PETER KING'S MIDSEASON ALL-PRO TEAM
OFFENSE
Cornerback
DARRELLE REVIS
Jets
Plays WRs the way Michael Irvin used to play corners—getting away with borderline contact and making hay, as he did with his 100-yard INT return for a TD against Miami.
Quarterback
AARON RODGERS
Packers
His lowest-rated game to date (111.4): 297 yards, three TDs, one interception and a 73.7% completion rate in a 27--17 win at Chicago. Threatening nearly every single-season passing mark.
Wide receiver
CALVIN JOHNSON
Lions
Not much has changed since I asked Matthew Stafford about continually throwing to Johnson into double coverage in scrimmage. "Wouldn't you?'' Stafford said. Could surpass 20 TDs.
Wide receiver
STEVE SMITH
Panthers
Very narrowly over Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace, but Smith is on pace for 1,836 receiving yards for a team that had one of the worst offensives in football a year ago.
Slot receiver
WES WELKER
Patriots
It's a badge of honor, Tom Brady's ever-growing reliance on Welker. Last year he was targeted 123 times. This year? On pace for 190. He'll challenge Jerry Rice's yardage record.
Tight end
JIMMY GRAHAM
Saints
New Orleans coach Sean Payton knew what he was doing in letting Jeremy Shockey (10.0 yards per catch in '10) leave in favor of the 2010 third-rounder, who's averaging 14.6 per.
Left tackle
JORDAN GROSS
Panthers
Cam Newton, expected to be a scrambler, is staying in the pocket more than anyone imagined. Why? For one thing he's not feeling much heat from his blind side, thanks to Gross.
Left guard
CARL NICKS
Saints
The best guard in football over the last few years. Nicks's seal-blocking is one reason Darren Sproles has been able to burst through the line instead of going outside.
Center
SCOTT WELLS
Packers
Good centers go unnoticed, but Wells doesn't in Green Bay. You'll never see leaks over the center, never see pressure up the gut. That's significant in the beefy NFC North.
Right guard
BRIAN WATERS
Patriots
He shifted from left guard in Kansas City to right with the Pats, had no off-season program in a complicated attack and has been a better player than the Pro Bowler he already was.
Right tackle
ERIC WINSTON
Texans
Arian Foster means it when he credits his line. A one-cut-and-get-upfield back needs to have confidence in his blockers' ability to produce gaps. The powerful Winston is a pile driver.
DEFENSE
End
JARED ALLEN
Vikings
Rededicated himself after a sub-par 2010 and zoomed past last year's sack total of 11 by mid-October. A relentless attacker who chases down plays when most linemen would be jogging.
Tackle
HALOTI NGATA
Ravens
A new contract hasn't dimmed his desire or disruptive presence. Ngata clears the way for so many plays to be made behind him. No better 320-plus-pound run-pass defender in the game.
End-Tackle
JUSTIN SMITH
49ers
Underrated for too long, Smith had more combined pressures and sacks (31) than Allen (28) through Week 7 and keyed huge road wins at Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Detroit.
Outside linebacker
CLAY MATTHEWS
Packers
Poster child for why sacks are overrated. Led all players through seven weeks with 31 combined QB hits and pressures, according to ProFootballFocus.com. And sack total (three) should multiply.
Inside linebacker
NAVORRO BOWMAN
49ers
Toughest spot to pick: I could easily have chosen teammate Patrick Willis or K.C.'s Derrick Johnson. Bowman, a tackling machine, chased down Michael Vick on a third down in Week 4.
Inside-Middle linebacker
RAY LEWIS
Ravens
It's a cliché to say he's not getting older, he's getting better. But it's almost true. At 36 and in his 16th season, the original Raven is playing the run and in coverage as well as he has in years.
Outside linebacker
DEMARCUS WARE
Cowboys
He's got Bill Belichick comparing him with Lawrence Taylor and Dallas defensive boss Rob Ryan blowing the kind of smoke reserved for his dad's great old Bears. Defines impact player.
Cornerback
JOHNATHAN JOSEPH
Texans
G.M. Rick Smith preferred Joseph over Nnamdi Asomugha in free agency. Good call. Joseph's been the key to opponents' completing only 51% of their passes, down from 65% last year.
Safety
KAM CHANCELLOR
Seahawks
A fifth-round pick who saw limited action last season, the 6'3", 232-pound Chancellor conjures memories of giant Cincy safety David Fulcher. Chancellor hits like his hero Sean Taylor.
Safety
TROY POLAMALU
Steelers
I picked two strong safeties because safety has become an interchangeable position, and because Polamalu, after wearing down late last year, is back to his enforcing, blitzing self.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Placekicker
SEBASTIAN JANIKOWSKI
Raiders
Kickers are hitting with unprecedented accuracy from 50 and beyond. Seabass is 5 of 6 from 50-plus, including a record- tying 63-yarder.
Kick returner
JOE MCKNIGHT
Jets
The cry has gone from "McKnight's a bust" in 2010 to "We've got to get the ball in his hands more." That's what a 40-yard kickoff return average (including a 107-yard touchdown) will do.
Running back
MATT FORTE
Bears
On pace to surpass 950 receiving yards, a figure reached by RBs only three times, and to gain more yards from scrimmage (2,494) than Marshall Faulk or LaDainian Tomlinson ever did.
Punter
ANDY LEE
49ers
Could he break the All-Pro stranglehold of cross-bay rival Shane Lechler this year? Lee has had a better first half, and his 43.7-yard net average has given a good defense a huge edge.
Punt returner
DEVIN HESTER
Bears
With a punt and a kick return for touchdown in the first seven games, Hester is polishing his résumé for Immortalville. Remains a mystery why anyone would kick to the man.
AWARDS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Aaron RodgersQB Packers
In another year, this award could be Drew Brees's or Tom Brady's or Matt Forte's. But Rodgers has made a science of mistake-free quarterbacking in the first half.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
Matt ForteRB Bears
Fudging a bit here since Rodgers is so clearly ahead of the rest, but Forte deserves a nod for gaining 6.73 yards per touch when everyone knows he's getting it all day.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
Darrelle RevisCB Jets
Just edges the 49ers' Justin Smith. Stat of the first half, from ProFootballFocus.com: QBs throwing against Revis have a 2.9 passer rating. Uh, that's pretty good.
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE
Cam NewtonQB Panthers
The Carolina rookie is on pace for more than 4,000 passing yards, and he's doing it while staying in the pocket much more than he did at Auburn.
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE
Von MillerLB Broncos
Needs to cover and play the run better, but his instinctive moves around end have made him a premier pass-rush threat from Day One and justified the No. 2 overall pick.
COACH
Jim Harbaugh49ers
Who expected a total franchise makeover from a college coach with no off-season program? Harbaugh has turned the Niners into a team no one wants to play.
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