In the first series, the Texans easily moved the ball down the field, having a first and goal inside the 5 yard line. Kuechly made 4 tackles on that series, two of them being great run-stuffing tackles on their goal-line stand, forcing the Texans to settle for a field goal.

On the next series, Kuechly stripped RB Arian Foster of the ball around midfield while teammate Sherrod Martin recovered it.

Doing the math, Kuechly was the driving force behind the defense on 5 of his first 9 plays as a pro. He started at the MLB spot that I had thought he’d start at when he was drafted, but Jon Beason had been playing the position during camp with Kuechly playing the weakside linebacker.

Since it’s the first preseason game, I wouldn’t read anything into him starting at MLB.

It may be that coach Rivera wanted to get some snaps under the young man’s belt in his first game from his “natural” position where he’s comfortable whereas Beason has played both positions in the past. It could be that Rivera simply wanted to rest Beason in the contest so that younger players could get more snaps as well. There have been a lot of changes with the injuries last year so it makes sense that the coaches wanted to try different combinations and get more looks at them now.

It’s not a secret that Beason, a 3-time Pro Bowler, will be in the starting lineup come opening day.

It also appears that Kuechly, never exactly a secret himself, has put the league on notice that he has arrived, too.

Nov. 27, 2011; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne (87) breaks a tackle from Carolina Panthers cornerback Darius Butler (27) and strong safety Charles Godfrey (30) and scores a touchdown during the game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory credit: Michael Hickey-US PRESSWIRE

The votes are in, and yes, they have been recounted. (I couldn’t find any hanging chads)

Again, one player took off with the votes and never stopped running! The safety position was a position of much doubt this season, but the winner was a strong point all season.

And the winner is: Charles Godfrey

Godfrey took 86% of the votes while the second place player was Jordan Pugh with 7%.

Thanks for voting everyone! I’ll be posting this weeks poll shortly so stay tuned!!

January 1, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) catches a touchdown between Carolina Panthers safety Sherrod Martin (23) and linebacker James Anderson (50) during the third quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

So far the awards are coming along nicely, and we are getting an amazing amount of support with each poll. So this time when you vote, go ahead and tell us why!

Thanks for voting, and I’ll be sure to post the results next week!