National Football League

Offbeat awards at NFL's one-quarter mark

Published Oct. 13, 2010 8:41 p.m. ET

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Now that every team has played at least four games, it's time for some awards at the one-quarter mark of the NFL season. Don't expect to see any trophies handed out for these prizes, though.

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Surprise Teams (Good) - OK, who out there predicted through five weeks that the Buccaneers, Chiefs and Bears would be on top of their divisions? We know, all of them could (and likely will) fall back into the pack, but for now, they are the true success stories of 2010.

Adding dynamic DE Julius Peppers and upgrading their passing game under new offensive coordinator Mike Martz has done wonders for Chicago, even if it's probably the third-best team in the NFC North. Still, it's hard to argue with 4-1. Or with 3-1 for the young but developing Bucs; keep an eye on QB Josh Freeman. Same for the Chiefs and a defense that has responded to the coaching of coordinator Romeo Crennel.

Surprise Teams (Bad) - Going the other way are two of 2009's elite teams, the Cowboys and Vikings, and one predicted by many to be a playoff qualifier this season, the 49ers.

Dallas and Minnesota are perfecting imperfection, killing their chances with silly mistakes. The Vikings are minus-6 and the Cowboys minus-4 in turnovers. Neither has made key stops on defense or decisive plays on offense, dropping them to 1-3 as they meet Sunday.

San Francisco has fallen to 0-5 through poor communication, inconsistent play and some downright awful coaching. Barring a quick turnaround, the Niners are cooked.

Best Acquisitions - Have the Ravens (4-1) found a passing game to go with their strong runners and dominant defense? Anquan Boldin is making it look that way, proving he certainly can be a No. 1 target after being overshadowed in Arizona by Larry Fitzgerald. Boldin is on pace for almost 90 catches and double-digit TDs.

Bringing in Peppers, whose stats aren't overwhelming but whose performances have been, makes Chicago's linebackers that much more effective. Peppers remains the most athletic defensive end in the game.

The Jets brought in LaDainian Tomlinson to complement Shonn Greene, but LT looks like the vintage back of a few years ago, when he was destroying defenses and setting records.

Worst Acquisitions - Arizona somehow thought Derek Anderson could be a facsimile of Kurt Warner when the Cardinals signed him as a free agent. Anderson already has lost his job to undrafted rookie QB Max Hall.

Cincinnati wanted to improve its receiving corps and gave Antonio Bryant a four-year, $28 million contract. Bryant's balky left knee couldn't get him through the preseason.

Denver went for defensive lineman Jarvis Green for $3.55 million guaranteed, and he also didn't make it to the regular season.

Brilliant and Boneheaded Plays - Anyone who hasn't seen Kroy Biermann's hat trick at the end of the Falcons' win last Sunday in Cleveland should head directly to YouTube. The defensive end leaped to tip a pass, caught the deflection with a headfirst dive, rolled on the ground, alertly jumped to his feet and outran Browns players for a spectacular touchdown in the fourth quarter.

''Kroy is from Montana,'' Falcons coach Mike Smith said. ''He has probably rode a few wild broncos and bulls and been thrown off and landed on his feet. It was just a super athletic play.''

Not so super or athletic - actually, just plain dumb - was the Jason Witten-Marc Colombo TD celebration against Tennessee that might have cost Dallas a win last Sunday. Colombo spiked the ball after Witten scored a tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter, then failed to land on his feet after a follow-up, mid-air chest bump. His somersault across the end zone seemed funny at the time, even to Colombo - until it drew a flag for excessive celebration.

The penalty was assessed on the ensuing kickoff, and it led to a long return followed by a short touchdown that gave the Titans a 34-27 victory.

Headline Stealers - Who else but the J-E-T-S, who are reminding everyone of the Bronx Zoo Yankees of the late 1970s? They even make tabloid headlines with former players - the NFL is investigating whether Brett Favre sent lewd photos and inappropriate messages to a Jets game hostess when he was their quarterback in 2008.

Throw in the braggadocio that made the HBO series ''Hard Knocks'' a hit; the contract dispute with All-Pro cornerback Darelle Revis; the drunk driving arrest of receiver Braylon Edwards; a new stadium; the revival of running back LaDainian Tomlinson; the rapid development of quarterback Mark Sanchez; an NFL investigation into the treatment of a female reporter; and a bombastic coach - it's reality sports at its best. And worst.