NFL Exclusive by LASA Ezine

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Vince Lombardi Trophy

The Patriots defense sacks the Bills QB in the endzone for a safety

Dear Reader, When we decided to write this magazine, we came up with one simple design philosophy. Our magazine should be for seasoned NFL fans AND people who just wanted to learn more about the NFL. With this in mind, we designed our magazine to be simple and easy to understand for all kinds of fans. The stories inside should be an easy starting point for new fans to jump onto. After four months of hard work, we achieved our final goal. Our hard work has paid off, and now its in your hands. We hope you will enjoy this magazine and all the features within. Thank You,

Contributors Chaitanya Aduru was born in Boston, MA and raised in Austin, TX. On the collegiate level, he likes the Stanford Cardinals. In the National Football League, he roots for the New England Patriots because he was born very close to the stadium. He is an avid sports enthusiast and loves playing fantasy football. Anish Katta was born and raised in Austin, TX. For college teams, he roots for The University of Texas Longhorns because his dad went there. In the NFL, he likes the Green Bay Packers. He likes playing football for fun and likes watching Aaron Rodgers play. He went to Kealing Middle School before going to LASA High School. Ta’Voris Whitley was born and raised in Austin, TX. On the collegiate level, Ta’Voris cheers for the Baylor Bears. In the NFL, he likes the Denver Broncos. He went to Garcia Middle School and now goes to Lyndon B. Johnson High School. He also plays on the LBJ High School basketball team. Alex Mancevski was born and raised in Austin, TX. He is an avid football fan and has played wide receiver in pop warner and middle school football. In his free time he enjoys playing football on the street with his friends. In college football, his favorite team is the Texas Longhorns, and in the NFL, his favorite team is the Kansas City Chiefs. Alex Mcleod was born and raised in Austin,TX. He enjoys playing football with his friends, and has also played middle school football. He currently plays on the LBJ High School basketball team as well. His favorite NFL team is the Carolina Panthers and he is a big fan of the Panthers’ rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin.

NFL Players: Are They Held to a Higher Standard?

Photo Credit:Wikipedia

BY:ANISH KATTA

forced to take another look at what role athletes play in their lives.

Ray Rice , a runningback for the Baltimore Ravens was What do domestic violence, , Ray Rice a running back for the arrested on Feb. 15. child abuse, and murder all have Baltimore Ravens punched and High School and an ardent football fan. “I mean honestly, in common with each other? there are so many cases where They were all committed by Palmer at the Revel Casino in parents “discipline” or beat NFL Players. These are hardly Atlantic City, New Jersey. He their child in order to get them was then arrested and charged players in the league. The NFL stereotype with the Asian race has a long and rich history of website TMZ posted a video of criminal activity. From O.J. Rice dragging Palmer out of the and the Tiger mom thing, that honestly I don’t think he Simpson, to Ray Rice to Adrian should’ve been suspended from Peterson, there has been a long suspension from the Ravens. the NFL.” Pokkula’s opinion was debate over the role elite athletes But that’s not all. Less than also shared with Hayden Fallon, play in the lives of fans adult a week later, Adrian Peterson a and children alike. running back for the Minnesota a football player for Vista Ridge Since 2000, there have Vikings was convicted of beating High School. Fallon says “ I believe that the NFL was still been 616 arrests in the NFL, his 4 year old son with a tree not counting players who branch leaving cuts and bruises reeling from the backlash to the Ray Rice situation, so when the were accused but then found all over his son’s body. He was Adrian Peterson thing came up, not guilty. Most players were then promptly suspended from they were under tremendous arrested for drunk driving, the Vikings and tried by the pressure to do something, so drugs, domestic violence, abuse Montgomery County of Texas. suspending Peterson, I think and even murder. When such a large percentage of NFL players the Ray Rice scandal, shocked more criticism and backlash.” are arrested for such atrocious the nation. But was Peterson’s People everywhere were crimes, would parents want charge really fair? asking the same question. their children looking up to such “I think , honestly that the Does Roger Goodell (the people? decision to suspend Peterson commissioner of the NFL) need was overreacted.” says Vivek Pokkula, a freshman who to revise its policies on how it look at recent events. On Feb. 15 attends Westwood

6 NFL Exclusive

treats its players? But this is far from the

there can be problems involved

situations have popped up.

Since NFL players are trained to just tackle each other, hitting

examples in the past, the most notable being O.J. Simpson. O.J. Simpson was charged with the murder of his ex-wife Nicola Simpson and a waiter she had sparked heated debate over the question “Is O.J. guilty or not caused a split along the lines of race. Most white people thought that O.J. Simpson was guilty, while most African- Americans thought that O.J. Simpson wasn’t guilty. Simpson was found as not guilty in 1994, but was later retried and found guilty in 1997. Ordered to pay $33,500,000 in settlement

some players. But football fans can understand this. “I don’t necessarily think football players are trained to have a more aggressive mindset, I think its just that they spend most of their life hitting each other, so naturally they can’t just hit a kill switch and go back outside and be peaceful on their own.” says Fallon. by both Hoberman and Fallon can be attributed to the numerous hits player sustain while engaging in football. An article Photo Credit:Wikipedia

Florida where property cannot indebted Simpson was then arrested in 2007 for robbing a casino trying to steal his Heisman Trophy and other sports memorabilia, and was given a 37 year sentence in prison, a sad end to a once great football player. But all this brings up an interesting question. Are NFL players trained to be more aggressive? Is aggressiveness in their mindset? “Of course football players are trained to be aggressive of Texas Professor John H. Hoberman, who has written numerous sports commentaries for hundreds of newspapers around the country. “[And]

Adrian Peterson a runningback for the Minnesota Vikinngs was suspended from the team for child abuse.

“Of course football players are trained to be aggressive on the

Forbes quoted neurologist Dr. Raine, who along with a group of colleagues have reportedly found a neurobiological link between individuals who commit repeated showed that these individuals had neural abnormalities like a hyperactive amygdala, an organ which is in charge of memory,decision making, hyperactive amygdala made the individuals more likely to lash out and show more aggression when annoyed or provoked. But what could this mean for NFL players? Raine believes he has the answer. He says “We all get aggressive at times. What stops us from lashing out? It’s a well-functioning prefrontal cortex,”. A prefrontal cortex that could very easily be damaged by the repeated concussions NFL players sustain during games. Raines notes that “If you get a whiplash injury” — say, a football tackle — “the very front ridge of the brain is especially likely to be damaged,the region that is very much involved in NFL itself has released data that shows that 30% of NFL players could possibly be diagnosed with Dementia or Alzheimer’s due to repeated concussions. What’s to say that these concussion aren’t injuring the amygdala or repeated traumas to the decision and emotional response components of the NFL Exclusive 7

brain could bring out the aggressiveness already instilled by football itself. Ray Rice 1,500 times in a six year career. So assuming concussions are the cause of violent acts, are those acts really the fault of the NFL players? Well with the NFL’s record of players getting concussions, it is easy to say that Ray Rice and others like him certainly knew what they were signing up for, therefore they must assume responsibility for their actions, knowing the risks involved. NFL players are trained to be aggressive through repeated training and conditioning, in

for kids because they all shows signs of perseverance to get into the NFL, which is a pretty are involved in their communities and there is even an award issued by the NFL for the most humanitarian player.” He points out that being an NFL player is a dream, and that dream can be an inspiration for kids of all ages. But is his view shared with everyone? “I do not take elite athletes seriously as role models.” says Professor Hoberman, referring to the numerous numbers of arrests and crimes committed Photo Credit: Flickr

and defensive strategies of their respective teams. However some players are just better at who are good at controlling their aggressiveness are good role models. Take Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts for example. A graduate of Stanford University, Luck has a degree in economics and is widely considered one of the smartest NFL players in the league. In fact when Pokkula was asked about one NFL player he considered a role model, he responded with “I consider Andrew Luck of the Indiana Colts as a role model because even though he is a football player, he still went to Stanford which is no easy feat.” Many people would consider NFL Players as a role model. Hayden Fallon , a football player himself says “NFL Players are good role models 8 NFL Exclusive

Photo Credit: Sportsworld

O.J Simpson was arrested for murdering his ex-wife and his waiter and was found not guilty in 1994. by professional athletes. In his opinion the bad far outweighs the good. So all this leads back to our athletes held to a higher standard? “Yes, I really do think that NFL Players are held to a higher standard.” says Fallon.

Ray Rice is still awaiting his trial for domestic abuse, and is expected to be found innocent. Rice is even expected to rejoin the Ravens.

“I think we should all be held to a high standard. It is naive to expect athletes to behave better than others.”

can’t let players who break the rules stay on, because the players are role models to a generation of kids.” But should NFL players really be held to a higher standard? Professor Hoberman sums this issue up well: “I think we should all be held to a high standard. It is naive to expect athletes to behave better than others.”

Ray Rice has had his anulled by a federal court after it was decided that his sentence was unfair.

Photo Credit: Flickr

NFL Exclusive 9

NFL Arrests since 2000 From Homicides to Drunk Driving to Domestic Abuse. San Francisco 49ers

By Anish Katta

13 NFL Arrests since 2000 San Francisco 49ers

Chicago Bears

Cincinatti Bengals

Chicago Bears

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Cleveland Browns Arizona Cardinals

26 11

San Diego Chargers

Kansas City Chiefs

Indianapolis Colts

Dallas Cowboys

Miami Dolphins Philadelphia Eagles

Atlanta Falcons

New York Giants

26 13 11 13

Cincinatti Bengals

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Cleveland Browns Arizona Cardinals

26 11

San Diego Chargers

Kansas City Chiefs

Indianapolis Colts

Dallas Cowboys

Miami Dolphins Philadelphia Eagles

Atlanta Falcons

New York Giants

26 13 11 13

All information courtesy of UT San Diego Arrest Database

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

27 11

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

17 15

Carolina Panthers

New England

Patriots

Oakland Raiders St. Louis Rams

19 9

Baltimore Ravens

Washington Redskins

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Pittsburgh Steelers

Houston Texans

Tennessee Titans

Minnesota Vikings

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With the season almost half way over, it is time to predict the sleepers and busts for the rest of the season. Who should I drop? Who should I pick? Who is on the rise? Which players have the highest potential? Who can I depend on for point consistency? When will my team get better? Every fantasy football player thinks about these questions day and night. The answers are here; it is time to make your fantasy team better! While fantasy players scramble to answer their team’s woes, owners have many options to patch up their team. Sometimes, it can be a quick pick up. Other times, it can be a trade with high upside. But, with every transaction, there is always risk. Minimizing the risk and looking for consistency is the job. Since there have been many surprise scandals this season, like Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice, finding players can be hard. But, pickup options like Kelvin Benjamin and Rashad Jennings have greatly upgraded fantasy teams. Who got these players? Fantasy owners who opened their eyes and saw the opportunities. That is the key to fantasy football. First, there are many players in each position who will progress throughout the season and should be picked up in every league.

The predicted top five running backs at the end of the season have changed plenty since the beginning. According to Cat Vasquez, the top five running backs are as follows: “This is a big IF, but if DeMarco Murray stays healthy, I think he can lead the pack. [My] top five in order: Murray, Dallas; Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh; Marshawn Lynch, Seattle; Gio Bernard, Cincinnati; Jamaal Charles, Kansas City. The differences are there because of lack of injuries to Murray and Bell so far. I think Charles will Photo Credit: Wikipedia-Upload bounce back after a rough start.” Also, many pickups are available. DeMarco Murray (above) is One rewarding pickup at running on a record pace for yards and back throughout the season is TDs. Terrance West. Why? “He debuted with a 100 yard game and has two touchdowns already,” says Vasquez. “Ben Tate, who is ahead of him on the depth chart has a hard time staying healthy.” A second running back who won’t be relevant throughout the entire season but has had legitimate fantasy value in the past and could be strong-week-to-week is Matt Asiata. Since Adrian Peterson left, he has been the main workhorse. The reason his value throughout the season will decrease is

Fact: DeMarco

Murray became the first player in history to rush over 100 yards in first eight games of the season.

because Jerick Mckinnon, his backup, will come closer each week on the depth chart. Also, the offense of the Minnesota Vikings is in a mess and Matt Asiata will not have enough opportunities to produce enough touchdowns for a weekly start. Now, let’s look at the wide receivers on the fantasy radar. The main sleeper many fantasy experts talk about is Kelvin Benjamin. “Kelvin Benjamin, wide receiver for Carolina, has been doing really well now that he’s the top target,” says Cat Vasquez. “He’s in a good situation because he’s one of the few weapons Cam Newton has at his disposal.” Benjamin’s huge stature and athleticism lets him box out defenders and gives him opportunities to make big plays. He already has 416 receiving yards and four touchdowns for his rookie season. Another wide receiver turning owners’ heads is Steve Smith Sr. He has produced a great quantity of fantasy points in the recent weeks and looks healthier than ever, but he can’t produce every week with the Baltimore offense and will eventually taper off. As Vasquez says, “I think Steve Smith of Baltimore will eventually fall off because of his age and injury history.” Obviously, quarterbacks have a big part in fantasy football. A considerable amount of quarterbacks out there can produce effectively but haven’t been seen by many fantasy owners. More recent examples are Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler, and Eli Manning. For the top five endof-year quarterbacks, here they are: Peyton Manning (Denver),

Photo Credit: Flickr Upload Bot

Philip Rivers (above) has been productive, yielding a 109.9 passer rating on the season, third in the league.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia-Upload

Kelvin Benjamin (above) is making a strong campaign for Rookie of the Year. He has helped many owners.

Andrew Luck (Indianapolis), Drew Brees (New Orleans), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay), and Philip Rivers (San Diego). The best sleeper for the rest of the season would probably be Philip Rivers. He has been playing on all cylinders lately and is on a hot streak. Rivers also has a fortunate schedule and already has nominations for MVP. All of these make him a weekly fantasy starter. For the tight ends, kickers, and defense/special teams, only a few options can be exploited in any league. For tight end, the main pickup available will probably be Delaine Walker because he gets many touchdown opportunities. A close second is Larry Donnell for the same reason. For kickers, the best pickup is Cody Parkey of the Eagles because the Eagles have a fast-paced offense and score on many possessions. Lastly, the best pickup for defense/special teams is the Buffalo Bills. They have been playing excellent defense lately and have the potential to get better. Even though Comeback Player of the Year (for fantasy) and other awards aren’t useful for waiver wire, these options relate for fantasy trades. These players have plenty of potential but owners do not see it yet. For fantasy comeback player, Julio Jones seems like the best option. “He went down early last year after a really good start. He should bounce back this season and then some,” says Vasquez. “Just the fact that he’s back on the field will be enough to increase the value of Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense.” Another fantasy football player who gets hurt frequently

and one could probably trade for is running back Arian Foster. Since getting injured a few times this season, he has broken out with two 20+ fantasy games. He is on fire, but he may easily get hurt soon. For rookies who have entered the league, Kelvin Benjamin and Terrance West have been outshining, but one fantasy wide receiver who hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been mentioned is Brandin Cooks. He recently broke out with Drew Brees. He could possibly become the top wide receiver for the Saints since Marques Colston is slowly losing his magic. Even though he may not get many touchdowns, he is a deep threat and only needs a few receptions to make an ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day. Lastly, taking a look at new team situations and who will benefit is also crucial for fantasy owners. The new team situation for a player that will actually benefit is hard to find this year, but Emmanuel Sanders fits the category. With Peyton Manning a huge upgrade from Ben Roethlisberger and Wes Welker having chemistry trouble, there is much hope for Sanders. As a wide receiver number two on an elite offense, he is sure to rack up the fantasy points all day long. Sadly, this season, there is an abundance of players who will disappoint because of new team situations. Eric Decker, traded from the Denver Broncos to the New York Jets this offseason, is in a bad situation. With no other wide receivers to help move the ball and Geno Smith at the helm, he will have a frustrating season. In almost the exact same situation as Decker is Knowshon Moreno.

Photo Credit:Wikipedia-Upload

Eric Decker (above) and Knowshon Moreno (below) will be disappointing this season with new team situations which have less elite QBs.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia-Upload

This offseason, he was traded from the Broncos to the Miami Dolphins. Last year, he was ranked as the number five running back for fantasy. He got plenty of points from Manning at the helm and the box was not stacked at all. Since the defenders were afraid of the pass, there were wide-open holes to run through. Now, in Miami, with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, there will be tons of stacked boxes as well as other

running backs for competition. The main running back: Lamar Miller. Overall, there are a great deal of players ready to take control in their offenses and can breakout at any time. Fantasy owners should be patient and continue to build their team through the entire season. Great pickups are always on the horizon and seeing the opportunity is the most important part.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia-Upload

NFL Exclusive 13

Peyton Manning Huddling Up With The Denver Broncos 20 NFL Exclusive

Denver Broncos Showing Super Bowl Talent Denver Broncos have a 6-1 record, they are tied for first in the NFL.. Peyton Manning is doing great he broke the record for most passing TD’s in NFL history. He is a leader for his team and fans with possibly bringing home a Super Bowl win and bringing home a ring. I predict the Denver Broncos to make it to the Super Bowl not only because it’s my favorite team but also because they have a great offense led by Peyton Manning.

“I think the Denver Broncos will win the Super Bowl. They have great balance on offense with the best QB in the game calling the shots. Their defense is muchimproved from last season, both in terms of pass rush and coverage in the secondary. They are a complete team. The NFL is all about parity. You have 20 teams with a record of .500 or better. That means almost two-thirds of the league has a legitimate chance at making the playoffs. That’s what the league wants… as many teams as possible to be in contention for as long as possible to captivate fan interest.’’ NFL Exclusive 21

The Top Five Defensive Backs In The NFL By:Tavoris Whitley

• Eric Weddle

• 70 tackles • 12 pass deflections • 7 interceptions

• John Cyprien • 87 tackles • 6 pass deflections • 1 interception

• • • • • • •

Charles Tilman 82 tackles 1 sacks 12 pass deflection 3 interceptions 4 forced fumbles 2 fumble recoveries

• Harrison Smith • • • • •

82 tackles 1 sacks 12 pass deflections 3 forced fumbles 4 fumble recoveries

• Earl Thomas • • • • •

22 NFL Exclusive

73 tackles 1 sacks 11 pass deflections 3 interceptions 4 fumble recoveries

The NFL Best Defensive Back

Ray Lewis is respectably the best defensive back to leave the NFL. Lewis was selected to 13 Super Bowls and is probably the best Baltimore Raven to leave the program. Lewis has been the only Baltimore Raven to receive multiple rewards. He retired after winning the Super Bowl and claiming the MVP in the season of 2013. Now Ray Lewis is a sports commentator for ESPN, and he is known for wearing his fancy hats and suits.

Ray Lewis showing hard work and not quitting on the play.

Photo Cred By John Bruce NFL exclusive 23

WITH THREE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS DEAD IN ONE WEEK, WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP SEVERE INJURIES IN FOOTBALL? BY ALEX MANCEVSKI Watching the NFL, you might see the running back cross into the end zone. He acts like he’s been there before, casually flipping the ball to the referee and celebrating with his teammates.

Although he might give the impression that football is all fun and games, he is the survivor, the one who has made it through middle school, high school, and college football without a severe-

career ending injury. Most people who watch football feel a sense of community when a football game comes on, but what they don’t see the dark side to football. What you don’t see are the many who have suffered careerending injuries, or even permanent, life-impairing disorders. Is it possible America’s favorite sport is also the most violent one? It is frightening when 76 out of 79 recently deceased football players are shown to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and in the duration of one week, three high school football players die. Fans become frustrated, because their favorite team’s star player might be injured, and forced to sit out. The Washington Redskins have faced a very

All Photos Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Redskins’ Robert Griffin III sits on the sideline due to an severe ankle injury (top). Colts’ Reggie Wayne is hit hard by defenders.(left). An injured Jadaveon Clowney warms up with the Texans Practice Squad (below). Steelers defense tackles an opposing Bucaneers player (below right).

disappointing start of the season due to their starting quarterback, Robert Griffin III, being benched due to a serious ankle injury. Another is the Houston Texans, whose first round pick, Jadeveon Clowney, had to be sidelined for the first half of the season due to a knee injury. This problem has been highlighted in the NFL and college football, but the reality is this problem is prevalent in all levels of football, including middle and high school football. Many times serious incidents happen without anyone outside school taking notice. Justin Wilkerson, a dedicated Clint Small Middle School football player, reflects on one of his teammates who was the victim of a serious injury.

“One of my teammates, Elijah, had a neck injury which caused

“

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half of his body to be completely numb,” says Justin, “He had to be hospitalized and didn’t play for

the rest of the year.” This is one of many unpublicized injuries. He also points out that like in the NFL and college, concussions are common in middle and high school football, “In my school most of the injuries are concussions. We get about three kids who suffer concussions each year. Some of them even suffer concussions multiple times.” The danger about injuries in lower levels of football is that there is no one to check on the player’s health. Coaches and staff simply rely on the player to restrain himself from play if he is hurt,” says Justin, “Many players ignore them so they don’t give up their position.” Even for a simple position, players risk their well being. Worse than that, some coaches promote violence in players and players are encouraged to injure the opponents. Some might have heard

about the Saints Bounty Scandal during the 2010 NFL season, where players were allegedly paid

Texas Youth Football League] coach for six years recalls,“... just recently one team, Manor, was even getting encouraged by the coach to injure the opposing team,” says Wilkerson, “The coach said, ‘Injure them, take their QB out.’ In response the players shouted, ’Yeah, let’s injure their quarterback.’” For merely a high school victory, players are willing to intentionally, even permanently injure their opponents. While all football injuries pose a risk, concussions are the most severe. So even though they bonuses when they injured an are common, why are they so opposing team player, but many serious? Nurse practitioner, Rachel things that happen in middle Mundy, has treated sports injuries, school are rarely heard. Jerome specifically concussions for six Wilkerson, a CTYFL [Central years. “Multiple concussions can be dangerous and can produce the Giants’ Larry Donnell gets hit hard while running, by Cowboys’ most lasting effects on a player,” says Mundy, “Depression is a Barry Church (below).

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very common after effect of many concussions, along with anxiety. Also chronic migraines can result from many concussions. ADD as well. Ultimately it is known to produce scar tissue in the brain, memory loss, and it is also possible for concussions to lower the athlete’s IQ.“ Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), is a progressive degenerative disease to the brain that plagues players of contacts sports. This disease is responsible for many of the symptoms Mundy mentioned. The truth can be startling. A few concussions may cause a player to suffer for the rest of his life. Players of all ages are in danger of a concussion. According to Mundy, simply four concussions on players that are younger than 19 years old has been shown in studies, to have lasting effects on football players. How can concussions be

A Ravens player grips tightly on the ball and stiff arms the Bengals defense as he breaks tackles (above). prevented? While the NFL might have personal trainers checking constantly to see if any player has an injury, many high schools and middle schools don’t have this type of luxury. Staff can’t rely on athletes themselves to tell someone if they don’t feel well, or to sit themselves out from a game. That is the job of a personal trainer. Mundy believes more money has to be invested to hire trainers who will watch out for the players. “Players should be taught safety measures through a seminar and exams, also there should be standard regulations about having trainers at every practice and game to watch if any player has a concussion,” says Mundy. Not allowing the brain enough time to recover from a concussion can lead to chronic

disorders even sooner. That’s why it’s up to the regulations to set minimum time periods before a player can return again to play. “How long players should sit out after a concussion should be based on cognitive tests, balance tests, and a neuro exam, they have to be cleared by a doctor, like me, to return to play” says Mundy, “Usually that’s about 28 days.” For many of athletes, these changes came too late. Some have already suffered injuries that have hindered their chances in continuing football, and others have already died due to poor regulations, but hopefully changes can be made, and we won’t see any more severe injuries in football. Within a few years, with a couple of simple changes, new awareness and regulations can diminish the number of injuries on the field, and can quite possible eliminate the negative side to football.

(Data courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

(Data courtesy of assets.sbnation.com)

The NFL is full of exceptional players, but only the best of the best are talented enough to win awards. Now that a quarter of the season is completed, there is no better time to predict award winners in advance and save you the lengthy wait. Here are five players who are starting the season by exhibiting this rare talent. This feature will analyze the most talented NFL players for individual award winners. The predictions will include Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year.

Philip Rivers, quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, is the number one candidate for MVP of the 2014-2015 NFL season. Going into week seven, he has thrown 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Rivers has defeated multiple powerful teams such as the Seahawks, last year’s Superbowl champions, and has only lost to the Arizona Cardinals by one point. His team leads the NFL with five wins and one loss, putting them in a great position to make a deep run in the playoffs. According to ESPN statistics, Rivers has the third highest passer rating in the NFL and is averaging 280 passing yards per game. Right now Rivers is playing just as well as any quarterback in the league. Despite his success, year after year Rivers is predicted to have a bad season, but he always seems to surprises everyone by playing as an elite quarterback. It is beginning to look like this might be the year Rivers and the Chargers finally win a Super Bowl. Of course, there are many other candidates worth considering. One of these being Demarco Murray, running back for the Dallas Cowboys, who has had a record breaking season. Murray leads all of the other running backs in the NFL by a long shot in both rushing yards and rushing attempts. The reason to stick with Rivers as the pick for MVP is quarterbacks have won the MVP award 11 of the last 13 years, which leaves the odds against Murray.

With a quarterback being MVP, the pick for Offensive Player of the Year is Demarco Murray. According to Rick Gossselin, sports writer for the Dallas News, “For him to be MVP he’s going to need a 2,000 yard rushing season,” and Murray is currently on pace for a record-breaking 2,136 yard rushing season. If he continues to rush this successfully he will pass Eric Dickerson’s first place record of 2,105 rushing yards. There is no doubt Murray is the reason the Cowboys have had a great start to their season with five wins and one loss. According to Kevin Sherrington, another writer for the Dallas News, “If the Cowboys win, Murray will be the main reason.” If Murray sustains this momentum, he will end up having one of the greatest rushing seasons of all time, and will likely win Offensive Player of the Year.

There is not much debate about who the Defensive Player of the Year will be. J.J. Watt is the obvious pick. He has not only made amazing defensive stops, but he has also scored three touchdowns. According to Gosselin, “J.J. Watt is the best defensive player in football. After a month he has an offensive touchdown, two defensive touchdowns, a forced fumble, an interception, a blocked kick, four passes broken up and two sacks. That’s very impressive.” Watt seems to be the main reason the Texans have three wins so far. Watt is so talented that he might have a chance of winning MVP, but based on the fact that there have only been two defensive MVP’s ever, it is very unlikely he will win. The only way it will happen is if Watt leads the Texans deep into the playoffs, which will be extremely difficult for him to do.

Many highly talented rookies entered the NFL this year. Out of all of them, the best choice to win Rookie of the Year is Kelvin Benjamin, wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers. Gosselin says “Benjamin can be special.” Due to the Carolina Panthers weakness at the receiving position, Benjamin is already special. Cam Newton, quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, has made Benjamin his number one receiver with 55 targets and 31 receptions. Additionally, there is great chemistry between Newton and Benjamin as they have become good friends on and off the field. Benjamin leads all rookie receivers with 416 receiving yards, and there is much more to come. It is very possible Benjamin will have the most successful rookie wide receiver season in the past decade.

Julio Jones, wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, is the best pick for Comeback Player of the Year. Despite coming off of an injury plagued season he is already leading the NFL with the most receiving yards. Jones also has the advantage of a great quarterback throwing the ball to him. Corbin Schmeil, football enthusiast, agrees. “Julio Jones has played really well,” Schmeil said. “He’s obviously thought of as one of the top receivers in the game. Even before he got injured last year he had multiple 100 yard games with multiple touchdowns, so I think if he keeps doing what he’s been doing this year, he will have a great chance.”

With the San Diego Chargers 5 to 1 start to the season, our pick for coach of the year is Mike McCoy. The Chargers have surprised everyone this year by being one of the top teams in the American Football Conference and McCoy is the coach behind their success. If the Chargers can hold on to the way they are playing and finish as the top seed in the AFC, McCoy will have a great chance of winning Coach of the Year Many players have been surprising this year, but above all of them, Philip Rivers and Demarco Murray have stood out the most. Both Rivers and Murray have played outstanding, and it is very possible they will end up winning awards for their record-breaking seasons. If they continue to play at this level, it is very possible they will end up taking their teams all the way to the Superbowl Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers who are expected to win the most awards this season.

All photos by Wikipedia.org

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Oakland Raiders Chicago Bears Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Houston Oilers Los Angeles Raiders Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers San Diego Chargers Seattle Seahawks Tennessee Titans

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