Image via Complex Original
Oh, how time flies. It may be hard to believe, but we are already halfway through the 2013-14 NFL season. Today is the beginning of Week 9 of NFL action. And, as it has become customary around this time, analysts and commentators will begin talking about who is the Most Valuable Player, Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, and so on. With that in mind, we can't help but let out a huge "boooooring" and yawn at the idea because while those conversations are fun and all, we want to see someone get awards for things like the Best NFL Struggle Face and Best Use of an Invisible Teammate.
Maybe it's just us but that sounds a lot more intriguing than having to hear someone try rationalizing over and over why Peyton Manning hasn't been the best player in the league this year. So, give the typical water cooler conversation a break and check out the aforementioned awards and more in The Complex Midseason NFL Awards.
The NFL Struggle Face of the Year
And the winner is...Rob Ryan
Have you ever heard the saying "it's written all over your face"? Well, this is what they meant by that phrase. After an improbable last-minute, game-winning drive by the New England Patriots two weeks ago, which turned some doubters back into believers again, Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan couldn't hide the absolute disgust and heartbreak over what he had just witnessed and experienced on his face.
New Orleans lost what they thought was a surefire win, 30-27, and Rob came away looking the same way Bridget Moynahan did when she found out Brady moved on to Gisele. You know Tommy always comes away winning, right?
The Chad Ochocinco Award for "F*** a Fine" Touchdown Celebration of the Year
And the winner is...:Golden Tate
Ahh this was a nice reminder of the days before the NFL became the No Fun League. We don't care that he was fined $7,875 and subsequently apologized for his actions, this badass celebration was the highlight of the Seahawks 14-9 victory over the Rams. Disrespectful celebrations never get old.
The "He Has to Be on Roids, Right?" Award
And The Winner Is...: Marshawn Lynch
Last month Darnell Dockett joined Tracy Porter and other defenders in the ever-growing list of people to fall victim to beast mode. And we're kidding about the roids bit, everyone knows it's gotta be the Skittles.
The Vince Lombardi Award for Most Badass NFL Coach
And the winner is...: Jason Tarver
In a surprising upset over the always crazy Jim Harbaugh, Jason Tarver wins the award for Most Badass NFL Coach for flipping the bird at the referees over a disputed call, not once, but twice! Sure, Tarver issued an apology for getting into "the heat of the moment" later on, but don't say sorry, fam. Own it because that display was awesome!
Best Use of an Invisible Teammate
And the winner is...Kansas City Chiefs (Alex Smith)
Move over, Seahawks' 12th man! The Kansas City Chiefs got their own 12th man and he's not wasting his time cheering them on in the stands. The Chiefs extra player gets in on plays, causing confusion for the opposing team and can't even be seen. Just look at what their invisible player did to the Houston Texans and their linebacker Whitney Mercilus. Damn, Mercilus actually thought Alex Smith was going to hand it off to some imaginary person who was going to try running it in for a touchdown. SMH. Sidebar: The Internet is a terribe place.
The NFL Quarterback Who Actually Isn't Better Than Tim Tebow Award
And the winner is...: Brandon Weeden
Tim Tebow may not want to heavily consider what his next step after the NFL would be just yet. Especially when there are really, really bad quarterbacks in the league, like Blaine Gabbert and Brandon Weeden, still holding down starting jobs. As much as people criticized Tebow for his inaccuracy issues, look at what Weeden does on a daily basis. Hey, if the Browns want a guy behind center who can barely complete 50 percent of his passes and throw a whole lot of interceptions, why not ditch Weeden and take a chance on Touchdown Timmy? Plus, this Cleveland quarterbacks shirt looks like it could use another name, no?
The Oscar a.k.a. Flop of the Year Award
And the winner is...: Tavon Austin
If you thought the best flops were coming from soccer and basketball, think again. Thanks to Roger Goodell's No Fun League initiative in full effect, guys are taking advantage of the overprotection of players by breaking out the dramatics whenever the opportunity seems appropriate. For example, with the Rams down by five in the early part of the fourth quarter, Tavon Austin decided to take a little bit of a dive on an accidental hit from a Seahawks player.
Only problem with Tavon's flop was that his teammates were more focused on getting a flag thrown for the incident which led to Austin getting "knocked down." As a result, everyone failed to witness Austin practically die for all of four seconds out on that Edward Jones Dome field. It's as if God told him, "Tavon, no one's paying attention so just get back up."
The Eli Manning Award for Best Manning Face
And the winner is...: Eli Manning
An 0-6 start will do that to ya! After throwing a ridiculous 15 interceptions in that span, Eli Manning couldn't help but break out the Manning Face plenty of times in the early part of the season. As things continued to get worse and worse, Eli's facial expressions got more and more ridiculous. And, in the picture above, the younger Manning hit an all-time low with this face strangely reminiscent of Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Shoutout to Kevin Love for that comparison.
The Mark Sanchez Award for Buttfumble of the Year
And the winner is...:Geno Smith
The Jets 2013 season is going much better than experts initially predicted it would. They're a respectable 4-4, are second in the AFC East standings, and even managed to eke out a victory over the Pats (with a little help from the refs). However, this play in Week 4 against the Titans proved that the Jets are still the Jets. Geno Smith may show some flashes of potential here and there but there's a reason why he was going to back-up Mark Sanchez before Rex Ryan's boneheaded preseason move.
The Leon Lett Award for Premature Celebration
And the winner is...: Danny Trevathan
What a way to start off your NFL career, huh? In only his second season with the Denver Broncos, Danny Trevathan made headlines for all the wrong reasons by dropping the football before the pigskin crossed the plane and throwing away probably the easiest touchdown ever. Luckily, at the time, Denver was ahead by a convincing 42-17 margin, so his failure in judgment didn't come back to haunt them. But, Trevathan's error did take some heat off of guys like Leon Lett and DeSean Jackson. So, Trevathan did have some fans after that moronic moment.
