Honor Roll

The fan portion of the Pro Bowl voting ended this week. This got me thinking about the Chiefs and the season they are having this year. Do any of the Chiefs deserve post season awards?

As far as the Pro Bowl is concerned, I think there are several Chiefs players that deserve to make the trip to Honolulu. We find out for certain on December 28th what players made the Pro Bowl, but in the mean time, here's my case for why Chiefs players should be voted in.

Matt Cassel. Cassel has the third highest quarterback rating in the AFC with a 96.2. He has the fourth most touchdowns in the AFC with 25. He has the second highest touchdown to interception ratio in the whole league, second to only Tom Brady. He is a leader and we've seen how the team struggles without him. I think it would be a real shame if Cassel didn't get voted in.

Jamaal Charles. In an earlier post this week, I wrote quite a bit about Charles and the extraordinary things he's been doing this season. Charles has the third most rushing yards in the NFL with 1,303 and has the highest average in the NFL with 6.4. He also has dual threat capability, having 415 yards receiving. He doesn't start every game, and he doesn't have the number of carries that other top backs in the NFL do, but his numbers are Pro Bowl worthy.

Dwayne Bowe. He is seventh in reception yards in the AFC but first in touchdown receptions in the entire NFL. Bowe has had his share of mistakes this season, but he's also been a pivotal playmaker and a solid red zone target.

The offensive line. Having the number one rushing team in the NFL doesn't happen on its own. The offensive linemen up front is who makes it possible. They are also ranked third in the AFC in least sacks allowed. I would be surprised if atleast one member from this unit didn't make the Pro Bowl.

Tamba Hali. Hali is tied for third in the AFC for total sacks. Hali has been the Chiefs best pass rusher for the last couple of seasons and although his tackle numbers aren't as high as his teammate Derrick Johnson, his sack totals are proof that he belongs with the league's elite.

Since I don't think we'll have the rookie of the year winner on our team, I'm going to skip that.

Todd Haley. No, not for the Pro Bowl, but for Coach of the Year. Coach of the Year awards have the notoriety to go to coaches that have turned teams around from one season to the next. Marvin Lewis won COY last season after improving the Bengals from 4-11-1 in 2008 to 10-6 with a playoff appearance in 2009. Haley has more than doubled the Chiefs wins from last season, got us to our first winning season since 2006 and has us on the verge of the playoffs. If the Chiefs make the playoffs, I think there's only one person that stands in the way of Haley getting the Coach of the Year: Andy Reid.