forget how good a coach Coughlin is, but on Saturday, he taught Rex Ryan a lesson.	Tom Coughlin, HC, Giants He began the week by proclaiming that "talk is cheap" only to listen as various members of the Giants called out the Jets. The difference between them and Rex Ryan's squad? The Giants backed it up Saturday. And if they beat the Cowboys in Week 17 they'll win the division.

Brees needed just 16 games to surpass Marino's mark of 5,084 passing yards in a season. (Getty Images)

By Ryan Wilson

There was a time early in Drew Brees' NFL career when he was benched for Doug Flutie. It happened in 2003, his third year in the league, back in San Diego when he played for head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Two years later, Brees injured his throwing shoulder during a meaningless late-season game, a few months after that he was a free agent with an uncertain future, and by 2006 he was the Saints' starting quarterback.

And now Brees has broken Dan Marino's single-season passing record. He needed 305 yards to reach the 5,085-yard milestone, one more than Marino had for the entire 1984 season.

Brees became the official record holder in the fourth quarter of Monday night's Week 16 game against the Falcons. It came on a second-down play from the Falcons' 9-yard line. Fittingly, it was a touchdown pass, Brees' fourth of the game, and it gave New Orleans a 45-16 lead. The game was stopped temporarily to honor Brees' accomplishment. A New Orleans victory will clinch the NFC South. (They'll earn the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a victory next Sunday and a loss by the 49ers.)

This isn't the first time Brees has made a run at Marino. He finished 2008 with 5,069 yards, 15 yards shy of Marino's record.

"We talked about it after the '08 season," Brees said last week according to Nola.com. "And at the time it was kind of just like, OK, we made our run at it, and the chances of that happening again are probably really, really slim."

Saints head coach Sean Payton was asked if Marino's longstanding record was a surprise.

"I don't know that anything really surprises you," he said last Thursday. "Our game has evolved. I think you're seeing very good quarterback play, which is exciting. I think you're seeing over the last 20 years colleges who throw the ball much more effectively; all the way to the high school level, and that's carried over to our game in a number of ways. Typically, I think, these records in our league all get broken, and some of them just have a longer shelf life than others."

Coming into Monday night, Brees averaged 341 passing yards, 2.6 touchdowns and 0.8 interceptions per game this season. He's failed to throw for at least 300 yards just three times. Prior to his arrival, New Orleans was coming off a 3-13 season and the city and region were still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Since 2006, the Saints are 55-39 (.585 winning percentage), have made three playoff appearances (four if you include this season), and won the Super Bowl in 2009.

Marino was 23 years old when broke Dan Fouts' record (4,802 set in 1981). He threw 48 touchdowns and 17 interceptions that year, and led the Dolphins to the Super Bowl where they lost to the 49ers, 38-16.

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By Will Brinson

Drew Brees and the Saints decided to put any long-term contract talks on hold until after the 2011 season, but that doesn't mean a new deal for Brees isn't still kicking it as the large, pink elephant in the corner of the room.

On Sunday, CBS Sports Charley Casserly reported that the two sides are still working on a deal, but if they can't reach one before free agency begins, the Saints will place the franchise tag on Brees, and that Brees will probably not report if/when that happens.

"He's a free agent at the end of this year and both sides would like to get a long-term deal done," Casserly reported on The NFL Today. "The Saints told me if one is not done by the start of free agency, they'll franchise him. I estimate that number will be between $14-15 million. The target for Brees? The Peyton Manning contract -- $18 million a year, but more importantly, $23.4 million over the first three years.

"If a long-term deal is not done, I would not be surprised if Brees does not show up for offseason and even training camp."


Brees, as we've previously noted, probably would've slotted somewhere between Manning/Tom Brady and Michael Vick when it comes to a long-term deal and the amount he'd make annually. That's if, of course, the Saints were negotiating with Brees before this season.

Instead New Orleans will now be trading numbers with Brees' agent Tom Condon as Brees comes off a season in which he broke Dan Marino's record for most passing yards in a single season (he's just 300-some yards shy).

That stands to make things expensive for the Saints, and if the team goes deep into the postseason this year, things won't get any cheaper. And it won't exactly the public relations nightmare they deal with if Brees holds out any easier either.

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By Will Brinson & Ryan Wilson

The next-to-last week of the season is underway and after watching the Texans lose to the Colts, it promises to be a doozy. We break down what happened with the Texans, if they are in trouble, what this means for the Colts and Andrew Luck, and whether Reggie Wayne should stick around Indy.

Then we break down the Week 16 games, wondering whether Norv Turner can save his job with a win over the Lions on Saturday, if the Jets and Giants will ever shut up and just play football, if the Eagles fate is narrowly miss the playoff or if they're on a high-speed collision with the postseason, whether Chicago can use Kansas City's blueprint to beat the Packers and if Atlanta can upend New Orleans on Monday.

All that plus much, much more below.

Did we mention that you should subscribe to the podcast via iTunes?

If you can't listen to the podcast below, download it here. And if you'd like to keep working while listening in your browser, pop that puppy out in a new tab here.


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Julius Peppers will play a big role in stopping Aaron Rodgers. (Getty Images)

Posted by Eye on Football Analyst Andy Benoit

Packers vs. Bears
The question is, What did the Chiefs do to make the Packers imperfect, and can the Bears do it too? In short, the Chiefs did nothing special. They ate up clock offensively, running on early downs and sustaining drives with conversions on several third-and-manageable situations. They stayed in base personnel That kept the Packers in their base 3-4, which is plainer than rice cake compared to the blitzes and disguises from their nickel and dime packages. Against that front, Kyle Orton was able to manipulate the defense with play action and eye movement.


Defensively, the Chiefs played press-man against the Packers’ receivers, which the Chiefs had just enough resources to do given Greg Jennings was out. They often rushed only three and forced Aaron Rodgers to beat them from the pocket. Normally, Rodgers would do that with ease, but Sunday he was uncharacteristically jumpy.

The Bears can certainly play this rudimentary style of football – any team can. But that doesn’t mean it will work for them. It hasn’t worked for them yet, after all. Caleb Hanie has been asked to manage the game and has often responded by ruining it (three interceptions in three of his four starts). With no staple ground attack, the Bears haven’t even been in position to play dink and dunk football.

Defensively, Chicago has moved away from the archaic Tampa 2 and towards more press coverage schemes. But their press coverage has not been pure man-to-man, perhaps because of Charles Tillman’s limitations in change-of-direction. It’s doubtful the Bears can simply out-execute the Packers’ receivers; instead they’ll need Julius Peppers & Co. to exploit that injury-riddled offensive line.

Cowboys vs. Eagles
Apparently the 2011 Eagles just needed 12 games to find their identity. The last two weeks they’ve looked like what everyone originally expected them to look like. It’s not that the players are finally getting comfortable in the system, it’s that the system has been tweaked and is finally logical.

Defensively, the Eagles have played more press-coverage and have mixed things up in their pass-rush (for example, aligning Trent Cole and Jason Babin at standup inside linebacker positions behind a two-man line against the Jets – a tactic that generated two of Babin’s three sacks).

They’ve moved Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to dime back, giving the slot nickel duties back to Joselio Hanson. They’ve inserted Casey Matthews back into the lineup, not as a starter but as a nickel linebacker, where he’s been fairly comfortable. Thanks to all this (and more), this defense has given up just 29 points and has recorded 11 sacks over the last two games.

Offensively, Philly’s line is doing a much better job picking up blitzes. The receivers are reading coverages and Michael Vick is playing with patience in the pocket. Vick’s limited football IQ has still led to a few unnecessary hits and missed opportunities, but the good has far outweighed the bad.

LeSean McCoy was bottled up by the Dolphins but, working out of spread formations, he produced 102 yards on 18 carries against the Jets. He’s scored five touchdowns the past two games.

The Eagles won their first meeting with the Cowboys handily. Even on the road this week, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them do that again.

Saints vs. Falcons
No one is playing better than Drew Brees right now, though Matt Ryan has played well enough to make the Falcons this year’s Wild Card Team That Nobody Wants to Face.

After an up and down start, Ryan has gotten comfortable with the Falcons’ new pass-oriented system. That system has had them operating out of 11 personnel (one back, one tight end, three wide receivers) in a no-huddle. Ryan has called most of the game at the line of scrimmage.

This has helped Atlanta on several fronts. For one, Michael Turner, though a power back, has been very good running from the wider 2 x 1 receiver formations. In these sets, Turner gets a clearer picture of his running lanes and faces more cornerbacks and fewer linebackers at the second level.

Secondly, the Falcons can create more inside spacing for Tony Gonzalez, which punishes defenses that try to defend him with a linebacker. Defenses that put a safety on Gonzalez are leaving single coverage on either Julio Jones or Roddy White.

Perhaps the best benefit of the hurry-up is, with all the audibling, Ryan controls the pass protections. That’s given Ryan a much better understanding of where the defensive pressure is likely to come from. Ryan’s presnap protection calls will play a huge factor in the outcome Monday night, as the Saints are known for their aggressive blitzes.

So who will win? Check our NFL expert picks for all Week 8 games. 

Follow @Andy_Benoit on Twitter or contact him at Andy.Benoit-at-NFLTouchdown.com.

Aaron Rodgers led the way in all Pro Bowl voting.(Getty Images)

By Will Brinson

We've wondered whether or not Tim Tebow is a Pro-Bowl candidate before this year and the answer is probably "no." But that doesn't matter when it comes to Pro-Bowl voting, where Tebow was the third-highest vote getter among AFC quarterbacks.

Aaron Rodgers, named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, was the top vote-getter among all NFL players, pulling in 1,581,982 votes from fans. Tom Brady was second among all NFL players with 1,454,311 votes. Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker and tight end Rob Gronkowski joined Brady in the top 10, via NFL.com:

Top-10 Pro Bowl Vote Getters
Player	Position	Team	Votes
Aaron Rodgers	QB	Packers	1,581,982
Tom Brady	QB	Patriots	1,454,311
Drew Brees	QB	Saints	1,188,893
Calvin Johnson	WR	Lions	1,180,777
Wes Welker	WR	Patriots	1,133,787
LeSean McCoy	RB	Eagles	962,824
Rob Gronkowski	TE	Patriots	936,886
Ben Roethlisberger	QB	Steelers	935,535
Adrian Peterson	RB	Vikings	925,554
Mike Wallace	WR	Steelers	923,073

So, yeah, breaking: the Patriots and Steelers are popular! Also popular? Tebow.

AFC Pro Bowl Leaders by Position
Offense				Defense
Player	Pos	Team	Votes	Player	Pos	Team	Votes
Tom Brady	QB	Patriots	1,454,311	Andre Carter	DE	Patriots	511,693
Arian Foster	RB	Texans	896,804	Haloti Ngata	DT	Ravens	592,603
Vonta Leach	FB	Ravens	149,801	Terrell Suggs	OLB	Ravens	546,851
Wes Welker	WR	Patriots	1,133,787	Ray Lewis	MLB	Ravens	413,222
Rob Gronkowski	TE	Patriots	936,886	Darrelle Revis	CB	Jets	561,986
Michael Oher	OT	Ravens	327,644	Troy Polamalu	SS	Steelers	230,649
Logan Mankins	G	Patriots	337,844	Ed Reed	FS	Ravens	198,075
Maurkice Pouncey	C	Steelers	376,457	Shane Lechler	P	Raiders	228,782
Sebastian Janikowski	K	Raiders	244,512	Joe McKnight	KR	Jets	140,926

Once again, I'll point out that the Ravens and Patriots are popular (and also good at what they do), along with the Steelers. Brendon Ayanbadejo was the leading "special teams" vote-getter, with 106,515. On the NFC side, well, I hope you like the Packers:

NFC Pro Bowl Leaders by Position
Offense				Defense
Player	Pos	Team	Votes	Player	Pos	Team	Votes
Aaron Rodgers	QB	Packers	1,581,982	Jared Allen	DE	Vikings	784,527
LeSean McCoy	RB	Eagles	962,824	Justin Smith	DT	49ers	525,578
John Kuhn	FB	Packers	322,260	DeMarcus Ware	OLB	Cowboys	581,554
Calvin Johnson	WR	Lions	1,180,777	Patrick Willis	MLB	49ers	581,554
Jimmy Graham	TE	Saints	725,612	Charles Woodson	CB	Packers	763,198
Chad Clifton	OT	Packers	392,106	Roman Harper	SS	Saints	147,542
T.J. Lang	G	Packers	327,740	Morgan Burnett	FS	Packers	223,292
Scott Wells	C	Packers	436,693	Andy Lee	P	49ers	161,812
Mason Crosby	K	Packers	184,665	Devin Hester	KR	Bears	268,293

For the NFC, Jarrett Bush of the Packers received the most special teams votes with 134,696. (And yes, I suppose I could have kick returners on the offense side, but I'm not trying to have my tables be all uneven. Oh no I'm not.)

Naturally, none of this means any of these guys are guaranteed to make the Pro Bowl -- the fan vote only counts as one-third of the total. The players vote is worth two-thirds. But there's a good chance that many of these guys will end up in the Pro Bowl.

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Posted by Will Brinson



Every week, our NFL experts will hand out the Eye on Football hardware to the best of the best from the NFL week that was.

Week 15 NFL Awards
Expert	Offense	Defense	STeams	Coach
Freeman	Hernandez	Smith	Succop	Belichick
Prisco	Brees	Babin	Lee	Crennel
Brinson	Brees	Smith	Lee	Crennel
Katzowitz	Brees	Abraham	Suh	Crennel
Wilson	Stafford	Smith	Lee	Turner

Week 15's a wrap and that means the NFL's regular season is just about over. Sigh. Anyway, hardware time.

Drew Brees moved well within range of Dan Marino's passing yardage record on Sunday and the near-perfect performance earned him our Eye on Offense Award.

And Aldon Smith's beasty performance on Monday night locked him into our Eye on Defense Award pretty convincingly as well. His teammate Andy Lee's big-footed evening was enough to warrant an Eye on Special Teams nod.

And though Romeo Crennel made some mistakes on Sunday with his clock management and fourth-down decisions, taking down the previously undefeated Packers and getting his first Gatorade bath was enough for him to pull in the Eye on Coaching Award this week.

Leave your votes in the comments below or scream angrily at us on Twitter @EyeOnNFL.

Eye on Offense Award
Mike Freeman	Ryan Wilson
Aaron Hernandez, TE, Patriots The other Gronkowski destroyed a solid Denver defense with nine catches for 129 yards. Actually, Tom Brady should win this award, but he wins the damn thing every week. When the Broncos shut down Gronk, Brady shifted to Hernandez, and Hernandez, like a growing number of players at his position, presents huge matchup problems for a defense.	Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions Sure, the Raiders didn't play much defense on that final fateful drive, but Stafford threw for 392 yards and four touchdowns (with no picks), including the game-winner to -- you guessed it -- Calvin Johnson with 39 seconds to go.
Pete Prisco	Will Brinson
Drew Brees, QB, Saints He threw for 412 yards and five touchdown passes and sat much of the second half against Minnesota. Brees did what he wanted to against an overmatched Minnesota defense.	Drew Brees, QB, Saints Brees is probably going to win the award next week too when he breaks Dan Marino's passing record ... with a week to spare. Want real proof QB rating is dumb? 32 of 40 for 412 yards and five touchdowns somehow doesn't garner a perfect rating. Brees was just that on Sunday.
Josh Katzowitz
Drew Brees, QB, Saints I don’t think I’ve voted for Brees once this season, but come on, the guy has been spectacular. Against the Vikings, he was 32 of 40 for 412 yards and five touchdowns. If not for guys named Rodgers and Tebow, Brees would be THE story as he hunts down Dan Marino’s passing yards record. Somebody should give that dude a raise.
Eye on Defense Award
Freeman	Wilson
Aldon Smith, LB, 49ers One play he drove Max Starks so far into the Pittsburgh backfield, Starks was in San Jose. Once the 49ers play better offenses with quarterbacks not on one leg, that defense will truly get tested. But for now, it's dominant, and Smith might be its most dominant player.	Aldon Smith, LB, 49ers Steelers LT Max Starks should get some credit for his turnstile-tastic effort. To paraphrase Jon Gruden on Monday Night Football, if the game had gone on much longer, Smith would've earned a trip to Canton on that singular performance.
Prisco	Brinson
Jason Babin, DE, Eagles He had three sacks against the Jets, whipping tackle Wayne Hunter all day long. Babin leads the NFL with 18 sacks and has been one of the best free-agent pickups this season.	Aldon Smith, LB, 49ers The real culprit for the blown transformer prior to the Monday night game? Smith, who ate the damn thing and used it as a source of power to terrorize the Steelers offensive line all night, repeatedly pummeling Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh's backfield.
Katzowitz
John Abraham, DE, Falcons He took over the game in the third quarter when he sacked Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert 3 ½ times and forced fumbles on consecutive Jacksonville series. Abraham is 33 years old, but he’s now got 8.5 sacks on the season, showing that even though he keeps getting older, his level of outstanding play isn't decreasing.
Eye on Special Teams Award
Freeman	Wilson
Ryan Succop, K, Chiefs Succop kicked four field goals in Arrowhead on Sunday afternoon and was one of the main catalysts for knocking off the previously unbeaten Packers.	Andy Lee, P, 49ers He punted six times, always changing field position in the process. He had punts downed at the Steelers' 5, 10, 8 and 14. David Akers gets all the notoriety but Lee is just as important to the 49ers' success.
Prisco	Brinson
Andy Lee, P, 49ers He averaged 47.5-yard per punt and 49.2 net yards  -- the latter speaks volumes about hang time -- and he also had four punts inside the 20 against the Steelers Monday night.	Andy Lee, P, 49ers Turns out the only way the Steelers were winning on Monday was by generating some turnovers and getting good field position. Lee made sure the latter didn't happen, sticking the Steelers inside their own 20 four different times and averaging 47.5 yards per punt on the night.
Katzowitz
Ndamukong Suh, DT, Lions If there’s anybody in this world who can make a game-winning, NFL record 65-yard field goal, it’s Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski. Suh wouldn’t let that happen. After sitting out his two-game suspension, Suh helped save the Lions by getting a hand on Janikowski’s attempt.
Eye on Coaching Award
Freeman	Wilson
Bill Belichick, HC, New England Patriots Solved the riddle that is Tim Tebow. Now, the Lions were able to shut down Tebow earlier in the season, but that wasn't this Tebow. The Patriots, after a disastrous first quarter, battered Tebow and made him throw the football. At this point, he can't do that consistently well.	Norv Turner, HC, Chargers He won't get many more chances to win this award since he could be looking for work in a few weeks, so I thought I'd honor him after blowing the doors off the Ravens' defense Sunday night. Philip Rivers looked like, well, Philip Rivers. Looks to be too little, too late, though … or does it?
Prisco	Brinson
Romeo Crennel, HC, Chiefs He takes over for the fired Todd Haley and his team pulls off one of the biggest shockers of the season in beating the Packers, ending their chance for an undefeated season. Who else could win this award this week?	Romeo Crennel, HC, Chiefs For some weird reason, I'm enthralled by the picture of a Gatorade-soaked Crennel getting love from his players after beating Green Bay Sunday. He took down an undefeated behemoth as an interim coach and did it with his speciality: defense. How could it be anyone else?
Katzowitz
Romeo Crennel, HC, Chiefs The Chiefs were a different team with Crennel. They played hard, and we didn't have to see Tyler Palko go out there and fling the ball around. My favorite moment from the Chiefs win? With the victory in hand, Crennel is smiling and clapping. He gets a Gatorade bath. For a second, Crennel stops, startled by the cold. Then he smiles and begins clapping again.

A week after a Tennessee player accused New Orleans' D of playing dirty, Peterson does the same. (US PRESSWIRE)

By Ryan Wilson

After missing three games with a high-ankle sprain, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson returned to the lineup Sunday against the Saints to carry the ball 10 times for 60 yards. But following Minnesota's 42-20 loss, Peterson suggested that New Orleans cornerback Jabari Greer intentionally twisted his ankle one play before he ripped off a game-high 39-yard run.

"I came into the game kind of expecting that coming back from a high ankle sprain," Peterson said, according to the Times-Picayune. "Guys are going to try to take their shots when we're on the pile and try to twist it up and things like that.  "I felt like it kind of got overboard. I got up and kind of got in his face. Thank God I was able to keep my composure."

This comes a week after Tennessee wideout Nate Washington accused New Orleans safety Roman Harper of being a dirty player after he grabbed Damian Williams' facemask.

"Honestly, he's a dirty player," Washington said after their Week 14 meeting. "We watched film on [Harper], he's dirty. And I don't appreciate it, I'm going to step out in public and say it: He's dirty. That was dirty what he did, it's unfortunate that he grabbed the facemask -- at the same time you don't walk over a guy and nudge him with your knee. You don't do that. That's dirty. And honestly, that's a dirty player, flat out. This is not just one game. He's been doing it all season. And I'm tired of it. I hope the league did something about it."

During his Monday press conference, Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier said that Peterson came out of the Saints game "fine," which is more than we can say for the Vikings' season. 

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