2012 NFL Awards and 2nd Annual "All-Holy Crap" Team

Frank Barone, one of the greatest television
characters of all-time.
(Photo Courtesy of Yahoo!)

There was a lot of great football this year in the NFL and every season there are certain guys that stand out. Guys who make plays that not only change the fate of games, but plays that make your jaw drop and wonder if what you just saw actually happened.

One of my favorite TV characters of all-time, Frank Barone -- played by Peter Boyle on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond -- used to always shout "Holy Crap" when something amazed or astounded him. As an avid fan of the show, I've added "Holy Crap" to my vocabulary over the years and I think it is the perfect term to describe those outstanding players from this past NFL season.

So, for the second year in a row, here is my "All-Holy Crap" team comprised of, in my opinion, the best 11 players on offense and defense as well as three special teamers. These are the players that not only had Pro Bowl caliber seasons and were named All-Pro, but the ones who impressed me the most this season and had me saying, "Holy Crap!"

2012 "All-Holy Crap" Team

OFFENSE

Quarterback: Peyton Manning, Broncos: After missing an entire season some people thought Peyton Manning might take a step back. What he ended up doing was play one of the best seasons in his Hall of Fame career. More on Manning in my NFL Awards section at the end.

Runner-Ups: Aaron Rodgers, Packers; Tom Brady, Patriots

Running Back: Adrian Peterson, Vikings: No surprise here as Adrian Peterson had one of the best seasons a running back has ever had in the history of the NFL. Peterson will also be taking home some hardware in my NFL Awards section, so keep reading to find out more on Peterson's historic season. 

Runner-Ups: Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks; Alfred Morris, Redskins; Arian Foster, Texans

Wide Receivers: Calvin Johnson, Lions; A.J. Green, Bengals: In my opinion, the two best receivers in the entire league hands down. Megatron had one of the best seasons a receiver has ever had breaking Jerry Rice's single-season receiving record and he led the league in receptions with 122. A.J. Green also had an amazing season finishing in the top ten in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. 

Runner-Ups: Brandon Marshall, Bears; Julio Jones, Falcons; Andre Johnson, Texans

Tight End: Tony Gonzalez, Falcons: At the age of 36, Tony Gonzalez had 93 receptions for 930-yards and 8 touchdowns. "Holy Crap!" Gonzalez said that he is probably done playing football after this season, but I sure hope he reconsiders because the first ballot Hall of Famer can still flat out play the game.

Runner-Up: Jason Witten, Cowboys

Tackles: Joe Thomas, Browns; Joe Staley, 49ers: These two are no Average Joe's. Both Thomas and Staley were second team All-Pro and both were selected to the Pro Bowl. 

Runner-Ups: Andrew Whitworth, Bengals; Duane Browns, Texans

Guards: Marshall Yanda, Ravens; Mike Iupati, 49ers: One of the main reasons why Baltimore and San Francisco were able to run the ball effectively this season and reach the Super Bowl was because of their offensive lines. Yanda and Iupati are two of the best guards of the game and both will have an impact in the Super Bowl next Sunday. 

Runner-Ups: Logan Mankins, Patriots; Jahri Evan, Saints

Center: Max Unger, Seahawks: Unger was the anchor of a very underrated Seahawks offensive line that went on a tear this season with QB Russell Wilson and RB Marshawn Lynch. Unger was also named a starter for this year's Pro Bowl and was first team All-Pro.

Runner-Up: Maurkice Pouncey, Steelers

DEFENSE

Defensive Ends: J.J. Watt, Texans; Cameron Wake, Dolphins: More on J.J. Watt in the awards section at the end, but as for Wake he finished fourth in the league with 15 sacks and he was named first team All-Pro and he earned a trip to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl.  

Runner-Ups: Jared Allen, Vikings; Julius Peppers, Bears

Defensive Tackles: Geno Atkins, Bengals; Justin Smith, 49ers: Had it not been for J.J. Watt's outstanding season, Geno Atkins might very well have walked away with Defensive Player of the Year honors. Nonetheless, Atkins earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl by dominating the line of scrimmage this season, including 12.5 sacks. Justin Smith is one several great defenders for the 49ers and although his stats aren't impressive, he play certainly was impressive this season which earned him second team All-Pro honors. 

Runner-Ups: Haloti Ngata, Ravens, Vince Wilfork, Patriots

Outside Linebackers: Von Miller, Broncos; Aldon Smith, 49ers: These two guys might only have a combined four years of NFL experience, but both are two of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Miller and Smith were both first team All-Pro, both were elected to the Pro Bowl and they finished with  18.5 and 19.5 sacks, respectively. 

Runner-Ups: Clay Matthews, Packers; DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys

Even in his 17th season, Ray Lewis still played with a lot of fire.
(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Inside Linebacker: Ray Lewis, Ravens: I know Ray missed some time this season due to injury and the 37-year old veteran might be getting a bit slow, but he is a first ballot Hall of Famer and his leadership, intensity and motivation make him worthy of being named to the "All-Holy Crap" team.

Runner-Ups: Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, 49ers

Cornerbacks: Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings, Bears: The Bears defense was once again one of the best in the league this season and in 2012 they were led by their shut-down corners Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings. Jennings had a Defensive Player of the Year caliber season leading the NFL with nine interceptions and Charles "Peanut" Tillman led the NFL with 10 forced fumbles. 

Runner-Ups: Richard Sherman, Seahawks; Champ Bailey, Broncos

Safeties: Earl Thomas, Seahawks; Dashon Goldson, 49ers: Breakout seasons for both Thomas and Goldson as both were intrical parts of their respective defense's and their play earned them both Pro Bowl and first team All-Pro honors. 

Runner-Ups: Ed Reed, Ravens; Jairus Byrd, Bills; Thomas DeCoud, Falcons

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker: Blair Walsh, Vikings: "Holy Crap" what a season for the rookie kicker out of Georgia. Blair Walsh went an astounding 35/38 on field goal attempts this season, but what is more remarkable is that he was 10/10 on attempts longer than 50-yards. Wow!

Runner-Up: Justin Tucker, Ravens

Punter: Andy Lee, 49ers: After another solid season in which Lee led the NFL in net punting average at 43.2-yards, Andy Lee finds himself back on the "All-Holy Crap" team for a second straight season. 

Runner-Up: Thomas Morstead, Saints

Returner:  Jacoby Jones, Ravens: Jones not only led the NFL in average yards per kickoff return with 30.7-yards per return, but he had 1,508 total return yards with three returns going for touchdowns. The 49ers better think twice about kicking to Jones next Sunday in the Super Bowl. 

Runner-Up: Trindon Holliday, Broncos

2012 NFL Awards

MVP: Peyton Manning, Broncos: No doubt what Adrian Peterson did this season was unbelievable, but MVP stands for Most-Valuable-Player and there is no position in football, or in all of sports for that matter, more valuable than the quarterback position. If the Broncos don't have Peyton Manning then they don't go 13-3 and win the AFC West and they don't clinch home-field advantage in the playoffs. Manning threw for 4,659-yards, 37 touchdowns and he had a QB Rating of 105.8. It's a shame his defense let him down in the final minute of their playoff game against the Ravens or the Broncos might be playing in next week's big game. 

Adrian Peterson left many defenders in the dust this season as
he rushed for 2,097 yards, the second most in NFL history.
(Ben Garvin/Pioneer Press)

Runner-Up: Adrian Peterson

Offensive Player of the Year: Adrian Peterson, Vikings: Peyton Manning might be the MVP, but the Offensive Player of the Year has to go to Adrian Peterson. Megatron makes a strong case with the kind of year he had breaking Jerry Rice's single-season receiving record, but Peterson had an average of six yards per carry on the way to rushing for 2,097-yards, the 2nd-highest total in NFL history. 

Runner-Up: Calvin Johnson

Defensive Player of the Year: J.J. Watt, Texans: J.J. "Swat" had one sensational season. Watt dominated the line of scrimmage leading the NFL with 20.5 sacks and he had 16 passes defended and he's a defensive lineman. "Holy Crap!"

Runner-Up: Geno Atkins

Rookie of the Year: Andrew Luck, Colts: RGIII, Alfred Morris, Doug Martin and Russell Wilson all had outstanding rookie seasons and I think they will be stars in this league for years to come. However, I think Andrew Luck will become one of the top quarterbacks if not the top quarterback in the NFL in a few years and he has a chance to win multiple Super Bowls. 

Runner-Up: Robert Griffin III

Coach of the Year: Bruce Arians and Chuck Pagano, Colts: A rookie quarterback and the youngest team in the NFL goes from 2-14 to 11-5 with the head coach in the hospital fighting leukemia. Bruce Arians did a great job filling in for Pagano as he battled leukemia, but Pagano still had a profound impact on his team as he fought for his life. Not only an impressive feat, but one of the best stories in the NFL in quite some time. 

Runner-Up: No one. What Arians and Pagano did with the Colts this season may never been seen again in the NFL. 

Best Hit: Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina Gamecocks: Okay, Clowney may still be in college, but he will be playing on Sunday's soon enough and the hit he had on Michigan RB Vincent Smith in the Outback Bowl was unbelievable. Holy S***!

Runner-Up: None. By far the best hit this past football season and possibly of all-time. 

Most Frustrating Organization: Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals could win this prestigious award every season, so here's to hoping that 2013 will end better than 2012 for the orange and black. 

Runner-Up: As long as Mike Brown is owner, the Bengals will always win this award. I should just call it the Mike Brown award and leave it at that. 

As for Super Bowl XLVII, my pick is still to come next week, so stay tuned. Now for this week's game, the Pro Bowl. I think it will be AFC 35, NFC 31. But who really cares? The players don't, that's for sure.