Rams vote Atogwe team MVP, Avery rookie of the year

ST. LOUIS -- Safety Oshiomoghe Atogwe, a bright spot in another dismal St. Louis Rams season with four interceptions and seven forced fumbles, was named the team's most valuable player Wednesday.

Wide receiver Donnie Avery is rookie of the year and safety Corey Chavous won the Carl Ekern spirit of the game award for the third straight season. The awards, announced Wednesday, are voted on by the team and came one day after the Rams (2-12) were shut out in Pro Bowl balloting for the first time since 1998.

Coach Jim Haslett said players were "right on the money" in their choices. He was disappointed that Atogwe and punter Donnie Jones, who leads the NFL with a 50.2-yard average and leads the NFC with a 40.9-yard net, didn't make the Pro Bowl.

"I thought O.J. had a great year again," Haslett said. "It was a shame that he didn't get a couple more interceptions, because I do think O.J.'s a Pro Bowl-type player, and has been one the last couple of years."

Atogwe, a third-round draft pick in 2005, also has two fumble recoveries this season. He returned one of them 75 yards for a touchdown at Washington in Week 6 that helped the Rams win their first game of the season after an 0-4 start.

With two games to go, he has a career-high 99 tackles. It's his third straight season with more than 90 tackles.

"Even though the season is not going as we would like it to go, there's a lot of guys still out there playing hard and giving their all and making a lot of plays," Atogwe said. "To be selected by your peers, by your teammates, it says a lot."

Atogwe was honored only days after he blew coverage on the crucial reception in the final drive of the Seahawks' come-from-behind 23-20 victory Sunday. Deion Branch had a 45-yard reception to the 9 after Atogwe went for an interception and misjudged the route.

"It's been a lot of bumpy paths and a rough path for me personally," Atogwe said. "To come to the end of the season and be thought highly of, it's kind of like a consolation."

Avery, a second-round pick who was the first wide receiver taken in the draft, is second on the team with 43 catches for 578 yards and two touchdowns. He needs 12 receptions in the last two games to break Eddie Kennison's franchise rookie record of 54 catches in 1996.

He's the first non-first-rounder to be named rookie of the year since Pisa Tinoisamoa, a second-rounder in 2003. Haslett said balloting was close between Avery and defensive end Chris Long, the second overall pick of the draft.

"It means a lot, showing that I've gained the respect of my teammates," Avery said. "They're the ones that voted for me."

The award given to Chavous is for the player who best exemplifies sportsmanship, work ethic and commitment to his teammates. It is named after a former Rams linebacker killed in an automobile accident in 1990.

Chavous is in his 11th season and third with the Rams. He and linebacker Mike Jones (1997-99) are the only players in franchise history to win the award in three consecutive years.

Chavous, who lost his starting job last week, had a career-high 118 tackles in 2006 and had 107 tackles last season. This year he has 85 tackles.

"Corey's the ultimate," Haslett said. "Corey's the guy that probably spends more time studying, preparing, watching film than anybody I've ever been around."