The more things change, the more they stay the same. Isn’t that what they say? So who can be surprised that the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts are looking like contenders halfway through the season, or that the ageless Brett Favre is on top once again?

And the Detroit Lions … well, they’re still the Lions we know, too.

Of course, there have been a few shockers in 2009. The collapse of the Titans seems to have come out of nowhere. Same goes for the rise of the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals. And if you saw the Bengals coming, surely you didn’t see Cedric Benson in the center of that surge.

Still, there’s a long way to go and a lot can happen in a sport that has proven over the last few years that the only thing that really matters is who is hot and healthy at the end. If the season were to end right now, however, I’d hand out these “Half-Year” awards:

MVP – Peyton Manning, QB, Colts. He’s shouldering a huge burden on his 8-0 team because it has a weak running game and a huge drop-off from Reggie Wayne to whomever his No. 2 receiver is each week. Take him out of that offense, the Colts might have a losing record. He’s that good and that important.

Offensive Player – Chris Johnson, RB, Titans. He has a league-high 959 rushing yards through eight games and is threatening to lap the field — and that field includes Adrian Peterson. And with the Titans 2-6, it’s not like they’ve been playing from ahead all the time.

Defensive Player – Darren Sharper, S, Saints. He’s tied for the league lead with seven interceptions, three of which he has returned for touchdowns. More important, he has the previously defenseless Saints believing they can stop anybody. Plus, he has made the defense an offensive weapon — as if the Saints need more of those.

Coach – Josh McDaniels, Broncos. He looked like he was in way over his head during his dispute with Jay Cutler that led to a trade and during the Brandon Marshall controversy in the preseason. Plus, he had an unimpressive roster and Kyle Orton at quarterback. So how did he get the Broncos off to a 6-0 start? Even with losses in their last two games, he’s still out-coaching almost everyone else.

Rookie – Percy Harvin, RB/WR/KR, Vikings. The kid is just a weapon. He has three receiving touchdowns and two on kickoff returns. In fact, he’s averaging 30.7 yards on kickoff returns, which is a Pro Bowl-caliber number. The Vikings are still getting a feel for what he can do. When they figure out how to use him, he’ll be tough to stop.

Biggest Rookie Mistake – Michael Crabtree, WR, 49ers. It’s hard to say for sure whether he’s dumb or was just following bad advice, but his holdout was as ill-conceived as any the NFL has seen in years. The fact that he has caught 14 passes for 167 yards in his three games since signing his contract makes it even worse. All that lost time. And for what?

Biggest Surprise – The Denver Broncos at 6-2. McDaniels looked way more like Eric Mangini than Bill Belichick when he ran his quarterback out of town and then fought with his star receiver. But he’s winning with Orton at quarterback, an underrated defense and probably a couple of mirrors, too.

Biggest Disappointment – The Tennessee Titans at 2-6. No one’s star has fallen farther faster than that of Titans coach Jeff Fisher. His team lost Albert Haynesworth to free agency and suffered some injuries, but an 0-6 start? It was hard to tell who looked older, Fisher or quarterback Kerry Collins.

Biggest Disaster (Lifetime Achievement Award) – The Oakland Raiders (who else?). Congratulations to Al Davis and the Raiders, who keep finding new ways to look ridiculous. As if the world wasn’t laughing hard enough from their drafting of Darius Heyward-Bey at No. 7, the Raiders gave us the Tom Cable fiasco. The only surprise, really, is that Davis didn’t find a way to get Cable’s fight with his assistant coach on pay-per-view.

Best Imitation of the Raiders – The Cleveland Browns. First, Randy Lerner hires Eric Mangini to coach his team before he hires a GM. Then he lets Mangini spend his first few months alienating everyone — rookies, star players, media, fans. He even lets Mangini bus his rookies 10 hours to help out at his camp. Then Lerner fires his GM at midseason. I can’t wait to see what the Browns do next.

Best Imitation of the Lions – The St. Louis Rams. It’s easy to forget the Rams still have quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson, yet they are averaging 9.6 points per game. That’s not even one touchdown and one field goal per 60 minutes. They’re being outscored by 18 points per game. They’re so bad, it’s a miracle they even have a win. Oh, wait, no it’s not. They beat the Lions.

The “Hey, Whatever Happened To …” Award – Jake Delhomme, QB, Panthers. Remember Jake? The exciting, upstart quarterback of the Panthers who took them to a Super Bowl a few years ago and almost stole it from the Patriots? Doesn’t that seem like it was yesterday? Here’s where he is today. Age 34. Five touchdowns. Thirteen interceptions. Next!

The “Hey, Who Is This Guy?” Award – Miles Austin, WR, Cowboys. Fans of tiny Monmouth College in New Jersey are surely not surprised by the success of Austin. So, you know, at least six or seven people saw this coming. He’s averaging 22.7 yards per catch, and with only 27 catches he’s just getting started. By the way, Monmouth is the “Fighting Scots.” Really.

Twit(terer) of the Half-Year – Larry Johnson, RB, currently unemployed. Congratulations to L.J. for taking the Twitter craze to new heights and using it to throw a temper tantrum directed toward his coach. It was only a matter of time before an NFL player used it to act like a … well, it’s not called Twitter for nothing. Then again, Johnson got his wish and the Chiefs cut him. So maybe he used it correctly after all.

Super Bowl 44 (Revised) – My preseason prediction had the New England Patriots defeating the Minnesota Vikings. Yes, I went way out on that limb, but I have no intention of crawling back now. The Patriots are just finding their groove and the Vikings, with Adrian Peterson leading the way, are the best bet to win a January game in the Louisiana Superdome. So, no need to revise the prediction here. The Colts (8-0) and Saints (8-0) might look like they’re on a collision course now, but it’ll be the Patriots over the Vikings in the end. The real end.

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