Judge's Awards

Picking the NFL's Coach of the Year is tough this season. There are a lot of deserving candidates.

The conventional thinking would be to go with Patriots coach Bill Belichick. After all, he has his team on the threshold of a 16-0 regular season, something no team has ever done.

Mike McCarthy has worked wonders with a lightly regarded, young team. (US Presswire)

That's why my choice for Coach of the Year is Green Bay's Mike McCarthy.

He has taken a team most thought wouldn't even win its division and has it in the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Not only that, but he's also coaching the youngest team in the league.

That's what Coach of the Year means to me: a coach who far exceeds what we expect. Belichick has slightly exceeded expectations. McCarthy killed them.

Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio has made a strong case as well. He dumped his starting quarterback nine days before the season, decided to go with David Garrard, and his team is now scoring at a franchise-record pace. And it's 11-4 with no Pro Bowl picks.

But McCarthy is my choice. That's not meant to disrespect Belichick. I think he's the best coach of all time, but this season's award should go to the second-year coach in Green Bay.

Now for the rest of the season-ending awards:

MVP: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. He has slowed down some the past month, but he's still having an amazing season. This is an easy choice. Runners-up: Peyton Manning, QB, Colts; Brett Favre, QB, Packers; Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys; Randy Moss, WR, Patriots.

Offensive Player of the Year: Brady. I thought about Moss, but Brady is the guy who makes it go. He sure is fun to watch. Runners-up: Manning, Moss, Favre; Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings.

Defensive Player of the Year: Charles Woodson, CB, Packers. He got robbed of a Pro Bowl berth, but he's been the best corner in the league. Runners-up: Patrick Kerney, DE, Seahawks; Albert Haynesworth, DT, Tennessee; Nick Barnett, LB, Packers; Jared Allen, DE, Chiefs; Bob Sanders, S, Colts; Barrett Ruud, LB, Buccaneers; Mario Williams, DE, Texans.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Peterson. He has had an amazing season and will get only better and better as he matures. Runners-up: Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs; Marshawn Lynch, RB, Bills; James Jones, WR, Packers.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Patrick Willis, LB, 49ers. He's on his way to the Pro Bowl for a reason. He has been all over the field making plays. Runners-up: Jon Beason, LB, Panthers; LaRon Landry, S, Redskins; David Harris, LB, Jets; Tanard Jackson, S, Buccaneers; Darrell Reavis, CB, Jets; Leon Hall, CB, Bengals.

Coach of the Year: McCarthy. He has the youngest team in the league in the second spot in the NFC. Who thought it would be there? Runners-up: Del Rio, Belichick Romeo Crennel, Browns; Jon Gruden, Buccaneers.

Assistant Coach of the Year: Dirk Koetter, offensive coordinator, Jaguars. They've scored at least 24 points in nine consecutive games, a team record, and are 14 points away from being the highest-scoring team in Jaguars history. They're now an offensive team. That's hard to believe. Runners-up: Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator, Titans; Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator, Patriots; Jason Garrett, offensive coordinator, Cowboys; Ron Meeks, defensive coordinator, Colts; Monte Kiffin, defensive coordinator, Bucs.

Biggest surprise team: Bucs. I thought they would be lucky to win four games. Runners-up: Packers, Browns.

Most disappointing team: Baltimore Ravens. From 13-3 to just hoping to win a game. It's been a bad season all the way around. Runners-up: Bears, Broncos, Bengals, Eagles, Rams.

Biggest surprise player: Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland Browns. Brady who? Anderson has made the Browns an explosive passing offense. Runners-up: Cortland Finnegan, CB, Titans; O.J. Atogwe, S, Rams.

Most improved player: Antonio Cromartie, CB, Chargers. He wasn't even a starter when the season began and now he's on his way to the Pro Bowl. Runners-up: David Garrard, QB, Jaguars; Brandon Marshall, WR, Broncos; Roddy White, WR, Falcons; Jermaine Phillips, S, Bucs; Cortland Finnegan, CB, Titans.

Most disappointing player: Julius Peppers, DE, Panthers. He ended the season out with an injury and had just three sacks. That should never happen. Runners-up: Vince Young, QB, Titans; Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs; Reggie Bush, RB, Saints; Alex Smith, QB, 49ers; Marc Bulger, QB, Rams; Ahman Green, RB, Texans; Joey Porter, LB, Dolphins.

Best trend: More up-tempo offenses. The two best teams in the league, the Patriots and Colts, are pass-first teams.

Worst trend: Too many quarterbacks on the field. Whether because of injuries or bad play, we've had 62 starting quarterbacks. That's way too many.

Best moment: It will come Saturday night if the Patriots go undefeated. Runner-up: I'll go with Brett Favre breaking Dan Marino's career touchdown pass record.

Worst moment: The tragic death of Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Runner-up: Spygate. When the integrity of the game is brought into question, it has to be a worst moment.

Best free-agent pickup: Kerney. He started slowly but has really come on. Runner-up: Jeff Garcia, QB, Bucs; Leonard Davis, G, Cowboys.