NFL Honors Recap and Reactions: Who Won & Who Should Have Won
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| Photo: Michael Zorn/Associated Press |
The NFL Honors took place on the eve of the Super Bowl and
like any awards banquet there will always be a fair share of controversy and
disagreement, and this year was no different.
As a former card-carrying member of the AP who earned a lifetime ban
after the helmet catch incident, my votes are no longer recognized by the
NFL. Therefore, my only recourse is to
list the winners below and let the NFL and AP know if they got it right or if
they royally botched it.
(Editor’s Note) *Evan was never a
member of the Associated Press, the only “A. P.” that he was ever a card-carrying
member of was a Montreal strip club called the “Ass Palace”, and the “Helmet
Catch Incident” had nothing to do with David Tyree or Super Bowl XLII. Details in the deposition are sketchy at best
but this incident is the reason why Evan was banned for life from the club and
also the reason why a strict ‘no jogging pants’ rule has been in effect ever
since.
Award: MVP
Winner – Tom Brady QB, Patriots.
Key stats: Led the NFL in passing yards (4,577), 32 passing
TDs and only 8 interceptions.
Who should have won? – Tom Brady.
The voters got this one right. Yes, Todd Gurley and Antonio Brown deserved
consideration for this award and if Carson Wentz hadn’t torn his ACL in week 14
then he almost surely would have walked away with the hardware, but the hard
facts and the cold truth is that no player was more important to his team (that
made the playoffs) this season than Tom Brady was to the Patriots. Number 1 seeds, 13 + wins and single digit
interception totals are a regular thing for Brady which is why, like his Coach,
he sometimes gets overlooked for awards like this. His impressive stats and win totals no longer
impress us, we just expect them as commonplace.
This year however it was obvious week in and week out that he was out to
prove he was still at the top of his game at age 40, and not only did he succeed,
but he also proved that the top of his game is still tops in the biz.
Award: Offensive Player of the Year
Winner - Todd Gurley RB, Rams
Key Stats: Led the NFL with 2,093 yards from scrimmage, 2nd
most rushing yards total (1,305), 13 rushing TDs and 6 receiving TD’s.
Who should have won? – Todd Gurley.
Again, the voters were right on this one. Gurley wasn’t just the league’s most
consistent running back this year, he also put an exclamation mark on his regular
season by having two of this year’s most dominant performances by any position
in weeks’ 15 & 16 when he ran roughshod over the Seahawks’ and Titians’
usually respected defenses respectively.
If the Rams hadn’t rested him and he actually played in week 17 against San
Francisco he likely would have added even more totals to his impressive season
stats considering he racked up 3 total TDs and 149 total yards against that
same 49ers defense in week 3. Gurley was
an absolute stud this season and unquestionably deserved this recognition.
Award: Defensive Player of the Year
Winner - Aaron Donald
DT, Rams
Key Stats: 11 sacks in 14 games, was the most dominate
inside defensive lineman in the NFL this year.
Who should have won? – Calais Campbell DE, Jaguars.
I got no beef with Aaron Donald winning this award, he’s
been one of the most dominant D-lineman in the league for years but I do think
that Jacksonville’s Calais Campbell did have a better 2017 season and deserved
this award. Campbell played in two more
games and had 26 more tackles and 3 and half more sacks than Donald did this
season. He was also a huge part in the
seismic cultural change in Jacksonville this season. For years the Jags have been throwing money
at big time free agents and drafting talented young defenders but this was
finally the year when everything clicked and the defense not only played up to
its talent level but it became the most explosive defensive unit in all of football. Calais Campbell’s monster season coinciding
with that was no coincidence, it was the catalyst.
Award: Offensive Rookie of the Year
Winner - Alvin Kamara RB Saints
Key Stats: 728 rushing yards, 826 receiving yards and 13 total
touchdowns.
Who should have won? - Kareem Hunt RB Chiefs.
Kamara was an explosive addition to the Saints offense that
Sean Payton and Drew Brees haven’t had since Darren Sproles, and one could
argue that he was the X-factor that catapulted the Saints Offense back to
playoff form. Together he and Mark
Ingram both had Pro Bowl Seasons. And
that is why Kamara should not have gotten this award and Kareem Hunt should
have. If you take Kamara away from the
Saints they still have a Pro Bowl RB in Ingram.
If you take Hunt away from the Chiefs, they have Charcandrick West. Also, there is that slightly inconvenient
truth that Hunt quantifiably had a better season than Kamara. Hunt led the league in rushing with 1,327
yards compared to Kamara’s 826 yards. Hunt
also had more total scrimmage yards with 1,782 compared to Kamara’s 1,554. Hunt had two less receiving TDs but I think
leading the league in rushing as a rookie and being the centerpiece of a top 5
NFL offensive unit should have garnered him the OROY award.
Award: Defensive Rookie of the Year
Winner - Marshon Lattimore CB,
Saints
Key Stats: 5 interceptions, 18 pass deflections 1 TD.
Who should have won? - Marshon Lattimore.
The voters got this one right. Larrimore was a shutdown corner as a rookie
and a major part of the defensive resurgence down in the Bayou. Look for him to be a top 3-5 corner in the
league within a year or two which will come in handy for the Saints who play in
a stacked QB division.
Award: Walter Payton Man of the Year
Winner - J.J. Watt DE, Texans
Key Stats: Raised more than $37 million and administered the
deliverance of aid directly to hurricane victims in Houston.
Who should have won? J.J. Watt.
The man raised more than $37 million for Houston hurricane
relief this year. A lot of NFL players
do a lot of great things in their communities every day but this was a special
case at a time when the city of Houston needed it most.
Award: Comeback Player of the Year
Winner - Keenan Allen WR, Chargers
Key Stats: 102 receptions, 1,393 receiving yards and six
touchdowns.
Who should have won? Keenan Allen
The previous two seasons had been disastrous for Allen. He only played in 9 total games in 2015 and
2016: In November of 2015, he lacerated a kidney, which placed him on IR. Last
season, he tore his left ACL in the season opener, again landing him on IR. This year not only did he stay healthy but he
returned to dominant form by registering the 4th most receptions and
the 3rd most receiving yards in the league. He deserves this award and it was great to
see the voters give it to him.
Award: Coach of the Year
Winner - Sean McVay HC, Rams
Key Stats: 11-5 record and NFC West title.
Who should have won? Mike Zimmer HC, Vikings (Or Doug
Pederson HC, Eagles)
You could see this one coming from a mile away. The NFL has been trying hard to anoint Sean
McVay as the boy king all season. He did
do an amazing job this year and is without a doubt a creative offensive guru. But one can argue the Rams’ success this
season could be less a testament to McVay and just more proof that Jeff Fisher
terribly mismanaged a talented roster over the previous years. Look above.
The Rams had both the offensive and defensive players of the year on their
roster. Other coaches around the league
like Mike Zimmer and Doug Pederson won more games than Sean McVay with players
like Case Keenum, Jerick McKinnon and Nick Foles after starters like Sam
Bradford, Dalvin Cook and Carson Wentz got injured for the season. Even without the hindsight of the postseason
I still think both Coach Zimmer in Minnesota and Doug Pederson in Philadelphia
did more with less this season and would have been better choices for this
award.
