Kendrell Bell Wins Weekly Hard Hat Award (Game #15, at Tampa Bay.)
The committee is most pleased to have so many players who could be considered legitimate candidates for this week's award. It makes us as giddy as Gildon in his favorite position (on all fours like a downtrodden pumperboy) to see no less than 9 players (K. Bell, C. Hampton, M. Logan, T. Maddox, H. Ward, P. Burress, A. Smith, D. Washington, B. Alexander) who played well enough to be in the running for this coveted award. The debate raged long into the night, and the next, and the next, over whom to award the HH to this week. Much ice-cold beer was consumed and many stats were bandied about as players were grudgingly eliminated one by one until finally a consensus was reached.
The first order of business was dispensing with the idea of giving the HH to the entire Offensive Line. We noted with approval that the combined final stat totals for the TB Pro Bowl duo of Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp amounted to only 5 solos tackles (only one for negative yardage, a -2 yd sack of T. Maddox), 1 assist, 1 pass defensed and 1 roughing the passer penalty. The pass protection was excellent all day, but particulary in the first half. However, it was also noted that the run blocking was less than stellar, with the final numbers showing only 94 yards on 35 carries for a paltry 2.7 yards per attempt. Also, no one on the committee wanted to be in agreement with John Madden, who nearly pissed himself gushing over the O-line play while awarding his Horse Trailer award.
Next, both Hines Ward (6 catches, 78 yards) and Plaxico Burress (5 catches. 127 yards) were eliminated for essentially the same reason. Both of them have, over the past two seasons, routinely put up quality numbers like this. So, while the committee was reluctant to penalize them for setting the bar so high, no one felt that what their performances were notably impressive. Most of their catches were relatively easy, in-stride grabs that allowed them some nice RAC yards. And Tampa's #1 vs the pass D gained that spot by being stout up front, constantly pressuring the QB, not by being exceptional in the secondary. Hines' and Plax' performance, coupled with a lack of pressure on Maddox, proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt in the minds of the committee.
The next nominee to be shot down was CB Dewayne Washington. His final numbers looked good on paper (4 solos, 2 assists, 3 passes defensed, recovery of the onside kick). A closer look, however, revealed that Dewayne's 4 solos tackles were on passes that gained 11, 12, 4, and 14 yds. Also, one of his two first half PDs was the near interception that absolutely should have been caught. And his two assists, both with Brent Alexander, came on a 15 yd run by Shaun King and a 17 pass to Keyshawn Johnson. All told, this was not a HH winning day for DW. Ditto for Brent Alexander, whose 2 solo, 5 assist day was tempered by the fact that only 2 of his seven tackles occurred within 10 yard of the LOS (+6 and +2 respectively), while 4 of the other 5 came at least 15 yards downfield.
Next up was Tommy Maddox. Tommy had himself a whale of a first half: 11 of 13 passes completed for 174 yards, 1 TD and NO interceptions, 1 sack and a passer rating of 144.4 (compared to S. King's dismal first half rating of 22.3). Tommy might have made the final cut if his 2nd half numbers (6 of 10, 62 yards, no TDs, 1 sack) resembled his first 30 minutes. And while it was noted that Coach Albatross' turtling was largely responsible for his post break dropoff, it was also duly noted that Tommy had ALL DAY to look for receivers. The pass protection was so good that one committeeman (can you guess who?) even suggested that Kordell Stewart would have similarly shredded Tampa's overrated defense if given that much time. After 15 minutes of laughing at this notion, the committee did concede that the utter lack of pressure on Tommy precluded his work from being considered an "iron-tough, hard-as-steel" performance.
Aaron Smith received some consideration, but his weak first half statline (1 fumble recovery, no tackles) and the roughing the passer penalty he took in the 2nd half diluted the rest of his contribution (2.5 sacks). Mike Logan was also briefly in the running, with 1 solo, 2 assists, 1/2 sack and 2 passes defensed. However, it was deemed that while his contribution was important, it was not enough to earn him a HH.
Finally, the committee was down to two names: Kendrell Bell and Casey Hampton. Both of them showed up big against the Bucs, but in different ways. The Bell Ringer further cemented the accuracy of that nickname with his hard-nosed hitting. For the record, K. Bell had 4 solos, 1 assist and 1 fumble recovery. Of his 4 solos, 3 were for negative yardage (-2 on A. Stecker, -1 on M. Pittman, and -2 on M. Alstott) and the other was a hit on Shaun King after a 1 yard scramble. Fat Casey, meanwhile, was finding his own ways of contributing to the cause. Hampton finished the day with 2 solos, 1 assist, 1 sack and 2 HUGE forced fumbles*. These are big numbers for a nose tackle in a 3-4 defense. Let's face facts, it is the NT's job to absorb blockers so that the LBs can make the plays. So, it is well worth noting that Casey almost single-handedly snuffed out Tampa's best drive of the day. The late third quarter TB drive that began on their own 5 yard line had covered 92 yards by the time it reached the Stillers 3. And that's where Casey knifed into the TB backfield, sacking Rob Johnson and stripping him of the ball. Ken Bell's recovery at the 8 ended that TB scoring threat. *Casey's other forced fumble was actually a case of poor work by the statisticians. Because it was Kendrell Bell who clearly and unmistakably plastered M. Alstott on the first play of the 2nd quarter, causing the fumble that Aaron Smith recovered to end that drive. If you have a tape of the game, watch that play again and you will clearly see the Bell Ringer ring up #40 and separate him from the ball. However, give credit to Casey also on that play. Further review shows him actually making first contact with Alstott, causing him to cut into Bell's brutal hit. If I were the statistician, I would award Casey a tackle assist on this play, but Kendrell alone deserves credit for the forced fumble. And that is what separated K.B. from Hampton in the final vote.
Kudos to Kendrell Bell for winning the weekly Hard Hat Award. Wear it proudly, Kendrell!!
(note: all stats used in this report come from careful reading of the official play-by-play at NFL.com. We here as Stillers.com NEVER rely on the notoriously inaccurate box scores posted on that site or any other.)
(note: all stats noted in this report come from careful perusal of the official play-by-play from NFL.com. We on the committee never rely on the notoriously inaccurate box scores for stats.)
Previous Winners in 2002:
Game #14, vs. Carolina: DE Aaron Smith (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=847)
Game #13, vs. Houston: No winner (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=834).
Game #12, @ Jacksonville: K Jeff Reed and RB Jerome Bettis (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=824).
Game #11, vs. Cincinnati: K Jeff Reed and QB Kordell Stewart (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=813).
Game #10, @ Tennessee: WR Hines Ward (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=804).
Game #9, vs. Atlanta: LB Joey Porter (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=789).
Game #8, @ Cleveland: Amos Zeroue (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=782).
Game #7, @ Baltimore: C Chukky Okobi (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=777).
Game #6, vs. Indianapolis: S Mike Logan (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=767).
Game #5, @ Cincinnati: DE Rodney Bailey (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=759).
Game #4, @ New Orleans: OG Alan Faneca (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=751).
Game #3, vs. Cleveland: QB Tommy Maddox (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=746).
Game #2, vs. Oakland: LB Joey Porter (http://www.stillers.com/article_show.asp?ID=727).
Game #1, @ New England: No winner, due to total lack of Hard Hat-qualifying play.