ESPN AFL

As the second half of the season gets going, let's hand out some awards.

Midseason All-AFL Team

Quarterback: Matt D'Orazio, Philadelphia
How does a guy go from backup at the beginning of the season to All AFL at midseason? Well, D'Orazio has not lost a game since replacing Tony Graziani and is running the AFL's best offense to perfection. He has thrown for 1,690 yards and 37 TDs with only three interceptions for a sparkling 125.5 QB rating.

Fullback: Dan Alexander, Chicago
He was a great offseason acquisition for the Rush and has lived up to the hype. He doesn't get the ball a ton, but he's money in the red zone. In 39 carries he has eight touchdowns and is also an underrated outlet receiver out of the backfield.

Offensive Line: Phil Bogle, Philadelphia
He anchors the best offensive line in the AFL and good pass protection is a big part of the Soul's offensive success. Bogle has good feet and enough quickness and to protect the edge, but he can also anchor at the point of attack.

Offensive Line: Mike Mabry, Philadelphia
He is part of a trio of Soul linemen who do the best job in the league of not only pass blocking, but are also effective in the run game. Mabry has size, athleticism and is a solid inside player at center. He can handle power nose tackles and also quick inside penetrators.

Offensive Line: Martin Bibla, Philadelphia
He isn't flashy, but he is a steady guy who doesn't make a lot of mistakes. Bibla is a decent finisher and when he locks on he is very effective. He shows good pass-blocking skills and pretty good overall movement.

Wide Receiver: Chris Jackson, Philadelphia
He was the offseason acquisition of the year and has taken Philadelphia to an elite level. He has 79 catches for 998 yards and a whopping 30 touchdowns. He is smart, gets excellent separation and snatches everything that is close.

Wide Receiver: T.T. Toliver, Orlando
With early injuries at WR for the Predators, Toliver had to shoulder a big part of the offensive load and he has responded well. He is not big or overly physical, but he's crafty and knows how to get open. He has 1,041 receiving yards and 21 TDs and is a big part of a surging Orlando offense.

Wide Receiver: Huey Whittaker, Utah
He is a young guy with limited experience, but has blossomed in a terrific Utah pass offense. Whittaker has great size, good athleticism and plays with QB Joe Germaine, who is talented enough to get him the ball. He has 1,034 receiving yards, 18 touchdowns and is a nightmare matchup versus smaller DBs.

Defensive Line: Henry Taylor, New York
He has the most sacks in the league this year (11.5) and has proved to be a great offseason acquisition. Taylor is the focal point upfront for the AFL's most aggressive defense and even at his age, he plays at a high level every week.

Defensive Line: Gabe Nyenhuis, Philadelphia
He is part of a talented Soul defensive front and having an excellent individual year, already recording five sacks. Nyenhuis is not overly flashy and will not dazzle you with physical skills, but he is tenacious, plays with excellent instincts and just seems to be around the ball.

Defensive Line: Colston Weatherington, Dallas
He is one of the best pass rushers in the history of the AFL and plays with great consistency year in and year out. Weatherington is almost impossible to block off the edge because of his quickness and a variety of moves he possesses. He already has 5.5 sacks.

Jack Linebacker: DeJuan Alfonzo, Chicago
He is the most active LB in the AFL and his range and ability to drop into coverage sets him apart. He is versatile enough to also help on offense, but his value is on defense. He has 48 tackles, three interceptions and his non-stop motor makes him tough to stop.

Mack Linebacker: Marlon Moye-Moore, Orlando
He is a versatile player with a non-stop motor and while he is effective on offense (11 TDs as a FB), he's even better on defense. Moye-Moore is an excellent anchor and run stopper with 42.5 tackles and has great range and tackling skills.

Defensive Back: Rashad Floyd, Colorado
He is the best ballhawk in the league. Floyd can play man-to-man versus the opponent's best receiver or can sit back in centerfield and simply break on the ball. He has already racked up 60 tackles and six interceptions and is a player most QBs find and avoid.

Defensive Back: Dennison Robinson, Chicago
He was a tackling machine a year ago and is playing at that same high level in 2008. Robinson is a leader on arguably the AFL's best secondary. He has 60 tackles, seven interceptions, always seems to be around the ball and has a knack for coming up with big plays.

Defensive Back: Calvin Spears, New Orleans
He is the face of a VooDoo secondary that is on fire and producing more big plays and interceptions than any other unit in the AFL. He is playing at a much higher level than anticipated and his ball skills are vastly improved. He has 54 tackles and eight interceptions.

Kicker: A.J. Haglund, San Jose
He leads the league in points (109) and is a sparkling 17 for 18 on field goals, which is unheard of in the AFL, and 58 for 63 on PATs. He is young, talented and could wind up in an NFL camp.

Return Specialist: Chris Martin, Grand Rapids
He is third in the AFL in return yards with 946 (20.6 yard average) and four of those returns have gone for TDs. He doesn't have a great surrounding cast on special teams so he creates a lot of his own success. He has excellent quickness and moves and is a threat to go all the way every time he touches the ball.

Midseason Awards

Coach of the Year: Mike Neu, New Orleans
This was a 5-11 team last year and looked like a rebuilding team at thr start of this season with no chance to be competitive. But Neu found a QB to build around in Danny Wimprine and is developing a defense that may be short of big names, but leads the league in interceptions (23) and also has 11 sacks. The VooDoo play hard and have fun and that is a credit to Neu.

Rookie of the Year: DB Levy Brown, New York
He was an excellent player in 2007 in AF2 and carried it over to the big stage. He is athletic, with good size and range and puts up great numbers. He already has 51.5 tackles and five interceptions and is an anchor for a surprisingly good Dragons defense.

Biggest Surprise Player: QB Danny Wimprine, New Orleans
He is a local guy and the best feel-good story of 2008. He's turned New Orleans into a legitimate playoff contender. And for a guy without a lot of experience he plays with amazing poise and his decision making is excellent. He's thrown for 2,172 yards and 48 TDs, but what is most impressive is that he has thrown only three interceptions and that leads to a 122.8 QB rating.

Most Disappointing Player: WR Siaha Burley, Arizona
He caught 166 passes for 2,125 yards in 2007 for Utah with 49 TD and was almost unstoppable. In a huge offseason move, Burley went to Arizona and was expected to be the missing link for the Rattlers. However, injuries have forced him to miss some time and he just doesn't look like the same guy. He has only 425 yards and 14 TDs. At this pace, he will produce about 30 percent of the offense that he did a year ago.

Biggest Surprise Team: New Orleans
Nobody expected anything from this team heading into the season and yet the VooDoo are winning consistently and do it with style. They have a QB to build around in Wimprine and have a defense that leads the AFL in almost every category. This is a team that has fun and will be a tough out in the playoffs.

Most Disappointing Team: Utah
The Blaze are the most one-dimensional team in the league with a terrific offense and a non-existent defense. They have given up 78 touchdowns, which is wasting a good year by Germaine and the Blaze pass offense. They are not good enough to do what they did in the past, which was simply get in high-scoring affairs and let their offense carry them to a win.

Gary Horton, a pro scout for Scouts Inc., has been a football talent evaluator for more than 30 years. He spent 10 years in the NFL and 10 years at the college level before launching a private scouting firm called The War Room.