Thorpe Award Finalists: Eric Berry, Joe Haden (Florida), Earl Thomas (Texas)

So, I saw this on SportsCenter's bottom line, and apparently no one in the MSM has picked up on it yet, because I can't find it mentioned anywhere other than the Texas fansite Barking Carnival, linked above. So until then, "I saw it on SportsCenter" will have to suffice.

By the way, Earl Thomas will be playing the role of Eric Berry, 2008: Thomas has much better statistics than the other two finalists. Which means Berry is going to win.

2 months ago Will 7 comments 0 recs |

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Just wait

The Big Orange Screw will be in effect. They’ll make up for their mistake last year and, in the process, give it to Thomas. Irony!

by ChattVol on Nov 23, 2009 10:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Exactly...

what I was going to post. Great minds, and all that…..

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti

by sddbaker on Nov 23, 2009 11:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, that sounds about right.

I feel sorry for EB this year, just like I felt sorry for Lucas Taylor last year. Everything was pointing to absolute domination on the field, stats through the roof, a final season of unparalleled triumph, but then the team changed around them and circumstances didn’t allow those things to happen. Nobody’s going to say that EB hasn’t had a stellar year in 2009, but I don’t even know that I’d call him the most valuable player on our defense this season.

by davy on Nov 23, 2009 11:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I must reluctantly agree with you.

I’d give the nod to Dan Williams, Rico McCoy or Dennis Rogan for Defensive MVP. Sometimes the opponent can dictate the season for your best player. He had a remarkable 1st and 2nd year with the team. It caught up with him this year. He’s also looked human at times. I love the guy and everything he stands for, but he can’t roam everywhere when he’s plugging holes weekly. It showed this season.

by ChattVol on Nov 23, 2009 11:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The only problem with Berry:

In the first half of the season, he was a tackling machine. His tackle numbers were better than most linebackers in the country, which is quite rare. In the second half of the season, most plays were run away from him, which increased the output of other players while decreasing his. The only problem is that there’s no easy way to quantify a black hole in the field.

by Hooper on Nov 23, 2009 11:29 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Which

In all honesty, was the same deal with that Ohio State guy I’d never heard of before.

Still, Eric Berry completely changes the way an offense approaches the ball. It’s the same reason Terrence Cody is so awesome; he can’t make plays because people know he will make the play if you give him a chance to, the only difference is that Terrence Cody, in the front-center of the defense, can make the awesome play more than someone who has to line up on a “side” — it’s the same reason Middle Linebackers get a ton of tackles in a 4-3 scheme, everything is funneled towards them. Eric Berry can, and does, generally close off half of the field. That’s more than most people can claim, and it’s why he’s still a top-5 draft prospect right now.

Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!

by bobo_the_vol on Nov 23, 2009 3:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs