Halfway Report: Awards, report cards, near-perfect Chiefs

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It's the halfway point of the NFL season, which means it's time for those old Miami Dolphins players to start wondering when -- or if -- they are going to pop that champagne they keep on ice every season.

Those players of the 1972 Dolphins, the last team to go unbeaten, pop open the champagne every year when the last undefeated team loses, which means they are all rooting loud and hard each Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

And we thought this was a me-first generation of players?

The Chiefs are 8-0 heading into the second half, which makes them one of the more intriguing storylines. Can they go 16-0, throwing cigarette butts into the champagne glasses of those '72 Dolphins?

They can. But they won't.

It's hard to argue that the Chiefs aren't the best team of the season's first half -- although I'll still take the Colts -- but they will lose a game in the next two months, maybe two, perhaps even three.

The schedule isn't daunting, but there are potential pitfalls, the first being Nov. 16 when they play at Cincinnati against the Bengals. Cincinnati? It will be the first really big game in that city in some time, and the Chiefs play host to division-rival Oakland the following week (as if that's a tough game), which might make for a look-ahead.

Kansas City's other potential losses are Dec. 7 at Denver and Dec. 20 at Minnesota. Other than that, it should be nothing but victories. That means the Chiefs will finish no worse than 13-3, which could be good enough to give them home-field advantage in the playoffs.

That isn't a record Chiefs fans want.

In both 1995 and 1997, the Chiefs finished with that 13-3, giving them the top seed in the AFC. Both years, they lost their first playoff game to a wild-card team.

That was under Marty Schottenheimer, the greatest regular-season coach who couldn't win the big one of all time. Dick Vermeil has won a Super Bowl, so he knows what it takes.

Just for jinx sake, the Chiefs might want to find a way to avoid that 13-3. Winning them all is one way, and if that happens, they will ruin the South Florida tradition of celebrating losing.

The reality is those old Dolphins players will be popping the corks again because in this NFL nobody is going unbeaten.

In a league where the Super Bowl teams from a year ago are a combined 6-10, where the Steelers are last in a bad division and the Cowboys are tied with Minnesota for the best record in the NFC, we are not going to see a team go through unscathed.

Keep the Cristal chilled, guys. It's going to go down smoothly once again.

Now on to the Halfway Report:

MVP

Colts QB Peyton Manning shares MVP honors with Steve McNair so far.(AP)

Tie: It's too hard to pick between the two best quarterbacks, so we'll call it a tie between Tennessee's Steve McNair and Peyton Manning of the Colts. Both are having outstanding seasons, and both are carrying their teams. Manning has more passing yards (2,128-1,978), a better completion percentage (68.1-65.1) and more touchdowns (16-13), but he doesn't provide the outside-the-pocket threat that McNair does on passing downs. McNair has rushed for just 81 yards -- putting him on pace for a career low since he took over as a full-time starter -- but he makes plays with his feet now in the passing game, escaping pressure. Give me either one of these two, and I'll take my chances.

Best offensive player

Baltimore running back Jamal Lewis is on pace to rush for 2,000 yards. That would be special. It's hard to believe this guy has had reconstructive surgery on both knees. He's running harder and tougher than he ever has. And he doesn't exactly play in an offense that prevents defenses from loading up to stop him. As the passing game improves with rookie Kyle Boller, Lewis might get even better.

Best defensive player

Carolina's Mike Rucker leads the NFL with 10 sacks and he plays the run well, so he gets the edge over Dallas safety Roy Williams and San Francisco linebacker Julian Peterson. Rucker is one of those guys who play hard all the time. He's much more than just a guy who benefits from playing opposite Julius Peppers.

Best offensive rookie

After playing little in the first month, Houston running back Domanick Davis has come on the past four weeks. He carried 12 times the first three games, but has become the feature back the past month. Davis has gained 312 yards the past three games and has 483 yards to lead all rookie rushers. Not bad for a guy who was mostly a backup and kick returner at LSU.

Best defensive rookie

Seattle corner Marcus Trufant is playing so well that Ken Lucas will remain on the bench now that he's healthy. If Lucas were to return to the starting lineup it will be as a replacement for Shawn Springs, not Trufant.

Biggest rookie disappointment

Although Jets defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson has played better as of late, he certainly isn't worth two first-round picks -- which the Jets traded to get him -- right now.

Biggest draft steal

Dan Koppen has started eight games for the Patriots at center after being a fifth-round pick, and his solid play has allowed the team to keep Damien Woody at guard, where he has played well.

Coach of the quarter

Bill Belichick of the Patriots edges out his former mentor, Bill Parcells. Belichick's team has overcome the loss of several key players and a slow start to get to 7-2 heading into their bye week. They have won at Miami and at Denver. Belichick knows how to get his team ready to play games.

Best offensive assistant

There are a number of quality candidates, including Kansas City offensive coordinator Al Saunders, Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, Minnesota offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and Dallas quarterbacks coach Sean Payton. But the choice is Indianapolis offensive coordinator Tom Moore. He doesn't get a lot of attention, but he is one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL.

Best defensive assistant

The Cowboys are ranked first in total defense in large part because of coordinator Mike Zimmer. One of the best moves Parcells made was to keep Zimmer on. His unit has limited opponents to 240.8 yards per game, nearly 34 yards better than the next best team (Pittsburgh). We've always been a fan of Zimmer and his aggressive style, so maybe this could be the year he gets head-coaching consideration.

Coach on the hottest seat

Tie: Steve Spurrier, Redskins and Marty Schottenheimer, Chargers. These two have more in common than losing games. By the end of the year, both will be ex-Redskins coaches. There's no way Dan Snyder brings back Spurrier -- who will take a settlement to walk away -- and Schottenheimer can't be back after taking a team some thought could make the playoffs and having them with one victory at the halfway point.

Most improved player

Kansas City defensive tackle Ryan Sims is showing why the Chiefs made him a high first-round pick in 2002. Sims has become a force in the middle of the line, and the rest of the defense is feeding off his high energy.

Player on the downside

Has anyone seen Hugh Douglas? Lucky he's a correspondent on the NFL Network, otherwise someone might put his picture on the side of a milk carton. He has one sack in eight games for the Jaguars and was limited to 16 plays last week against the Ravens. He is by far the worst free-agent signing.

Biggest team disappointment

Tie: Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. These were two expected Super Bowl contenders and now they have four victories between them. Plus, things are starting to get ugly. Charles Woodson is taking on coach Bill Callahan in Oakland and the Steelers are benching long-time starters. For two storied franchises, it looks like it's going to be a long second half.

Surprise team

It has to be the Cowboys. Who thought they'd be tied for the best record in the NFC at the halfway point? Parcells has done an amazing job.

Best game

When Indianapolis came back from 21 down in the final four minutes against Tampa Bay to beat them in overtime on a Monday night, it proved to the young Colts players that they are a legit Super Bowl contender. Since then, they've won on the road against Miami and are 7-1 at the halfway point.

Best moment

It's going to be hard to top Jamal Lewis breaking the single-game rushing record (getting 295) in Week 2. That's one of those I-remember-where-I-was moments.

Worst moment

Although Warren Sapp's mouth has made him an ongoing candidate, the Rush Limbaugh-Donovan McNabb flap still earns the season's most dubious nod.

Best trend

The five best teams at the halfway point -- Kansas City, Indianapolis, Tennessee, New England and Minnesota -- all are aggressive on offense and are ranked in the top 11 in the league, with the Patriots the lowest at 11. All five teams like to get the ball vertical in the passing game and don't rely on bunched-up formations to create running room. It's that time of the year now when the skeptics start saying you can't play that way and win late in the year, but here's hoping this is a trend that stays the rest of the way.

Worst trend

Coaches sitting back and letting players say what they want. When Charles Woodson rips into coach Bill Callahan, he deserves some kind of reprimand. Tampa Bay deserves the right to reel in Sapp when he goes overboard. Even if a player is a star, he doesn't deserve special treatment. If Woodson wasn't a good player, do you think he might be looking for work now?