MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, best surprise package and leading head coach candidates - Sky Sports NFL's Phoebe Schecter picks her mid-season awards at the half-way stage of the 2023 NFL campaign.
Sunday 12 November 2023 10:21, UK
Welcome to the half-way stage of the 2023 NFL season, where uncertainty reigns supreme amid one of the most open and unpredictable campaigns in recent memory.
While familiar faces have retained their place in contention, questions marks loom for other Super Bowl hopefuls. Injuries have ravaged the league once more, new storylines have emerged and uncomfortable offseasons already beckon for some.
Sky Sports NFL's Phoebe Schecter hands out her mid-season awards, from MVP to leading head coach candidates...
Lamar has had MVP kind of years before but if you look at the end of last year when he was injured, he wasn't really able to do what I think he wanted to do. He is a game changer, ultimately. And that's we look for, especially as as a quarterback, and the way that you have to totally adjust your scheme to game-plan against him because of his ability, either through the air or utilising his legs and extending plays.
He is a big cog in the machine when it comes to building a Super Bowl championship team. He is so inspirational for a lot of young people that they're like, 'This guy looks like me'. I think he's really influencing a whole next generation of young quarterbacks to come up and be proud of who they are and their skill sets.
Myles Garrett has pretty much kept the Cleveland Browns in games that they should not be in. And Micah Parsons, again, has been incredible. But I feel like you have to go for Tyreek Hill. He had 1,710 receiving yards last season and he is already on 1,076 so far in 2023 and we are only half-way through the season. He will definitely be setting records. The crazy thing with Tyreek Hill is that you know the game-plan, the game-plan is that they are going to throw him the ball, but you still have to defend him.
You have to slow him down, you have to double him, you have to press him on the line, and you still know he is going to get the football at some point. How do you stop that? It is what he is still able to do by using different motions and in the screen game, he is so versatile. The speed allows him to run routes that would take others longer to run, he's just incredible and such a game-wrecker.
Ben Johnson probably could have got a head coach job last year, I think he had offers but chose to stay in Detroit and try to build something. I also love the fact that when you're a tight ends coach, as one of your previous positions, you get to see and understand so much of the game. You see it from a different angle than a quarterbacks coach.
I think he's done a really great job of developing the system and he is great at scouting potential and understanding how a player can fit into scheme. He seems incredibly detailed and the players seem to love him. I would be surprised if he doesn't get a head coaching job at the end of this season. I think Dan Campbell plays a big role in letting him feel free to be able to call some of these plays.
I also think Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald deserves a mention. He has led one of the league's best defenses. It will be the defensive line one week, the defensive backs the week before and then you look at the linebackers as the ones causing problems, the fact you are able to emphasise different parts of your defense every week speaks highly to what you're doing. They've got great depth and I think again he has a really nice relationship with the players.
I think it has to be Myles Garrett because of the dichotomy of the Browns. They can be absolutely awful, but Garrett is still terrific and it's hard to take your eyes off of him. He is another game-wrecker on that side of the ball and already on 9.5 sacks this season. He is somebody that they move around a bit, he is explosive off the line, even if it's not him you have to focus all your attention on him and slide your lines or combo block him. He kind of single-handedly does all of it, that's why he stands out.
You could also make an argument for TJ Watt but I don't know if I would say he's as explosive as Myles Garrett. Garrett has this engine where he is not giving you a second to breathe and i think the Browns record is what it is because of him.
I would say Nick Sirianni again, I saw this clip the other day where he went around to like five different players and shouted 'I'm going for it on fourth-and-three because of you and you and you...'. He's just super approachable and the way they can win in different ways is so impressive. Otherwise I would probably also say Dan Campbell because of what he's done with the Lions and helped turn them into playoff contenders.
I have to go with Puka Nacua. I love it because Sean McVay was like 'Yeah, I knew this was gonna happen'. He saw something in him from day dot and invested his time into him. I think it helped him that he's obviously getting extra reps in training camp with Cooper Kupp being out, but then to see that translate from college to the NFL and see how he was able to make an impact from the very first game of the season.
He has this ability to be on the same page as as Matthew Stafford and to read the defense the same way. He plays with physicality and makes contested catches, he's just been such an exciting rookie to watch and naturally his yards are going to go down with Cooper Kupp back, but they are such a complementary duo. I still think back to his first touchdown in the NFL, and you just think 'Wow, this kid is really quite special'. He's not the fastest, he's super coachable, he's out there blocking his butt off as well.
I think the Panthers have been disappointing. You're bringing in an incredible head coach in Frank Reich, he's terrific and an offensive guru, and quarterbacks guy and then you've got the number pick in Bryce young and I think everyone thought that that was just going to be this incredible matchup. It's still young, but it's hard when you look at the rest of the quarterback class and see how well CJ Stroud has started and I just think they have really struggled. Ultimately, they don't have any receivers for Bryce Young, so I think they've kind of put him in a tricky situation. He's almost not able to be successful because he doesn't have anybody to throw it to.
I also think the Giants, because they have been terrible after reaching the playoffs last year. A lot of it is so many injuries as well. They didn't have Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones got hurt and these people just cannot catch a break.
You hear all these suggestions in the local media in New England saying Sunday's game in Frankfurt might be the last for Bill Belichick. It is all speculation you imagine, but in some ways you don't know. I know he's just signed this contract, but I do think there is a big question mark. You still have the question of who the Patriots are without Tom Brady.
You have got Bill O'Brien as new offensive coordinator in there with Mac Jones - is Mac Jones THAT guy? I don't see it. They are talking about how much they are struggling to execute, but the Patriots have always been known for not having too much talent but their execution always being on point which is what made them so difficult to play.
I still think the Super Bowl favourite is the Eagles, for obvious reasons. Their continued success and how they have built on last season.
Watch the Indianapolis Colts against the New England Patriots in Frankfurt, Germany live on Sky Sports NFL this Sunday, with build-up from 1.30pm ahead of kickoff at 2.30pm.
