Thursday, March 22, 2012

The NFL Blog: 2011 Horse Collar Awards Part IV (NFL Awards)

NFL Awards


The Dan Marino Award

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

Winner: Cam Newton-QB-Carolina

Runner-up: AJ Green-WR-Cincinnati

Third Place: Julio Jones-WR-Atlanta

Comments: Cam Newton was the landslide winner for this award. Newton led all NFL rookies in passing yards; passing yards per game; passing TD’s; QB rating; completion percentage; and yards per attempt. Newton was 2nd among all NFL rookies and 1st among all rookie QB’s in rushing yards. He was 5th among all NFL rookies and 1st among all rookie QB’s in rushing yards per game. He led the NFL in rushing yards per attempt and led all QB’s in rushing TD’s. He was 2nd among all rookies in 20+ rushes and 1st among rookie QB’s in that category.

AJ Green and Julio Jones were the other guys in the running for this award. They were actually very, very close this season, which makes sense considering that Green went #4 in the draft and Jones went #6. I give the nod to Green over Julio because AJ was the more consistent player and had a slightly better year overall.

Green led all NFL rookies in receptions and receiving yards, while also tying for 1st among NFL rookies in 20+ receptions and 40+ receptions. He was 4th in yards per catch, 2nd in receiving yards per game, and tied for 2nd in receiving touchdowns among NFL rookies.

Jones was right at the top along with Green in all of these categories. Julio led all rookies in receiving yards per game and receiving TD’s, and was also tied for 1st in 40+ catches. He was 2nd among rookies in total receiving yards and yards per catch, while finishing 3rd in receptions and 20+ catches.


The Mike Haynes Award

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

Winner: Aldon Smith-OLB-San Francisco

Runner-up: Von Miller-OLB-Denver

Third Place: Patrick Peterson-CB-Arizona

Comments: I can’t totally explain with numbers why I went with Aldon Smith over Von Miller for this award. I was very impressed with Miller, but Smith just really wowed me. He did lead all rookies in sacks and was one of a handful of NFL players to record a safety this season.

Miller also had an excellent year, and it could have been better if he hadn’t been hurt. In only 15 regular season games he still managed to finish 2nd among rookies in sacks, tied for 6th in solo tackles, and tied for 8th in total tackles.

Peterson is my choice for third place because he was both a capable DB and an electrifying punt returner in his first year. Among NFL rookies, Peterson was tied for 8th in total tackles, tied for 2nd in picks, and 2nd in solo tackles and PD. No rookies were anywhere near Peterson as a punt return man. He led rookies in total PR yards; PR average; 20+ returns; 40+ returns; and PR TD with 4 (all other NFL rookies combined for 1 punt return TD).


The Dick “Night Train” Lane Award

NFL Rookie of the Year

Winner: Cam Newton-QB-Carolina

Runner-up: Aldon Smith-OLB-San Francisco

Third Place: AJ Green-WR-Cincinnati

Comments: Cam Newton is the no-brainer choice to win this award but it was a more difficult selection process after that. It’s not easy to compare offensive and defensive players against each other. I went with Aldon Smith over AJ Green because of the tremendous impact he had on the defensive side of the ball. After Newton, a number of rookies would have been good choices for runner-up and third place, I just went with my gut feeling on this one.


The Lawrence Taylor Award

NFL Defensive Player of the Year

Winner: Jared Allen-DE-Minnesota

Runner-up: Terrell Suggs-OLB-Baltimore

Third Place: Jason Pierre-Paul-DE-New York Giants

Comments: For me, Jared Allen was the clear winner for this award. He led the NFL in sacks, sack yards, fumble recoveries, and total TFL (tackles for loss) with 27.5 (22 sacks plus 5.5 stuffs). He was tied 6th in FF with 4 and also had an interception to go along with his 4 FR. Allen also recorded a safety. He was just a monster that didn’t get enough attention this season.

After Allen it was really tough. Jason Pierre-Paul was the breakout defensive player of the year but it’s hard to deny Terrell Suggs for runner-up. Suggs was only tied for 5th in sacks but he was 4th in total TFL with 21.5 (14 sacks plus 7.5 stuffs). He intercepted 2 passes and led the NFL with 7 forced fumbles.

Of course you could just as easily go with JPP. He recorded a safety and was 4th in the NFL sacks, 3rd in sack yards, and 2nd in total TFL with 23.5 (16.5 sacks plus 7 stuffs).


The Jim Brown Award

NFL Offensive Player of the Year

Winner: Aaron Rodgers-QB-Green Bay

Runner-up: Drew Brees-QB-New Orleans

Third Place: Tom Brady-QB-New England

Comments: This wasn’t a difficult award for me. These were the 3 QB’s who had awesome seasons for great teams. That’s a recipe for a QB sweep of the awards. Rodgers led the NFL in QB rating, yards per attempt, and TD-INT ratio. He was 2nd in the NFL in completion percentage and TD passes; 4th in passing yards per game; and 5th in total pass yards. Among all NFL QB’s, Rodgers was 4th in rushing yards and tied 5th in rushing TD’s, while never losing a fumble during the regular season.

Drew Brees led the NFL in passing yards; passing yards per game; pass TD’s; and completion percentage. He finished 2nd in QB rating; 3rd in TD-INT ratio; and 6th in yards per attempt. Brees lost only 1 fumble on the season.

Tom Brady was nearly as good as his NFC counterparts. He didn’t outdo Rodgers or Brees in any of the main passing categories but he was right there at the top. Brady finished 2nd in the NFL in passing yards, passing yards per game, and yards per attempt; 3rd in rating; and 4th in completion percentage, passing TD’s, and TD-INT ratio. Brady was also tied for 5th among NFL QB’s in rushing TD’s and lost only 2 fumbles all year.


The Sammy Baugh Award

NFL Most Valuable Player

Winner: Aaron Rodgers-QB-Green Bay

Runner-up: Drew Brees-QB-New Orleans

Third Place: Tom Brady-QB-New England

Comments: So this is one of the places where it feels a little repetitive but there will be some years where my MVP goes to a defensive player. There were a lot of great seasons turned in by defensive players but the 3 top QB’s were just on a different level than the rest of the league this season.


The Vince Lombardi Award

NFL Coach of the Year

Winner: Jim Harbaugh-San Francisco

Runner-up: Tom Coughlin-New York Giants

Third Place: Bill Belichick-New England

Comments: Jim Harbaugh was the clear winner for this one. Bill Belichick proved again to be a genius, guiding his highly flawed team all the way to the Super Bowl, but he couldn’t beat Tom Coughlin’s team.


The George Young Award

NFL Front Office of the Year

Winner: Cincinnati Bengals

Runner-up: San Francisco 49ers

Third Place: New Orleans Saints

Comments: It feels weird giving this award to the Bengals but they earned it. They not only put together a playoff team this season, they also set themselves up for the future by replacing Palmer and Johnson, and then trading Palmer for more draft picks.


The Rocky Blier Award

NFL Comeback Player of the Year

Winner: D’Qwell Jackson-MLB-Cleveland

Runner-up: Alex Smith-QB-San Francisco

Third Place: Willis McGahee-RB-Denver

Comments: Alex Smith’s story is great, but what Jackson did coming back after two brutal injuries like that was just ungodly. That’s the kind of work ethic and determination that boggles the mind of a naturally lazy and easily resigned cat like myself.


The Andre Reed Award

NFL Postseason Most Valuable Player (Non-Super Bowl Champion)

Winner: Vernon Davis-TE-San Francisco

Runner-up: Lardarius Webb-CB-Baltimore

Third Place: (Tie) JJ Watt-DE-Houston/Arian Foster-RB-Houston

Comments: So this is the award that recognizes the efforts of players who performed well during the postseason but didn’t end up with a Super Bowl ring. I got this idea from my MLB blog. It’s a little tough because not everyone played the same amount of games. Calvin Johnson, for example, had a monster game against New Orleans, but his team lost and that was his only game. All of the guys mentioned for this award played in 2 playoff games.

Vernon Davis was perhaps the breakout player of this year’s playoffs. He seemed unstoppable in the New Orleans game and he was the only weapon the Niners had against the Giants in the title game. He had perhaps the best single game performance of the playoffs in the divisional round against the Saints. With the game still scoreless late in the 1st, Davis got behind the secondary down the left side and caught a pass from Alex Smith at the 32 and took it all the way to the house for a 49-yard TD that put the Niners ahead 7-0.

That was how Davis said hello and it was the start of SF’s 17 straight points to open the game. However, the Saints eventually caught SF, and the Niners were behind by a point with only 3:14 remaining in the game as they lined up on 2nd and 10 from their own 33. Smith hooked up with Davis again, this time deep down the left side and out of bounds at the NO 30 for a gain of 37.

Moments later the Niners would score to retake the lead, but the Saints scored to go back ahead almost immediately. Davis would come through again. Once again it was 2nd and 10 and once again the Niners were at their own 33, but this time there remained only 40 seconds to work with. Smith went deep down the left side for VD again and Davis made the grab at the New Orleans 45 and took it all the way to the 20 for a gain of 47.

On 3rd and 4 from the NO 14 with just 14 seconds to play, Smith fired down the middle for Davis who made the catch and hung on a few yards into the end zone for the go-ahead score with only 9 seconds on the clock. The Niners won it 36-32, as Vernon Davis finished with 7 catches for 180 yards and a pair of TD’s. Davis was responsible for 5 of SF’s 10 longest plays of the game.

They ended up hosting the Giants in the conference title game the next week. Midway through the 1st quarter, Smith went deep down the right side for Davis, who made the snag at the New York 42 and then beat everybody to score on a 73-yard play. That put the Niners on the board first. Davis stood on one of the camera platforms which is apparently “unsportsmanlike.” He was hit with a 15 yard penalty which backed David Akers up on the kickoff, but NYG was stopped on downs on the ensuing drive so it didn’t seem to really hurt the Niners.

However, midway through the 2nd after Frank Gore ran for a SF 1st down at their own 47, Davis was hit with a very weak “unnecessary roughness” penalty which moved the Niners back to their 32. The drive stalled when they faced 4th and 1 at the NYG 43, and they decided to take a delay of game and then punt.

In this case, it seems like VD’s penalty probably did hurt them. He wasn’t done making positive plays, however. With the Giants leading 10-7, Davis went up and snatched a 28-yard TD in the left corner of the end zone to put SF ahead 14-10 with 5:18 left in the 3rd.

Davis’ final catch of the postseason came in overtime and it was an important play. After kicking off and then forcing the Giants to punt, the Niners took over for their first possession of the OT. The 49ers were just 1 for 12 on 3rd down conversions at this point, with the only successful conversion coming on a meaningless final play of regulation when the Giants were just trying to prevent a big play. Right away the Niners were in a tough spot, facing a 3rd and 12 from their own 20. Smith was able to get the ball to his only weapon, but Davis was stopped at the 31, a yard short of the line to gain.

The Niners had to punt and they would never really get the ball back, as the Giants punted the ball back and that was when Kyle Williams fumbled to set up Lawrence Tynes’ game winning FG. Davis finished with just 3 catches in the title game but they went for 112 yards and 2 scores. Davis accounted for 3 of SF’s 10 longest gains in the game.

In the 2 playoff games combined, Davis caught 10 passes for 292 yards (3rd best in the postseason) and 4 TD (tied 1st). He caught 6 passes for 20+ (2nd best in the postseason), including 3 passes of 40+ (2nd). Among players who appeared in more than 1 playoff game, Davis was 2nd in yards per catch (29.2) and 2nd in receiving yards per game (146.0).

Lardarius Webb’s postseason heroics have been mentioned already in this blog entry. In 2 games, Webb had 10 Tot, 8 Solo, and 2 Ast. He was tied for 3rd with 5 PD and led all players with 3 interceptions in just 2 games. Webb had 4 Solo, 4 PD, and picked off 2 passes in Baltimore’s hard fought win over the Texans. Against the Pats, Webb recorded 4 Solo, 2 Ast, 1 PD, and another pick.

Two Texans tie for third place. JJ Watt was a total beast in both of Houston’s playoff games, while Arian Foster was able to produce against a couple of the better defenses in the game.

In the game against Cinci, Watt made one of the biggest plays of the entire postseason. With just 59 seconds left in the half and the score tied, the Bengals had a 1st and 10 at their own 34 and they were trying to get into position for a possible FG. They should have been more careful. Watt deaked Andy Dalton, dropping back off the line and jumping up and snatching Dalton’s pass above his head for the pick, then taking it 29 yards to the house for a game changing touchdown.

That put Houston up 17-10. The Bengals tried to use what time was left in the half to get a score and some momentum back, but on 1st down from the Cinci 40 with 8 seconds left, Watt dropped Dalton for a sack at the 33, ending the half with the Texans up 7. Watt ended the game with 2 Solo, a sack, a PD, and a 29-yard INT touchdown.

While his pick-six was one of the biggest plays of the postseason, he may have had an even better overall game the next week against Baltimore. Watt recorded 9 Solo, 3 Ast, 2.5 Sacks, and a Stuff. In addition to the 2.5 sacks for -28 yards and the stuff for a loss of a yard, Watt made 6 other tackles to stop rushing plays for a gain of a yard or no gain.

With only 1:21 remaining in the half, the Ravens led 17-13 facing 3rd and 10 from the Houston 33, as they tried to get into position for a late score. Watt ended the drive and took the Ravens out of field goal range with an 8 yard sack. The score was still 17-13 with 10:22 to go in the game when the Ravens lined up on 3rd and 7 from their own 28. Watt combined with a teammate for a sack of Joe Flacco and a loss of 12 all the way back at the 16.

In just 2 playoff games, Watt recorded 14 Tot, 11 Solo, 3 Ast, 3.5 Sacks (tied best in the playoffs) for -29 yards (best in the playoffs), 1 stuff, 1 PD, and 1 INT returned 29 yards for a touchdown (the only defensive TD of the postseason).

The Bengals had a tough time containing Arian Foster. He rushed 24 times for 153 yards (6.4 AVG) and 2 scores, while also catching 3 passes for 29 yards. Baltimore was a bit more successful at slowing Foster down, but he still pounded out 132 yards on 27 carries (4.9 AVG) and scored a TD, while also making 5 catches for 22 yards.

Despite playing in only 2 postseason games, Foster led all players in rushing yards (285), yards per game (142.5), and rushing TD’s (3) during the playoffs. He was also 2nd in 20+ (3) and tied for 1st in 40+ (1). Foster averaged 5.6 yards per carry during the playoffs and also caught 8 passes for 51 yards.


The Terry Bradshaw Award

NFL Postseason Most Valuable Player (Super Bowl Champion)

Winner: Eli Manning-QB-New York Giants

Runner-up: Hakeem Nicks-WR-New York Giants

Third Place: Victor Cruz-WR-New York Giants

Comments: Obviously the only guys eligible for this award are members of the team that won the championship. I wouldn’t think anybody would argue with Eli Manning being the MVP of the playoffs. Manning played well in every playoff game, leading the Giants to 4 victories and a 2nd ring in 5 seasons.

Strangely, his playoffs started out poorly, as the G-Men couldn’t get much going on their first few possessions against Atlanta, and the Falcons opened the scoring by forcing Eli into an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone for a safety (on a play that started at the New York 13). From then on over the next month Manning made few mistakes. He finished the Falcons game 23 of 32 for 277 yards and 3 TD against no picks. He also had a big 14-yard scramble in NYG’s 24-2 win.

The next week at Lambeau, Manning completed 21 of 33 passes for 330 yards, 3 TD’s, and 1 INT as the Giants knocked the Packers off 37-20. In the conference title game at San Francisco Manning was beaten and battered and harassed by the Niners defense for 4 and a half quarters. He was sacked 6 times but kept dropping back. He completed 32 of 58 passes for 316 yards and a pair of TD’s with no INT’s, and the Giants won in OT, 20-17.

In the Super Bowl, Manning again came up large, hitting on 30 of 40 pass attempts for 296 yards and a score without throwing a pick. With 3:46 left in the game, the Giants got the ball at their own 12, trailing by 2 points with only 1 timeout remaining. On the first play, Manning went deep down the left side and dropped a perfectly placed ball into the hands of Mario Manningham for a gain of 38 and a 1st down at the 50. The Giants went 88 yards in 9 plays, scoring the winning TD with 57 seconds on the clock.

Manning finished the postseason having completed 106 of 163 pass attempts for 1219 yards and 9 TD’s against only 1 pick. He averaged 304.8 passing yards per game while posting a 103.3 rating. During the playoffs, Manning led all players in passing yards, completions, attempts, and TD’s. He was 2nd in TD-INT ratio and QB rating, and finished 3rd in passing yards per game.

During the regular season Victor Cruz was New York’s biggest offensive weapon. Cruz was good in the playoffs as well, but Hakeem Nicks was awesome. He opened the playoffs with 6 catches, 115 yards, and 2 TD’s against Atlanta. Nicks put the G-Men ahead for the first time with a TD catch in the 2nd quarter, and then broke the game open in the 3rd by turning a short pass over the middle into a 72-yard score.

A week later in Green Bay, Nicks caught 7 balls for 165 yards and 2 more TD’s. He caught a 66-yard bomb for the first touchdown of the game to put New York ahead 10-3 late in the 1st quarter. Then with just 6 seconds remaining in the half, Nicks made one of the biggest plays of the postseason, going up and grabbing a Hail Mary from Manning in the left corner of the end zone for a TD on the final play of the half, sending the Giants to the locker room with a 20-10 lead. It was the turning point in the game and in the playoffs. From that moment on it seemed inevitable that the Giants were going to win another Super Bowl.

Nicks made 5 catches for 55 yards in the title game, drawing attention away from Victor Cruz and enabling him to have a huge game. In the Super Bowl it seemed like Nicks was open on every play. He caught 10 passes for 109 yards and simply couldn’t be covered late in the game with the Patriots defense out of gas.

In 4 playoff games, Nicks caught 28 passes (best in the playoffs) for 444 yards (playoffs best) and 4 TD’s (tied for best in the playoffs). He averaged 15.9 yards per reception and 111.0 yards per game (5th best in the playoffs). Nicks made 4 catches for 20+ (tied 4th), including 2 for 40+ (tied 3rd). Nicks led all players with 19 catches for 1st downs during the postseason.

It took me a long time to figure out who the third place Giants player was going to be. The running backs shared the carries so they weren’t really candidates. I thought about going with Lawrence Tynes because he made the big kick against San Fran and made several FG’s in the Super Bowl. However, Tynes’ longest FG attempt was a 40 yarder against GB that got blocked. I thought about Steve Weatherford, who I thought was key to NYG’s NFC championship game and Super Bowl wins. But it’s hard to have the punter as the third most valuable player unless he’s just spectacular.

My first thought was that Justin Tuck was the guy because of the plays he made in the Super Bowl. The problem here was that there were 3 other defensive players who were just as good as Tuck in the playoffs: JPP, Osi Umenyiora, and Michael Boley. I didn’t want to have 4 guys tied for third place.

I thought about Manningham, who made the enormous catch in the Super Bowl, but he wasn’t as valuable as Victor Cruz. Cruz was probably the right choice all along, and I ended up going with him. Cruz was the focus of every defense NYG faced during the playoffs but he still managed to produce, while opening things up for Manningham and Nicks.

He caught only 2 passes for 28 yards against the Falcons. Against the Packers, Cruz caught 5 passes for 74 yards. His biggest game of the playoffs was against the Niners in the NFC championship. Cruz made 10 catches for 142 yards. 8 of his 10 catches went for 1st downs, including 3 that converted 3rd downs into 1st downs. Cruz made only 4 catches for 25 yards in the Super Bowl, but 1 of those receptions went for a TD early in the game that put the Giants ahead 9-0.

In 4 playoff games, Cruz made 21 catches (2nd best in the playoffs) for 269 yards (4th best), averaging 12.8 yards per reception and 67.2 yards per game. He caught only 1 TD and had just 2 receptions of 20+, but 17 of his 21 receptions went for 1st downs (2nd best).


The Joe Montana Award

NFL Quarterback of the Year

Winner: Aaron Rodgers-QB-Green Bay

Runner-up: Drew Brees-QB-New Orleans

Third Place: Tom Brady-QB-New England

Comments: This is obviously redundantly repetitive, but remember, it’s not always going to be an All-QB MVP race.


The Walter Payton Award

NFL Running Back of the Year

Winner: Ray Rice-RB-Baltimore

Runner-up: LeSean McCoy-RB-Philadelphia

Third Place: (Tie) Arian Foster-RB-Houston/Maurice Jones-Drew-RB-Jacksonville

Comments: This was definitely one of the toughest awards to pick. Any of the four backs mentioned would have been legit winners. Michael Turner was also a candidate. It would have been even more difficult if Fred Jackson, Matt Forte, and Adrian Peterson hadn’t gotten hurt.

Ray Rice was the best all-around back in my opinion. Rice rushed for 1364 yards (2nd in NFL) and 12 touchdowns (tied 3rd) this season, averaging 85.2 yards per game (6th), and 4.7 yards per carry. He had 9 runs of 20+ and led the NFL with 5 runs of 40+, while losing just 2 fumbles all season.

Rice was also a big player in the passing game, catching 76 balls (2nd in the NFL among RB’s) for 704 yards (2nd) and 3 TD’s (2nd), averaging 44.0 yards per game (4th), and 9.3 yards per reception. Ray Rice was basically Baltimore’s entire offense. He racked up 2068 total yards (1st in the NFL), averaging 129.3 total yards per game (3rd), and scored 15 total touchdowns (tied 4th).

Every team Baltimore plays against in the playoffs goes into the game intent on stopping Rice and making somebody else beat them. Thus, he is often bottled up to a large extent. Against the Texans, Rice ran for just 60 yards on 21 carries and caught 4 passes for only 20 yards. The Patriots entire focus defensively seemed to be stopping Rice from doing what he did to them in Foxboro back in the 2009 playoffs. His second playoff game was very similar to the first, as he rushed 21 times for 67 yards and caught 1 pass for a gain of 11 yards.

When you watch LeSean McCoy play you wonder why he doesn’t put up outrageous numbers because he is so tough to stop. I really think the Eagles would be better off looking at McCoy as option 1 and then Michael Vick as option 2. He rushed for 1309 yards this season (4th) but the number that jumps out is the NFL best 17 rushing TD’s.

McCoy averaged 87.3 yards per game on the ground (5th) and 4.8 yards per carry. He led the NFL with 14 rushes for 20+. McCoy had 2 runs of 40+ and lost only 1 fumble all season. McCoy was also a threat as a pass catcher, grabbing 48 passes for 315 yards and 3 TD’s (tied 2nd among RB’s). McCoy really didn’t do as much damage in the passing game as you might expect, averaging just 21.0 receiving yards per game and just 4.8 yards per catch.

The man known to some as “Shady” racked up 1624 total yards (5th) this season, averaging 108.3 total yards per game (9th), and scored an NFL best 20 total TD’s. It was that number that did it for me as far as separating him from the other 2 guys as the next best back behind Rice.

I settled on a tie for third place between Arian Foster and Mo Jones-Drew. My gut instinct at first was for Foster to be the lone guy in third place, in part because of his impressive performance in 2 playoff games. But there’s just no way I can leave out the leading rusher, especially when he plays for a team with absolutely no other options offensively.

Foster ran for 1224 yards (5th) and 10 TD’s (tied 8th) this season, averaging 94.2 yards per game (2nd) and 4.4 yards per carry. Foster had 7 carries for 20+ and 2 runs for 40+. He did lose 3 fumbles. I don’t know if it’s Foster himself or Houston’s offensive game plan/play calling but he’s the most productive out of our top 4 backs as a pass catcher. Foster caught 53 passes (5th among RB’s) for 617 yards (3rd), averaging 47.5 yards per game (2nd), and 11.6 yards per catch (1st). He caught a pair of TD passes.

Foster played in only 13 games this season but he still managed to rack up 1841 total yards (3rd) and 12 total TD’s (9th), averaging an NFL best 141.6 total yards per game. As stated several before, Foster hit the playoffs and just kept rolling, rushing for 153 yards and 2 TD’s against the Bengals (6.4 AVG), also catching 3 passes for 29 yards. Against the Ravens he ran for 132 yards and a score (AVG 4.9) and also caught 5 passes for 22 yards. Combined in the 2 playoff games, Foster ran for 285 yards and 3 touchdowns, while catching 8 passes for 51 yards.

MJD’s team didn’t make the playoffs. In fact they were never in contention. But you couldn’t tell that by the way Maurice Jones-Drew plays. The guy is one of the only true workhorse backs left in the game. He played in all 16 games and rushed for an NFL best 1606 yards, 236 more yards than any other NFL player this season. MJD averaged 100.4 rushing yards per game, by far the best in the NFL. He was the only player averaging over 100 yards per game. In fact, no other running back averaged even 95 yards per game.

MJD scored just 8 rushing TD’s (tied 12th) which is part of why I don’t have him higher. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry, ran for 20+ 9 times, and had 3 runs of 40+ (tied 4th). MJD lost only 1 fumble all year. Of course he was also a big part of the passing game, making 43 catches for 347 yards and 3 TD (tied 2nd among RB’s). He averaged 23.4 receiving yards per game and 8.7 yards per catch. Jones-Drew amassed 1980 total yards (2nd) and 11 total TD’s (tied 13th), averaging 123.8 total yards per game (5th).


The Jerry Rice Award

NFL Wide Receiver of the Year

Winner: Calvin Johnson-WR-Detroit

Runner-up: Victor Cruz-WR-New York Giants

Third Place: Wes Welker-WR-New England

Comments: This wasn’t a tough one. There’s no doubt that Calvin Johnson and Victor Cruz were the best two receivers in the game this season. Wes Welker isn’t quite on their level but he was clearly the third best wideout in my opinion this season.

CJ led all NFL WR’s in receiving yards, yards per game, touchdowns, receptions of 20+, and receptions of 40+. He was 3rd in receptions; 4th in YAC; and 10th in yards per catch. Pretty impressive to be near the top in all of those categories and leading 5 of them.

Victor Cruz came out of nowhere this season to become one of the best receivers in football. He caught 82 passes for 1536 yards and 9 TD’s, averaging 96.0 yards per game and 18.7 yards per catch. Cruz racked up 25 catches of 20+, including 9 of 40+. He didn’t lead NFL WR’s in any of those major categories but he was 2nd in catches of 40+ and YAC; 3rd in receiving yards, yards per catch, and yards per game; tied 3rd in 20+ receptions; tied 4th in receiving TD’s; and 5th in receptions.

Cruz wasn’t quite as productive in the postseason but he still had a major impact. And it’s not as though he disappeared. He caught 21 passes for 269 yards and a TD over 4 playoff games.

Then there’s Welker, who led all NFL WR’s in catches and YAC. He was 2nd in receiving yards and yards per game. Welker isn’t the deep threat or scoring threat that CJ and Cruz are, but he still managed to finish tied 4th in TD’s and tied 5th in receptions of 20+. Welker and Johnson were tied for the lead in catches for 1st downs with 77 (along with Roddy White of the Falcons).


The Ozzie Newsome Award

NFL Tight End of the Year

Winner: Rob Gronkowski-TE-New England

Runner-up: Jimmy Graham-TE-New Orleans

Third Place: Aaron Hernandez-TE-New England

Comments: This was another really easy one. These were obviously the top 3 tight ends in the game in 2011 and their rank amongst each other was also clear.

Gronk led all NFL TE’s in receiving yards, yards per game, receiving TD’s, total TD’s, receptions for 20+, receptions for 40+, and YAC. He was 2nd in receptions and 3rd in yards per catch. Gronk was also tied for 1st among NFL TE’s in rushing TD’s.

Amazingly, for as historic as Gronkowski’s season was, Jimmy Graham was actually right there with him in a number of categories. Graham came on strong as a rookie late last season making Jeremy Shockey expendable. There was a ton of buzz about Graham leading up to the season, with all sorts of seemingly hyperbolic statements being made about how unstoppable he was going to be. I more or less pooh-poohed this as exaggeration.

They were not exaggerations. Graham proved to be that good. Graham hauled in 99 passes for 1310 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 81.9 yards per game and 13.2 yards per catch. He caught 18 passes of 20+ and 2 for 40+. Graham led all NFL TE’s in receptions and finished 2nd in receiving yards and yards per game, just a few yards behind Gronk. He was also 2nd among NFL TE’s in TD’s receptions and receptions of 20+. Graham was tied 2nd in receptions for 40+; 4th in YAC; and 7th in yards per catch.

Graham banged his head hard against the turf early in the playoff game against the Niners and had to come out of the game. That hurt the Saints as they were unable to finish off a drive deep into SF territory. Eventually he came back into the game and ended up catching 5 passes for 103 yards and 2 TD’s, including a 66-yard score with less than 2 minutes to play that looked like it might be the game winner. Despite those numbers, I still don’t think Graham was ever completely right after getting dazed.

Aaron Hernandez is the other half of NE’s super 2nd year TE combination. Hernandez isn’t quite Gronkowski but he’s no slouch, and most teams can’t cover both of those guys. In just 14 games, Hernandez caught 79 passes for 910 yards and 7 touchdowns, averaging 65.0 yards per game and 11.5 yards per catch. He had 12 catches of 20+ and 2 for 40+.

Hernandez also rushed 5 times for 45 yards during the regular season, the most rushing yards for an NFL TE. Despite being the 2nd best TE on his own team, Hernandez was 2nd among NFL TE’s in YAC; tied 2nd in catches for 40+; 4th in receiving yards and yards per game; tied 4th in TD receptions; tied 5th in receptions; and tied 9th in 20+ receptions.

Hernandez played well for the Pats during all 3 playoff games. Against Denver, Hernandez caught 4 passes for 55 yards and a TD, and rushed 5 times for 61 yards, including a 43-yard romp. Against Baltimore Hernandez only managed to pick up 9 yards on 3 carries but he caught 7 balls for 66 yards. In the Super Bowl, Hernandez caught 8 passes for 67 yards and a TD. Overall in the playoffs Hernandez caught 19 passes for 188 yards and 2 TD’s, while also rushing 8 times for 70 yards.


The Joe Greene Award

NFL Defensive Lineman of the Year

Winner: Jared Allen-DE-Minnesota

Runner-up: Jason Pierre-Paul-DE-New York Giants

Third Place: Cliff Avril-DE-Detroit

Comments: The top two for this award were easy since Jared Allen and JPP were 2 of my top 3 defensive players in the NFL and they are both D-linemen.

Jared Allen led all DL in Sacks, Sack Yards, and FR. He was tied 1st among DL in Safeties; tied 3rd in FF; and tied 4th in Tot, Solo, and INT.

Jason Pierre-Paul led all DL in Tot and Solo. He was tied 1st among DL in Safeties; 2nd in Sack Yards; 3rd in Sacks; and tied 4th in PD.

Choosing the third place player wasn’t easy because there were a lot of guys who had good years. It’s a big league. Cliff Avril isn’t all that well know yet. That may change this offseason if he ends up signing a big deal in FA. But people should know him because for this year at least he was the best player on Detroit’s defense, not Ndamukong Suh.

Avril recorded 29 Solo and 11 Sacks for -92 yard. He had 4 PD and a half of a stuff. Avril was a big play machine in 2011. He had 6 FF, 3 FR, and an INT. He returned the pick for a TD and also returned a fumble for a TD. Among NFL defensive linemen Avril was 1st in FF; tied 1st in INT TD; and defensive TD; tied 2nd in FR, FR TD; 4th in Sack Yards; tied 4th in INT; tied 5th in Sacks; and tied 12th in PD.


The Jack Lambert Award

NFL Linebacker of the Year

Winner: Terrell Suggs-OLB-Baltimore

Runner-up: DeMarcus Ware-OLB-Dallas

Third Place: D’Qwell Jackson-MLB-Cleveland

Comments: There were a lot of really good seasons turned in by LB’s this year. Terrell Suggs was obviously my top guy since I had him as runner-up in defensive player of the year. Suggs led all NFL LB’s in FF. He was tied 2nd among LB’s in Sacks; tied 3rd in Sack Yards; and tied 8th in INT.

DeMarcus Ware had another ho-hum season terrorizing quarterbacks. He led all NFL LB’s in Sacks with 19.5 and Sack Yards with -125. Ware also had 47 Solo, 2 PD, 2 FF, 1 FR, and 3.5 Stuffs.

I picked D’Qwell Jackson for third place because he was the top MLB in the game, leading all NFL LB’s in solo tackles. Jackson was tied 1st among LB’s in FR; 2nd in Tot; and tied 5th in Stuffs.


The Ronnie Lott Award

NFL Defensive Back of the Year

Winner: Brandon Browner-CB-Seattle

Runner-up: Charles Tillman-CB-Chicago

Third Place: Lardarius Webb-CB-Baltimore

Comments: This was a tough award to pick as usual. Most awards blogs aren’t going to have Brandon Browner as the top DB in the NFL. He led all NFL DB’s in PD this season. Browner was also tied for 1st among DB’s in INT TD and Defensive TD; 2nd in INT Yards; and tied 4th in INT.

Charles Tillman would be a legit pick to win this award. He was all over the place on defense this season. The longtime Bears CB racked up 99 Tot and 82 Solo this season, also recording a sack and 2 Stuffs. Tillman had 12 PD and 3 INT, returning 2 picks for touchdowns. He also had 4 FF and 2 FR. Tillman was tied for 1st among NFL DB’s in INT TD and defensive TD. He was 2nd among DB’s in FF; tied 2nd in FR and Solo; and 8th in Tot.

We’ve already discussed Lardarius Webb several times. Webb was tied 4th among all NFL DB’s in PD; tied 5th in INT TD; and tied 8th in INT. He was also helped by his excellent return numbers as discussed earlier.


The Morten Andersen Award

NFL Place Kicker of the Year

Winner: Rob Bironas-PK-Tennessee

Runner-up: Josh Scobee-PK-Jacksonville

Third Place: David Akers-PK-San Francisco

Comments: For this award I’m looking at place kicking and kickoff duties. In the future I may break things down even more to deal with kickoff specialists. All of the guys that I was considering for this award did their own kicking off but I realize that nowadays we are seeing more and more teams use kickoff specialists. I would downgrade a kicker who didn’t also kickoff, but if a guy was a really special FG kicker it wouldn’t ruin their chances if their team employed a KO specialist. Anyway, like I said, that wasn’t an issue this year because Rob Bironas, Josh Scobee, and David Akers all do their own kicking off.

A lot of people proclaimed David Akers to have had the best year as a kicker this season simply because he hit so many more FG’s than anyone else. I don’t see it that way. Akers had a really good season, but I also take into account things like accuracy and distance, as well as kickoff duties. FG total is important to me but it’s not the only way you can grade a place kicker. By the way: yes, I realize that the shortest FG that can be made is between 17 and 18 yards, but it’s just easy to write 0-39 yards so that’s how I describe any kick from less than 40 yards out.

Rob Bironas has been drilling FG’s from deep for quite a while now. He had another great year for Tennessee this season, hitting 29 of 32 FG tries (90.6%) and all of his PAT attempts. He didn’t have any kicks blocked. Bironas made good on 14 of 15 tries from 1-39 yards out (93.3%). He was a stellar 9 of 10 on 40-49 yard FG tries (90.0%) and 6 of 7 on tries of 50+ yards (85.7%).

Bironas booted 44 of 78 kickoffs for touchbacks (56.4%), though he did put 2 out of bounds. Bironas tallied 121 points in 2011, tied for 13th in the NFL. He was tied 4th in FG’s of 50+ yards; 5th in overall FG% and 50+ FG%; 6th in 40-49 yard FG% and TB%; tied 6th in FG’s of 40-49 yards and total TB; and tied 7th in total FG’s.

Josh Scobee was neck and neck with Bironas and either one would have been a legit winner of this award. Jacksonville’s kicker was 23 for 25 on FG tries in 2011 (92.0%) and made all of his PAT attempts. He did not have a kick blocked.

Scobee was 11 for 11 from 0-39 yards (100.0%). From 40-49 yards out he was an excellent 7 of 8 (87.5%) and he went 5 for 6 on kicks of 50+ yards (83.3%). Scobee knocked 39 of 62 kickoffs for touchbacks (62.9%) without kicking any out of bounds. The Jags weren’t much of an offensive juggernaut this season. That hurt Scobee a bit because he ended up totaling only 93 points (tied for 18th) and 23 total FG’s (tied 22nd).

However, Scobee was one of the most accurate kickers in the game this year as well as one of the best in the kickoff department. He was 3rd in the NFL in total FG% and TB%; 6th in 50+ yard FG%; tied 6th in 50+ yard FG’s; tied 8th in 40-49 yard FG%; tied 10th in total TB; and tied 13th in 40-49 yard FG’s.

As mentioned earlier, David Akers was busier than any other kicker in the league this season. The former Eagles kicker signed with SF before the 2011 season and he ended up setting a record for FG’s made in a single season. He went 44 of 52 overall on FG tries (84.6%). That’s not a great percentage, especially since 32 of 52 tries were in the 0-39 yard range. Akers made 31 of 32 attempts from less than 40 yards (96.9%).

He was just 6 of 11 on FG’s of 40-49 yards (54.5%), though he was at least 7 for 9 on tries of 50+ yards (77.8%). Akers sent 47 of 93 kickoffs for touchbacks (50.5%) without booting one out of bounds. Obviously Akers scored plenty of points this season, 166 points to be exact, leading the NFL in both points scored and total FG’s.

He finished tied for 1st in 50+ FG’s made; tied for 3rd in total TB; 8th in 50+ yard FG%; 9th in TB%; 16th in total FG%; tied 18th in 40-49 yard FG’s made; and tied 29th in 40-49 yard FG%. As you can see, Akers had a prolific season, but he wasn’t as good as the guys above him for this award.


The Ray Guy Award

NFL Punter of the Year

Winner: Andy Lee-P-San Francisco

Runner-up: Brandon Fields-P-Miami

Third Place: Zoltan Mesko-P-New England

Comments: I have to admit that I really had no idea who I would pick for this award going in. Unless you’re studying the punting statistics throughout the year (which I wasn’t) it’s pretty hard to know who’s having a great year. Oakland’s Shane Lechler and San Fran’s Andy Lee have been the elite punters for a while, so I assumed they’d both be in the running. However, Lechler really didn’t have a great season other than once again proving to have one of the stronger legs in the game. Lee, on the other hand, did have a stellar season.

Andy Lee led all NFL punters with an average of 50.9 yards and a net average of 44.6 yards. He put 28 punts inside the 20 (tied 8th in the NFL) against 9 touchbacks. He was tied for 4th in the NFL with 14 punts pinned inside the 10. Lee did have 1 punt blocked, he was only 11th in the NFL in percentage of punts downed inside the 20 (35.9%), and he was actually just tied for 28th in lowest touchback percentage (11.5%). However, Lee pinned his fair share inside the 20 and the 10, while leading everyone in average and net average, and that’s why he won the award.

Miami’s Brandon Fields was a very close second to Lee this season. He was 3rd among all NFL punters in average (48.8 yards) and 4th in net average (41.6). Fields was tied for 3rd with 32 punts pinned inside the 20 and tied for 4th with 14 inside the 10 against only 7 touchbacks. Fields put an excellent 41.0% of his punts inside the 20 (4th best in the NFL).

If Fields had a dramatically better TB% than Lee I might have given him the award, but he was just 24th in percentage of punts for touchbacks at 9.0%. Even though Fields was near the top in average and net, Lee’s edge was still fairly significant, and that’s why I went with Lee.

Zoltan Mesko also had a very good season, although he’s probably the last guy people think of when naming New England’s star players. Mesko was just 11th in punt average (46.5), but he was 3rd among all NFL punters in net average (41.5). He was tied for 14th with 24 punts inside the 20 and tied for 15th with 7 punts inside the 10, while recording only 3 touchbacks. Zoltan punted 31 fewer times than Fields and Lee, but he put 42.1% of his punts inside the 20 (2nd best in the NFL) and only 5.3% into the end zone (9th).


The Gayle Sayers Award

NFL Return Man of the Year

Winner: Patrick Peterson-CB-Arizona

Runner-up: Devin Hester-WR-Chicago

Third Place: (Tie) Randall Cobb-WR-Green Bay/Ted Ginn Jr.-WR-San Francisco

Comments: First off let me explain that this award covers both kick and punt returning. Just as a kicker that doesn’t do his own kicking off would be at a disadvantage in terms of my Morten Andersen Kicker of the Year Award, a return man who returned only punts or only kicks would be at a disadvantage for this award. With that in mind, it probably seems a little bit inconsistent to have Patrick Peterson—who didn’t return a single kickoff this season—at the top of this award ahead of each and every one of the many guys who handle both kickoff and punt returning duties.

However, I noted when discussing place kickers who don’t also kickoff, that it wouldn’t ruin the chances of a guy who had a truly special season kicking field goals if his team chose to employ a kickoff specialist. The same thing applies here. If a guy has a truly special season as kick or punt return man, it won’t ruin his chances if he doesn’t dabble in both fields. And folks, Patrick Peterson is the exception. He had one of the most spectacular seasons any punt returner has produced in recent memory.

Some of Peterson’s punt returning exploits have already been covered, but they need to be reviewed in greater detail here. Peterson led all NFL players in punt return yards with 699 and was 2nd in PR average at 15.9 yards. He took 4 punts back for TD’s which was 2 more than any other player, and 3 more than anyone not named Devin Hester. In fact, despite not fielding a single kickoff, Peterson had more return TD’s (kickoff and punt) than any player, and 2 more total return TD’s than any player not named Devin Hester. He had 8 punt returns of 20+ yards (tied 3rd in the NFL) and 5 punt returns of 40+ yards (tied 1st).

Peterson also blocked 2 FG’s on special teams, and had an excellent season as a fulltime starter at CB, while the other great return men of the year were mostly specialists. He did fumble 3 punts, but he only lost 1. Just for good measure, the 1 fumble he lost came with the Cards down 23-0 to the Niners with 1:08 remaining in the 3rd quarter, in a game in which Peterson had already blocked a FG. Plus, it only ended up costing Arizona 11 yards and a minute and 15 seconds worth of clock, as Alex Smith was picked off in the end zone on the ensuing possession.

But the thing that made Peterson’s season so special wasn’t just the number of PR scores; it was the way he scored, and the situations in which he did it. All 4 of Peterson’s PR TD’s were returns of at least 80 yards. In week 8 at Baltimore, Peterson came up with what was probably his most impressive PR TD of the season. On the return, Peterson broke 5 tackles as he ran up the right side and then cut all the way across the field as he took a punt back 82 yards for a score that put the Cards ahead 17-3 (they would eventually lose 30-27).

In week 12 at St. Louis, Peterson went up the middle and virtually untouched on an 80-yard punt return for a TD to give the Cards a 20-10 lead with 2:56 left in the 3rd, in a game they would win 23-20. Peterson came up huge in week 17 against Seattle. He returned a punt 42 yards to setup a FG, then blocked a 24-yard FG late in the 3rd, and the Cardinals would get a FG on the ensuing possession, in a game they won 23-20 in overtime.

But Peterson’s 2 most heroic plays came in weeks 1 and 9. Peterson’s fantastic rookie season began in the opener, as the Cards battled the Panthers and another rookie star, Cam Newton. With the score tied 21-21 and just 7:36 remaining in the 4th quarter, Peterson fielded a punt at his own 11, broke 2 early tackles, and took it 89 yards to the house to put the Cards ahead by the eventual final score of 28-21.

Peterson’s most stunning and dramatic punt return came in week 9 against the Rams. Despite producing just 262 yards of total offense, the Cards had managed to take the Rams in overtime with the score knotted up at 13-13. Peterson had already returned a punt 22 yards to setup a FG and intercepted Sam Bradford at the Arizona 10 to help the Cards get into overtime. St. Louis took the kickoff in the extra session, and after Bradford threw incomplete on 3rd and 7 from the STL 45, they sent on punter Donnie Jones, a guy who specializes in pinning opponents deep in their own territory (in 2010 he put 32 inside the 20 against only 4 touchbacks).

Jones had already put 4 punts inside the 20 that day and it had a major effect on the game, with 2 of those punts leading to the Rams recording safeties (yes, the Rams scored 2 safeties in the game). Peterson decided he wasn’t going to let another punt go and risk setting the Rams up to win the game (plus, it’s not like the Cardinals were likely to march down the field with John Skelton).

Jones crushed a perfectly placed punt that backed Peterson up all the way to the 1. With his heels a yard shy of the end zone, Peterson caught the punt after a hang time of 4.8 seconds, with a coverage man right in front of him at the 5, and another man to his right at the 10. Peterson sprinted laterally to his right towards the middle of the field and then cut it up, going in between a pair of would-be tacklers at the 7. He broke another tackle at the 17, then stepped through 2 more at the 29, turning completely sideways to maintain his balance, and then instinctively using that position to segue into a spin move through the attempted arm-tackle of the punter Jones at the 34.

One last St. Louis Rams coverage man had an angle on Peterson, but he used his pure speed to blow by him down the right sideline. He covered the last 10 yards by busting into an homage to Deion Sanders, finishing off a 99-yard punt return touchdown to give the Cards a 19-13 win in overtime.

Peterson’s season had to be unbelievable to win this award because there were plenty of other return men who had good seasons, including more than a few who returned both punts and kickoffs. The great Devin Hester had another super season as a return man. Hester didn’t have his best season as kickoff return man, but he was still dangerous. He was 15th in the NFL in total kick return yards with 723 and 24th with a kick return average of 21.9 yards. He was just tied for 22nd with 15 kick returns of 20+ yards. However, he had a pair of kick returns of 40+ yards (tied 10th) and he returned 1 kickoff for a touchdown (tied 1st). Also, Hester never fumbled a kickoff return.

While Hester wasn’t among the top kick returners in the game this season, he was still top notch as a punt returner. Hester amassed 454 punt return yards (7th best in the NFL) and led the NFL with a 16.2 PR average. He was tied for 1st with 9 punt returns of 20+ yards and tied for 3rd with 3 punt returns of 40+ yards. Hester also ran back 2 punts for touchdowns, 2nd best in the NFL, although he did fumble 4 punts.

Hester was 2nd only to Peterson with 3 total return TD’s and he had 26 catches for 369 yards and a TD as a receiver. If Hester had been among the league’s best in kick returning as well as punt returning I probably would have had to give him the award, but since he was generally average as a kick return man, it wasn’t enough to place him ahead of Peterson.

Randall Cobb and Ted Ginn didn’t produce as many scores as Peterson and Hester, but they were both still outstanding as kickoff/punt return men this season. Cobb produced 941 kick return yards (7th best in the NFL), a 27.7 KR average (2nd), and took 1 kickoff back for a TD (tied 1st). He had 25 kick returns of 20+ yards (tied 10th) and 3 of 40+ yards (tied 3rd) while only fumbling once on a kick return.

As a punt returner, Cobb racked up 295 return yards (18th in the NFL), an 11.3 PR average (7th), and returned 1 punt for a TD (tied 3rd). Cobb had 3 punt returns of 20+ yards (tied 16th) and all 3 of those were for 40+ yards (tied 3rd). Cobb had 2 fumbles on punt returns, but his 2 total return TD’s were tied 3rd best in the NFL.

As a receiver, Cobb caught 25 passes for 375 yards and a touchdown. Cobb caught 3 passes for 38 yards, returned 2 kickoffs for 51 yards, and had a 16-yard punt return in Green Bay’s loss to the Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Ted Ginn Jr. totaled 800 yards as kickoff return man (12th best in the NFL), averaged 27.6 KR yards (3rd), and had 1 KR for a TD (tied 1st). Ginn was tied 10th in the NFL with 25 kick returns of 20+ yards and he had 1 kick return of 40+ yards (tied 19th). He never fumbled during a kickoff return.

Ginn was even better as a punt returner, totaling 466 yards (5th in the NFL), averaging 12.3 per return (4th), and taking 1 back for a score (tied 3rd). Ginn was tied for 1st with 9 punt returns of 20+ yards and tied for 3rd with 3 punt returns of 40+ yards. He did not fumble during a punt return. Ginn was tied for 3rd in the NFL with 2 total return TD’s and he didn’t have a single fumble as punt or kickoff return man (something that all Niners fans likely started to appreciate more after the loss in the NFC title game).

As a receiver, Ginn caught 19 passes for 220 yards, and rushed 8 times for 68 yards during the regular season. In the playoffs, Ginn wasn’t totally healthy in the divisional round game against the Saints, but he caught 1 pass for 11 yards, ran once for 3 yards, and returned 2 punts for 23 yards. He was inactive for the next week’s conference championship against the Giants, and his replacement as a punt returner—Kyle Williams—lost 2 fumbles and in many respects cost the Niners the game.

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