Midseason report (cont.)

Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan has started every game for the surprising 4-3 Falcons. Icon SMI Don Banks's Mailbag Submit a comment or question to Don Banks. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Don Banks on Twitter

Biggest choke job of the year: Indianapolis 31, Houston 27, Week 5. The Texans dropped to 0-4 on the year by somehow losing a 27-10 lead in a 2:10 span late in the fourth quarter. The Texans' collapse was aided by two fumbles and an interception from backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who got the start due to Matt Schaub's pregame illness. The game was the Texans' long-delayed home opener after Hurricane Ike damaged the roof of Reliant Stadium.

Best post-game tirade: San Francisco's Mike Singletary, after a Week 8 loss to Seattle. Even though he tried to soften his remarks about 49ers tight end Vernon Davis the next day, Singletary's "Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them'' rant was an instant classic. He may coach San Francisco for 20 years and never have a better moment than that bit of brutal honesty.

Cast-off of the year: Chad Pennington, Miami, QB. Jettisoned by the Jets after Favre arrived in New York with the fanfare of visiting royalty, Pennington quietly relocated to the division rival Dolphins and has proceeded to help Miami (3-4) to just one fewer win than the Jets. And impressive wins they have been, with the Dolphins beating New England on the road, the Chargers at home, and Buffalo at home.

Panic move of the year: Scott Linehan, St. Louis, head coach. Trying anything to desperately save his job, Linehan benched Rams starting quarterback Marc Bulger for a Week 4 home game against Buffalo, replacing him with veteran Trent Green. The move sparked a near locker-room mutiny in St. Louis, and didn't get results either. The Rams lost 31-14 to the Bills, and Linehan was fired the day after the game.

Beating of the year: The Eagles sacked Ben Roethlisberger eight times in Week 3. Philadelphia's 15-6 beat-down of Pittsburgh turned into an assault on Roethlisberger. The Steelers quarterback was dropped eight times, including once for a safety, and was hit at least another half dozen times after he released the ball. He finally left the game in the fourth quarter with a hand injury, allowing Philadelphia's swarming, blitz-happy defense to register a ninth sack, against Steelers backup Byron Leftwich.

Statistic of the year: Detroit's pass defense. The Lions pass defense ranks next-to-last in the NFL, allowing 258.7 yards per game. But that's not the mind-boggling part. Detroit has allowed six of the seven opposing quarterbacks it has faced to set career-high passer ratings against it, with all six of those quarterbacks posting a 117.0 or higher. The list goes from Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers at 117.0 to Atlanta's Matt Ryan at 137.0. The only exception to the rule was Minnesota's Gus Frerotte, who had to settle for throwing for 301 yards against Detroit.

Upset of the year: Miami 38, New England 13, Week 3. The winless Dolphins went into Gillette Stadium and thrashed the Patriots, snapping their NFL record 21-game regular-season winning streak. It was the first career win for Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano, and it came on the back of Miami's versatile Ronnie Brown, who scored four rushing touchdowns and threw for one -- with four of the scores coming on the Dolphins' "Wildcat'' formation.

Most Valuable Player: Drew Brees, New Orleans, QB. With great respect for what Washington running back Clinton Portis is doing these days, my vote goes to Brees, who remains on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season passing yardage record of 5,084 set in 1984. It's not Brees' fault defensive shortcomings still plague the 4-4 Saints. His 2,563 yards passing, 15 touchdown passes, and 101.6 QB rating proves to me that he's playing his position better than anyone else in the NFL.

Offensive player of the year: Clinton Portis, Washington, RB. Though I have my doubts that Portis can continue to carry so much of the load for the Redskins, you can't overlook the contributions of a running back who's leading the league in rushing by a whopping 260 yards, and averages 118.0 yards per game. Portis has scored in five of Washington's eight games, and he has at least 96 yards rushing in six of eight, including 121-plus in his last five.

Defensive player of the year: Albert Haynesworth, Tennessee, DT. The best player on the league's best defense is the simplest way to sum up Haynesworth's season thus far. He's a force both against the run and in his pass-rushing role, with a team-leading six sacks. The Titans are the NFL's only remaining unbeaten team, and they're giving up a league-low 12.4 points per game. The Colts on Monday night scored a garbage touchdown with 1:17 left, making them the first team to top 17 points against the Titans since Week 14 of last year.

Coach of the year: Jim Zorn, Washington. Can't say I remotely saw this coming for the Redskins, especially after their out-of-sync performance in Week 1 at the Giants. For a rookie head coach to not only compete but thrive in the rugged NFC East is no small feat. When you throw in the job that Zorn has done with quarterback Jason Campbell's still-evolving game, nobody in the NFL headset crowd has done better work.

Offensive rookie of the year: Matt Ryan, Atlanta, QB. There have been some great rookie rushers and receivers this year, but there's no harder position for a first-year player to succeed at than quarterback. Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco have disproved the axiom that you can't win with rookie quarterbacks in the NFL, and the former Boston College star has been particularly impressive in terms of his steady and efficient first-half performances.

Defensive rookie of the year: Jerod Mayo, New England, LB. Playing inside linebacker as a rookie in Bill Belichick's 3-4 defense is a study in multi-tasking. Mayo has seamlessly fit into his complicated role and consistently shown up among the team's leading tacklers. The Patriots defense has yet to hit its stride, but Mayo's play has represented a big upgrade over last year's starter, Junior Seau.

Comeback player of the year: Joey Porter, Miami, LB. With Ronnie Brown returning so strong after last year's knee injury, the improved Dolphins have a couple early candidates for this honor. But Porter has a league-leading 10½ sacks in just seven games, tying his career high, and he's been a playmaking force for Miami's defense after looking like a free-agent bust in his first season with the Dolphins (just 5½ sacks in 2007).