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By the time every NFL team has played eight games http://www.steelersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-benny-snell-jr.-jersey , there are some heavily established favorites for The Associated Press NFL awards that are handed out on Super Bowl eve.Not this year.MVP? Lots of candidates — and not just quarterbacks.Coach of the Year? Nearly every division has a contender.Comeback Player? Some likely Hall of Famers are in the mix there.So the AP polled a few of the 50 voters for the awards, including genuine Hall of Famer James Lofton. The theme was clear: There isn’t much clarity as we head into the final eight weeks of the schedule.MVPThis honor has gone to a quarterback the past five seasons and 10 of 11. Two running backs, Adrian Peterson in 2012 and LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006, broke through the QB domination in the past dozen years.Lofton and some others select Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.“So good you just can’t take your eyes off of him,” the CBS analyst says.“Maybe this opinion changes next week, given the stellar competition that includes (Todd) Gurley and (Drew) Brees,” adds USA Today’s Jarrett Bell. “Maybe not, as the kid keeps showing up. A first-year starter as quarterback? Hey, Mahomes is like the new Kurt Warner.”Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News opts for Brees. Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk prefers Gurley.Don’t forget about Tom Brady, Adam Thielen or Philip Rivers, and perhaps even a defensive force such as J.J. Watt.COACHAnother wide-open field headed by, according to Jenny Vrentas of Monday Morning Quarterback, Kansas City‘s Andy Reid.“I selected Andy Reid … for his ability to seamlessly transition from Alex Smith to Mahomes,” Vrentas explains. “He’s been so invested in Mahomes’ development that he sits with him on the bench in between offensive series, going over what they see and how they’ll attack the opponent next. Reid has demonstrated an ability to keep his offense fresh and tailored to his players, updating his West Coast system with spread concepts pulled from the college ranks.”Bob Glauber of Newsday points to last year’s winner Zach Gentry Jersey , Sean McVay of the Rams.“He’s one of the brightest minds in the game, and at 32, is proving not only to be a brilliant play caller, but an exceptional leader as well,” Glauber says.Not far behind in our little poll: the Saints‘ Sean Payton, the Texans‘ Bill O’Brien, the Bears‘ Matt Nagy, and the Chargers‘ Anthony Lynn, whose team “plays a road game every week,” Lofton notes.COMEBACK PLAYERRarely has there been such an impressive group vying for an award no one really wants to win considering the implications of a comeback.From Watt to Peterson to Aaron Rodgers, from Andrew Luck to Carson Wentz to Deshaun Watson, from Odell Beckham Jr. to Richard Sherman — WOW!“It’s either Andrew Luck or Watt,” says Williams, “but Watt has returned to being one of the best at his position. He is playing at an All-Pro and Pro Bowl level. Luck is not one of the top-five quarterbacks in the NFL and maybe not in the top 10.”Eric Adelson of Yahoo Sports goes for the Colts quarterback.“Can’t imagine the frustration he’s faced,” Adelson says. “A pro’s pro.”Vrentas picks Watt.“The surgery Watt had last October to put his leg back together after a tibial plateau fracture was so complicated that the surgeons couldn’t even be certain that it would work, and that his leg would be able to bear the full weight of his body while running full speed Joey Bosa Jersey ,” she explains. “Watt, who has nine sacks in nine games, was undeterred. He wasn’t back to full strength in the season opener but has steadily gotten better each week, a scary thought for opponents.”OFFENSIVE PLAYERAnother free-for-all, with Gurley, Mahomes, Thielen, Brees, Michael Thomas and James Conner getting consideration.“Before it’s done, he could wind up as MVP,” Bell says of Gurley, his choice in this category. “Ditto for Brees. Running backs don’t get the same love as quarterbacks in the pass-centric environment of the NFL. But if Gurley breaks LaDainian Tomlinson’s single-season TD record and the Rams keep winning big, people will have to take notice. Then again, Brees has a few records and has never been MVP.”Domowitch, a Brees supporter for MVP, puts Mahomes here. So does Williams.DEFENSIVE PLAYERThis category could be a two-horse race between a pair of thoroughbreds previously honored with the award: Aaron Donald and Watt.“Now that’s a man who don’t need no stinking training camp Nick Bosa Jersey ,” Bell says of Donald.Eric Adelson of Yahoo Sports prefers Donald, as well.“A game wrecker on every down,” Adelson says.Adds Glauber: “Donald is a disruptive force in the middle and already has 10 sacks. The only problem for him — and the Rams — is that teams will often go to great lengths to shut him down. Thus, the constant double teams he has to fight through.”Lofton likes what Khalil Mack has done in Chicago: “Mack turned the Bears from pretenders to contenders.” But this train could be a runaway for Donald and Mack.OFFENSIVE ROOKIENo contest.“He’s the only good thing going for an awful Giants team,” Glauber says of Giants RB Saquon Barkley. “Until the Giants figure out their quarterback situation, he’ll be wasted in this offense.”But not lost in the awards prognostications.“On pace for more than 2,000 total yards — on a bad team,” Adelson notes.DEFENSIVE ROOKIEChargers safety Derwin James has gotten lots of love, but there’s no runaway leader.“Darius Leonard and Denzel Ward make this an interesting race for the award down the stretch,” Williams says.Glauber leans to Leonard: “Halfway through the season, he not only led all NFL rookies with 88 tackles, he led all NFL players in that category. He also has four sacks and three forced fumbles and has already won defensive rookie of the week honors twice.” COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Fights during joint practices at NFL training camps have been a common sight this year, a trend Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn does not expect will continue when the New Orleans Saints join them for two days of workouts beginning on Wednesday.The Chargers and Saints practiced together without incident for two days last year in Orange County, which makes Lynn optimistic there will not be any trouble this time around.“We had good, clean L.J. Collier Jersey , physical practices last year against this group, and I expect the same thing,” Lynn said Tuesday. “I know (Saints coach) Sean Payton. I’ve known him for a long time. I know what he’s telling his guys and I know what I’m telling my players, so I don’t expect any fights or anything like that tomorrow.”Baltimore and Indianapolis became the latest teams to scrap during training camp, with multiple donnybrooks breaking out during their workout Saturday.Other notable fights this month included a session between Washington and the New York Jets that devolved into a large brawl between both teams, and a fracas between Houston wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and San Francisco defensive back Jimmie Ward which led to Texans coach Bill O’Brien booting Hopkins from practice.Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen understands why the competitive atmosphere of joint practices can become combustible.“Going against our guys everyday, now we get to go against another defense and compete, see where we at,” Allen said. “You’re out here competing, everybody trying to make a play and it gets physical. Just got to be able to take it.”The Chargers were unable to avoid the temptation during joint practices with the Rams last year, as Allen and other Chargers wide receivers got into it with Rams defensive backs on several occasions.Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is more interested in using the Saints as a measuring stick for evaluating a deep, but unproven wide receiving group rather than as a punching bag.“That’s a spot that’s not always easy to find guys, so to have guys competing for spots on our team and doing a good job, it really helps us,” Whisenhunt said.Lynn likes how the wide receivers have performed in training camp, with 2017 first-round pick Mike Williams continuing to impress by making several more standout touchdown receptions Tuesday. However http://www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-marquise-blair-jersey , he won’t turn the Chargers into a “run-and-shoot” offense just because of how the group does in practice.“We have one guy, two guys, one and a half guys that have production,” Lynn said. “These other guys are strictly projections. Mike Williams hasn’t done a whole lot in NFL games. I love what he’s doing in these camps. We don’t want to get too far ahead in how deep we are at that position until we get into the season.”The Saints’ secondary should be a good tool for gauging where the Chargers stand at wide receiver. New Orleans finished in the middle in the pack in terms of yards passing allowed per game last season, but ranked third with 20 interceptions.Allen is looking forward to matching up against Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who had five picks as a rookie. However, Allen wishes the joint practices had come earlier in training camp and not before the crucial third preseason game, which serves as the final dress rehearsal for the start of the regular season.Still, Lynn sees the joint practices with the Saints as a welcome device for breaking up the monotony of training camp.“They can stop looking at each another and hitting one another and practice against someone else. It should be fun. Last year we got a lot of good work in, so we’re looking forward to the same thing this year,” Lynn said.NOTES: Cornerback Casey Hayward appeared to sustain a hamstring injury late in practice, but Lynn said Hayward did not believe it was serious. … Wide receiver Tyrell Williams is limited because of a sore foot that Lynn said might be caused by a bone bruise. … Left tackle Joe Barksdale missed practice because of an illness.——