We’ve got two more postseason awards to hand out. And, no, it hasn’t taken four-plus weeks to finish the job because we have lethargy addiction, but because we’re hoping to draw out the suspense.
Actually, we have lethargy addiction.
This award is named for a guy who had not a single lethargic or selfish tendency. Joe Delaney was a promising young tailback for the Chiefs when he tried to save three boys from drowning — and drowned in the process.
We’ll temporarily lift the Rick Reilly Leatherheads shun and drop a link to an SI.com item from 2003 regarding the ultimate sacrifice that Delaney made.
This year, the finalists are Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Steven Jackson, and Thomas Jones.
Make a pitch for the one you think deserves it the most in the comments.
Chris Johnson, hands down
So….is it for best running back, or best person who plays running back?
Because, to be honest, a couple of those guys seem kind of like assholes.
MJD. The others are great backs, but I think he shows the most passion and love for the game. That’s saying a lot when you play in front empty seats every other Sunday. Add on that he’s the most complete back in the league in terms of running, receiving, and blocking.
Just give it to Chris Johnson. There isnt a question he should win it. Adrian cost us against the Saints with the goal line fumble and the Bears in OT
Chris Johnson is the best RB in the league! Run, catch, not fumbling.
since you have started these awards i have read that article and i will keep reading it every year .
for all the CJs APs MJDs SJs TJs there will only be 1 JOE DELANEY
ps gotta give it to cj even if he is a classless dude
pps if he knew about this award he would probably lobby for it
Mo-Jo Drew is the man.
It’s pretty tough to think of any of these guys in the same light as Joe Delaney.
Chris Johnson had the best year, hands-down, but he’s a douchebag. Steven Jackson, same deal. D-bag. Adrian Peterson was overshadowed by His Purpleness, Lord Favre, and Thomas Jones, while he had a great year, is not so much a great running back as he is a back who was force-fed the ball for much of the season.
I vote Maurice Jones-Drew. He had a great year, and is arguably the most dangerous all-around back of the bunch (possibly in the NFL right now), and he spends a ton of time in the community volunteering. He deserves it.
Considering all the candidates, I pick CHARLES WOODSON.
chris johnson, and no doubt about it
Go figure another Viking makes the finalist list for one of your “awards”. Not very surprising.
Joe Delaney was a hero. These guys are football players.
MJD for sure, when he took a knee to guarantee the Jags a win against the Jets he proved that he puts his team before himself and his personal stats. He was even polite enough to issue a formal apology to his fantasy owners (myself included), guy is a class act and amazing beast of a running back and blocker (something shawne merriman will never forget)
CJ was all about the 2000 yard thing just so he could ask to be the highest paid rb in the league. He’s definitely out.
AP doesn’t care enough to learn how to stop fumbling… so clearly he’d drop the ball in a Joe Delaney Situation. He’s out.
Thomas Jones is a hard working man but I can’t really think of anything that makes me think he deserves this award.
So it comes down to MJD and Sjax for me. I think SJAX gets the go ahead. He played through injury for a team that had no hopes to even win a game. MJD is definitely passionate about the game but the Delaney award is about self-sacrifice. I don’t think MJD comes close to SJAX in that department considering the risk that he put himself in late in the season when he really could have pulled a Clinton Portis and said he was too injured to play.
Ben Roethlisberger, just because.
2 words: POCKET HERCULES.
Steven Jackson and it’s not even a contest. Peterson had a down year (by his standards) because McKinnie can’t dominate anymore and Matt Birk left. Chris Johnson had Vince Young, Kenny Britt, Nate Washington, Justin Gage, Bo Scaife, etc.
Who did Steven Jackson have? I guess a gun-shy Bulger, Kyle Boller, or Keith freaking Null really scared the crap out of defenses, huh? Oh yeah, and a great group of WR’s including Donnie Avery, Brandon Gibson, and Danny Amendola really jacked up Jackson’s stats, right?
You can say what you want about Chris Johnson’s season, but he was a very, very large part of his team’s offense. Steven Jackson was his team’s ENTIRE offense and he still produced.
How come the contestants have nothing to do with the person the award is named after? Chris Johnson, Steven Jackson and Thomas Jones are dicks.
steven jackson deserves this award.
AP, Jackson, MJD, CJ in that order. Johnson is a thug. Steven Jackson is a classy man but AP does more in the community. Don’t know much ab0ut MJD, seems like a chillen dude
Yeah, with as much talent as Chris Johnson has. I don’ think that arrogant obnoxious selfish guy deserves anything for someone who was so selfless. I think either Thomas Jones or MJD deserve it. Steven Jackson is pretty selfless the way he plays so hard for a bad team.
RIP Joe DeLaney ……. wish there were more like you on this earth …
I say take CJ and AP off the list and split it between the other three.
Can we vote for “None of the above”?
Seriously? If enough of us vote that way, will you make “no one” the winner of the Joe Delaney award?
Steven Jackson deserves this award. He plays his ass off to save the Rams offense but the team still drowns in failure every Sunday…
What is the criteria? The guy who tried to save kids the most this season?
Chris Johnson. Do I really need to explain?
Joe Delaney saved kids from a lake, interestingly enough Ben Rothlisberger stores hookers there.
The Joe Delaney award like all the awards on this site are about more than just stats. And i If Mr. Delaney had a say he would agree that it should be stats, class and comminity out reach to win the award with his name attached to it. So i gotta say MJD.
Without knowing the criteria for this award, Steven Jackson comes to mind first. Considering how the Rams season went compared to his personal season, he was unbelievable. He almost singlehandedly took on the opposing defenses week in and week out. He didn’t piss and moan about the sad state of affairs in St. Louis. He continued to play later in the season with injuries. THE MAN PLAYED HURT ON A 1-15 TEAM!!! None of the nominees can compare their season with what Delaney did, but Steven Jackson comes closest to being described as “heroic”.
Ray Rice?
After him, probably Jackson.
Steven Jackson just because he comes to work for the worse team in the league and doesn’t do alot of talking looking to leave.
if i could vote twice for someone like that i would, he does more with less then anyone in the league.
no ray rice??
I humbly agree with some of the posters here. Nobody should get this award.
Otherwise, if it’s supposed to be about someone giving their all to save another in some serious trouble, it would have to be Tony Dungy.
In light of person named on this award(Joe Delaney), I would cast vote for Thomas Jones. All he has done anywhere he plays is produce, not complain through the media. I can’t explain why he is traded more than he is embraced. As a football player, I would want him on my team and would pay him his value. Easy to pay a man when he gets you the tough yards even in spite of the O-lines he has had with the teams he has played for. This seems to fit the criteria for the award to me.
You’re just getting bizarre now with these awards.
STEPHEN JACKSON – STEPHEN JACKSON – STEPHEN JACKSON
Man kept playing although he had nothing to play for. From a guy from the same hometown as Joe and a graduate of the same high school, whoi also went to school with his kids, don’t mess this up and give it to Chris Johnson or Thomas Jones.
MoJo
Taking a knee to put your team before yourself is a classy thing to do
I respect MJD, but gimme a break. Chris Johnson was a serious contender for MVP this year. He absolutely deserves the award for best tailback.
This should not even be close. And Thomas Jones? Really? He’s a good workhorse, but nowhere near the talent of CJ, MJD, AP, or Jackson.
Florio, you’ve created an interesting situation here. This award is for the best back, so you would want to award it to whoever had the best and/or most impactful season on the field (presumably character doesn’t enter into the equation, based on some of the nominees). And in a fitting tribute, the award has been named after someone whose character and selfless concern for others transcends mere football ability. But now you end up with the possibility of giving this award to a guy who’s sole interest on earth is blowhard self-promotion, the very antithesis of what Joe Delaney was all about. It just doesn’t seem to do any honor to the name on the award…
TMac48 says:
March 10, 2010 10:51 PM
Steven Jackson deserves this award. He plays his ass off to save the Rams offense but the team still drowns in failure every Sunday…
=================================
agreed…even with playing on the worst team in the league, he still bought his o-line watches to show his appreciation to those fat asses
as a Vikings fan, I gotta vote for……………… MJD.
I love AD, but others have explained why this award is more then just about stats. Chris Johnson is a great RB, but he seems way too cocky and arrogant to win an award like this.
Chris Johnson on the field
MJD off the field
From a Vikes fan
I vote for Joe Delaney.
How is this not between Jackson and Jones? MJD is a good guy and all but … Chris Johnson is a boob. BOOB CITY. Stump as a dumb. Wiff steefusus to beez proves ing it.
Jackson is the high road and on the road to team disaster. And he knows it. He deserves it but a guy with class, ironically could care less about winning it.
ps
this was a great website a few years ago. It just skkks moose cahkk now. The moose is happy…
I think it comes down to three dudes: AP, MJD, & S. Jackson. Adrian Peterson is THE back of our generation, hands down. However, his generosity to his community, has been surpassed by his generosity to opposing defenses in ’09-’10.
Steven Jackson had another great year on another awful Rams team and dude is much kinder then alot of you think.
My Delaney goes to MJD. Unbelieveable talent on the field, slightly brash off field, but still, one helluva good human being.
Thanks Florio for the Joe Delaney award. I just started watching pro football at that time and remember hearing about his act of true bravery. What he did really epitomized what a true hero is. Should have an NFL-dedicated TROPHY each year for a deserving player in his honor, for real.
Steve Jackson. He gives his heart and body for a team that he knows is pure shit and ain’t going anywhere but he still busts his ass every damn week. He deserves much more respect than everyone, including me, gives him.
That guy would be INCREDIBLE if he had a good O Line and decent QB. Like, one of the best ever
CJ was selfish as hell. His main goal was to be the MVP, not get into the playoffs.
Tom Jones was a great team guy.
MJD I don’t know much about him, but he seems like a great team guy.
If the award is for the best RB (on the field only) there should be no doubt that Chris Johnson deserves it. If it’s intended for a good character guy in the wake of Joe Delaney, it should go to Steven Jackson. He played hard for 16 games on the league’s worst team. Worked his butt off without ever complaining. A lot of other players in his situation had probably demanded a trade to a contending team. He’s a good character…
DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart.
fast freddy jackon, #22, buffalo bills.
Give it to Adrian Peterson. His unselfishness allowed my Saints to go to the Super Bowl!
What the hell is the award given for? Best Runningback or overall unselfish person?
I would give it to Steven Jackson or Adrian Peterson. Steven Jackson continued to perform on a constant basis even though his team was a constant failure. I don’t remember hearing him complain either. Adrian Peterson gave Brett Favre better coverages to throw into, still managed over 1300 yds and 18 tds, and was not used as much because of Brett and the OLine failed this year for run blocking. He also never complained.
Two classy guys there, who both deserve in my opinion.
Im as shameless a Vikings fan as your ever gonna find, but even i recognize Chris Johnson as the best back in the league right now, definatly CJ.
BTW how can you even consided MJD when only a couple years ago he and two other players beat the crap out of a guy at a Dennys
I am a Peterson fan, he’s a great person by all accounts, and I still think he’s the best in the league.
But by reading the description of the award it has nothing to do with skill or personality but rather selfless action. I don’t know any of the players enough to pick something like that because it seems more off the field.
But one angle I could see is the Thomas Jones angle. He was benched in the post season for Shonne Green was he not? I don’t recall him raising a big stink. He seems like a pretty good team player.
“What the hell is the award given for? Best Runningback or overall unselfish person?”
Maybe it’s an award for the worst swimmer?
Jackson tried to single-handedly save a drowning team and drowned in the process. Nobody fits the bill better.
Kevin from Philly, I’m going to give you some words of advice that your father should have gave you a looonnnggg time ago; Kill yourself, please. It goes to show what kind of a$$holes we have on this planet. Joe Delaney was, and still is, a hero…….while you, an arrogant loser , has to come on this site and make ignorant comments about an unselfish act that took three lives, and saved one. Makes me sick to think that certain types of people (like you) are given the right to speak their mind……
Respectfully yours,
The rest of the football community
Mojo D. If not for anything else, for taking a knee to clinch the Jets game, especially when he could’ve furthered his League Rushing touchdown lead.
MoJo- He’s a complete back and out to prove everyone wrong who bypassed him in the 1st round. He also has a huge presence in the Jacksonville community.