We’ve reached the halfway point of the NFL season, and its time to see where we stand in the major awards for the season. I have selected my midseason MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year honors. Disagree with my selections? Feel free to leave a comment or let me know on Twitter @LynnfieldDave

MVP – Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

A no-brainer. Many of the Patriot Haters out there were insistent upon naming Aaron Rodgers the MVP thus far this season, but that all fell apart when he managed just 77 passing yards at Denver in Week 8. Brady, at age 38, has been other-worldly this season. Brady leads the NFL is passer rating at 115.8, a full 5 points ahead of Rodgers. He is second in passing yards to Philip Rivers (who has not had a bye week yet, while Brady has), and first in passing yards per game at 344.3. Brady is tied with Carson Palmer for the league lead in touchdown passes with 20, to go along with just one interception, which bounced right off Julian Edelman’s hands and right to the defender. To put it plainly, Brady has been flawless at age 38, having his best season ever. Given that he is already considered by many to be the greatest of all time, that is quite a statement. Brady is also the Offensive Player of the Year, so we will skip going through the motions in that one.

Defensive Player of the Year – Josh Norman, CB, Carolina Panthers

Norman has been the best coverage man in the league this season, bar none. We are used to debating whether guys Darrelle Revis or Richard Sherman are the best, but this year, its neither. Norman has stood out above all the competition. His stats are unreal, as opposing quarterbacks would have earned a higher aggregate passer rating on throws toward Norman’s coverage had they thrown the ball in the dirt on purpose rather than attack him. But putting the metrics aside, the eyeball test shows you all you need to know. Norman has elite cover skills and the ball skills to match. He has shown he can run step for step with downfield burners such as T.Y. Hilton, and shut down double moves by elite route runners. No defensive player has made as dynamic an impact for their team as Norman has made for the 7-0 Carolina Panthers.

Rookie of the Year – Todd Gurley, RB, St. Louis Rams

This was definitely the toughest decision to make thus far, as Raiders WR Amari Cooper has been excellent since week 1. However, since becoming the starting RB in week 4, Gurley has been the best runner in the league. Coming off an ACL injury in his final season at Georgia, Gurley missed the first two games of the season. He returned in week 3 and saw limited snaps before getting the start in week 4 at Arizona where he ran for 146 yards on 19 carries. From that day forth, he has averaged 141.5 yards per game on the ground in four games as the starter. Gurley leads the entire NFL with 6.1 yards per rush, and has quickly emerged as perhaps the most feared running back in the NFL.

Coach of the Year – Dan Quinn, Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons were a disgrace in 2014, going 6-10 despite their playoff expectations heading into the season. Head coach Mike Smith was fired immediately after the season, and the Falcons brought in former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as Smith’s replacement. Quinn has thus far turned the Falcons around immediately, needing only half the season to match the team’s 2014 win total. At 6-2 at the halfway point, the Falcons are in the driver’s seat in the AFC South, and Quinn is well on his way to winning the Coach of the Year honors.

Week 9 Quarterbacks are posted, and we will have remaining positions coming throughout the rest of the week. Need some DFS advice? Be sure to check out our focus pieces.are posted, and we will have remaining positions coming throughout the rest of the week.