by Florida Times-Union

When he took over the 1-15 Dolphins, Sparano's main qualification appeared to be that he was a crony of Bill Parcells. But he took charge, surprised teams with the Wildcat formation and has the team (9-5) in playoff contention. And he puts up with all the Tony Soprano jokes with a good sense of humor.

NFC COACH OF THE YEAR: JOHN FOX, CAROLINA.

After back-to-back 8-8 and 7-9 seasons, Fox was viewed to be on the hot seat, but he put together the league's fourth-ranked rushing offense with DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart combining for 1,980 yards to spearhead the team to an 11-3 record. The Panthers play the Giants tonight for the NFC's top seed.

MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER: TE Kevin Boss, N.Y. Giants.

Since Oakland corner Nnamdi Asomugha is headed to his first Pro Bowl, the nod goes to Boss. His receiving stats (28 catches, 5 TDs) aren't off the charts, but his blocking is one of the main reasons the Giants are 16-4 with him in the starting lineup.

MOST OVERRATED PLAYER: QB Tony Romo, DALLAS.

Props to Romo for dating a woman like Jessica Simpson, but despite his immense popularity, a couple of things stick out about him. He's turned the ball over at least 16 times in each of the last three seasons and still hasn't won a playoff game.

BEST RISE TO PROMINENCE: ATLANTA.

Miami's rise is compelling, but the nod goes to the Falcons, coached by Mike Smith, the Jaguars' former defensive coordinator. Overcoming off-the-field controversy and upgrading a weak roster in the offseason, the Falcons (9-5) are close to a postseason berth.

BIGGEST FALL: GREEN BAY.

The Packers were 13-3 last season and advanced to the NFC championship game, then jettisoned Brett Favre to the Jets prior to this season. The Packers (5-9) will have a losing season for only the second time in the last 17 years.

BEST SEASON, JAGUAR: RB MAURICE DREW.

One of the team's few bright spots, Drew moved into fourth place in franchise history for most career yards from scrimmage (3,853). He has also caught a pass in a team-best 34 consecutive games.

WORST SEASON, JAGUAR: WR JERRY PORTER.

High priced free-agent acquisition didn't earn his salary in 2008. Before landing on injured reserve with a strained groin, he caught 11 passes in 10 games. That's $681,818.18 per catch.

BEST OFFSEASON ACQUISITION: RB Michael Turner, ATLANTA.

In San Diego, Turner was LaDainian Tomlinson's caddie and gained only 316 yards last year. The Falcons signed him as a free agent as he's the No. 2 rusher in the league with 1,423 yards and is a major reason why the Falcons are the top rushing team in the league.

MOST UNPREDICTABLE TEAM: DALLAS Cowboys.

The Cowboys haven't won a playoff game since 1996, but they're still the best soap opera in the league. Touted as a Super Bowl contender, they started 4-1, then went 4-4 in their next eight games with plenty of drama in the locker room, most of it surrounding Terrell Owens. Just when they seemed about to fall from postseason contention, they stunned the Giants last week. Nobody can figure out this team.

BEST DIVISION: NFC EAST.

The division includes the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, who are 11-3, plus a pair of 9-5 teams in Dallas and Philadelphia. Even the 7-7 Redskins can be dangerous.

WORST DIVISION: NFC WEST.

Only one team with more than five wins. The Arizona Cardinals are division champs at 8-6, but might not have made the playoffs in another division. They're 5-0 in the NFC West, 3-6 outside of it. The 49ers are 5-9, the Seahawks 3-11 and Rams 2-12.

BEST NFL EXECUTIVE: THOMAS DIMITROFF, ATLANTA.

Dimitroff was an obscure director of college scouting when the Falcons hired him to resurrect a franchise still reeling from the Michael Vick scandal. Dimitroff needed just one year to turn around the team around as he hired coach Mike Smith, signed Michael Turner as a free agent and drafted Matt Ryan with the third pick in the draft.

WORST NFL EXECUTIVE: MATT MILLEN, DETROIT.

OK, Millen was fired earlier this year, but the team he left behind is on the cusp of becoming the first NFL team to finish 0-16. Millen was the Edsel of NFL executives with his horrid drafting and personnel decisions.

MOST LIKELY MVP: Peyton Manning, INDIANAPOLIS.

Manning should get the comeback player of the year award in the same season. He came back from a 3-4 start and offseason knee surgery to rattle off eight consecutive wins. And he did it with a running game ranked 30th and a rush defense ranked 25th. His name recognition will beat out players like Matt Ryan and Adrian Peterson.

WHO SHOULD BE MVP: James Harrison, PITTSBURGH.

Harrison is spearheading the NFL's best defense with 15 sacks. But he's a defensive player overshadowed on his own team by flamboyant Troy Polamalu.

BEST FIRST-ROUND PICK: QB Matt Ryan, ATLANTA.

Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco both sit at the helm of 9-5 teams. But the nod goes to Ryan who has thrown for more TDs (14) than Flacco (12) with fewer interceptions (9 to Flacco's 12) and has a better passer rating (90.0 to 76.9).

WORST FIRST-ROUND PICK: LB Vernon Gholston, Jets.

The No. 6 overall pick signed an astronomical deal that helped set the benchmark for the holdout of Jaguars defensive end Derrick Harvey. A healthy scratch last week, Gholston hasn't set any marks for production this year with just 12 tackles.

FIRST COACH OUT AFTER SEASON: ROD MARINELLI, DETROIT.

In what's likely to be his only victory this season, Marinelli wins this one hands down. With the Lions dangerously close to a historic 0-16 season, Detroit's already lagging ticket sales will sink even further if the club keeps him.

SECOND COACH OUT AFTER SEASON: JIM HASLETT, ST. LOUIS.

Taking over for fired Scott Linehan in October, Haslett evoked hope after leading the Rams to a pair of wins, but the club has since lost eight in a row.

Copyright 2008 The Florida Times-Union
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