Comeback Player of the Year
Candidates - Brian Orakpo, Darrelle Revis, Robert Griffin III, Maurice Jones-Drew
All four of these had pretty serious injuries and all but RGIII missed most of the season. I put RGIII on here because he has so much hype and attention around him but I don't expect him to win this award. Orakpo has said he wants to win this award as well as Defensive Player of the Year but I think the other two guys will have more press and stand a better chance. Jones-Drew has a strong chance to come back and really run wild but in his case I'm not convinced his best days are behind him. So, my pick is Revis. Until last season Revis was the unquestioned best corner back in the NFL. Now Richard Sherman has started to make some noise and there are some who question Revis's thrown. I am not one of those. Revis will come back this year and be the best player on a very talented Buccaneers defense. He should be able to put to rest the talk of Sherman being #1.
Winner: Darrelle Revis
FedEx Air and Ground Player of the Year
Candidates(air) - Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Matt Ryan, Tom Brady
Brady has lost a lot of weapons and while he has looked phenomenal so far this preseason it's hard to believe that he will be able to put up as many yards as the others guys on this list. Brees should have a good year but I don't know if the Saints will be good enough for him to really make a push especially with Ryan in the same division. Matt Ryan and Peyton Manning both have extremely talented receiving cores but Ryan now has a legitimate running back who will hopefully take some of the work away from the passing game. Manning is a serious contender for this award and last years winner but Aaron Rodgers is still in his prime while Manning is towards the end of his. I am not in anyway implying that Manning is not one of the best in the league but I believe Rodgers is the current best overall. Rodgers should be able to take home this award.
Candidates(ground) - Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch, Arian Foster, Alfred Morris
Peterson showed last year why he is the unquestioned best back in the NFL. He is also the only piece on the Vikings offense that I feel confident in especially with Christian Ponder at quarterback. This award is basically impossible to predict but Peterson just seems the most likely to win it 2 years in a row.
Winners: Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Candidates - All Rookies
There are a lot of rookies out there this year and yet none of them stand out as clear favorites at this point. Last year the rookie quarterbacks were obvious choices but there just isn't anyone like Luck or RGIII in this class. I don't love any of the receivers to have huge seasons so the best bet would have to be a running back who should see a lot of carries. Montee Ball has failed to take the lead in the Denver back field so far and Eddie Lacy has health problems. Because of this Le'Veon Bell is my pick. He should see a good amount of carries and has the ability to really make some noise.
Winner: Le'Veon Bell
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Candidates: All Rookies
This is different from the offensive rookie award because there are tons of players who have the ability to really make a difference on their respective teams. Tyrann Mathieu has shined so far and could be a steal of the draft but his coverage abilities in college make me question him. Manti Te'o has plays a position that allows him to get a lot of action but he is not Luke Kuechly. Dee Milliner had a late start to this preseason because of injury but he had a solid game against the Lions. He has huge shoes to fill with the departure of Revis but I think he could surprise some people this year.
Winner: Dee Milliner
Offensive Player of the Year
Candidates: Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, (various other quarterbacks)
Honestly there are too many awards that are geared toward quarterbacks and this is another one. It's hard to believe that Peterson will be able to beat all of the quarterbacks again. My favorite to win this year is Rodgers. He is extremely talented and should have a slightly better running game this year. Rodgers had a "down" year last year but should blow up the NFC this season.
Winner: Aaron Rodgers
Defensive Player of the Year
Candidates: J.J. Watt, Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Aldon Smith, Clay Matthews
J.J. Watt is extremely talented but frankly there hasn't been a repeat winner for this award since Lawrence Taylor and while Watt is great I don't know that anyone will ever be LT. Miller would have been my favorite until his suspension which will hurt his stats and likely hood of winning. Aldon Smith is tempting because he puts up the sacks but he isn't quite the all around player I would like to see as the winner. Ware is getting a older and has moved to DE as the cowboys switch to the 4-3. While, Ware is probably my runner up to the award I have to go with Clay Matthews. Matthews doesn't get the credit he deserves because of the Packers defense being so horrible but he really is one of the best in the league. With the addition of Datone Jones and the progression of last year's rookies the packers D should progress with Matthews leading the way. While he might be some what of an under the radar pick who saw Watt dominating the way he did last year.
Winner: Clay Matthews
Coach of the Year
Candidates: All Coaches
This award is hard because frankly who knows which team will explode onto the scene. If it was expected then it wouldn't be much of a surprise. Jim Harbaugh is a favorite because the 49ers are so talented this year but I think the expectations might be too high. Andy Reid is a guy going to a team that has really underperformed the last few years so he will be in the conversation, but I am not convinced he can win enough. The Chiefs should improve but in a division with the Broncos I'm not sure by how much. My favorite for this award is Mike Shanahan. Yes, I am a Redskins fan so, there is probably some bias coming through but the way he has handled RGIII has been so well documented that if the Redskins win the NFC East (a weak division) for the second year in a row and Griffin has another big year he will be deserving. Shanahan has done a great job turning the team around and it should only be more improved this season.
Winner: Mike Shanahan
MVP
Candidates: Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady
There area a lot of dark horses for this award, specifically the 2nd year quarterbacks. However, the favorites are the ones you would expect. Win it comes down to it though win loss record seems to be a heavy factor with this award and the team I see coming away with the best record in the NFL is between the Falcons and the Broncos. For that reason Manning and Ryan are my favorites. Both Ryan and Manning are on teams with tons of talent and ironically are known for their regular season successes and postseason failures. Fortunately for them the postseason does not impact this award. My brain in this case tells me to pick Manning but my gut tells me that Ryan is going to win it. So, I will side with my gut and say Matt Ryan will win MVP. Reports are that Julio Jones is having a monster offseason and the addition of Steven Jackson will make this offense even better. Ryan has all the weapons around him and I believe will take his play to the elite level this year. Look for Ryan to put to rest the Flacco vs Ryan debate.
Winner: Matt Ryan
Winner: Le'Veon Bell
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Candidates: All Rookies
This is different from the offensive rookie award because there are tons of players who have the ability to really make a difference on their respective teams. Tyrann Mathieu has shined so far and could be a steal of the draft but his coverage abilities in college make me question him. Manti Te'o has plays a position that allows him to get a lot of action but he is not Luke Kuechly. Dee Milliner had a late start to this preseason because of injury but he had a solid game against the Lions. He has huge shoes to fill with the departure of Revis but I think he could surprise some people this year.
Winner: Dee Milliner
Offensive Player of the Year
Candidates: Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, (various other quarterbacks)
Honestly there are too many awards that are geared toward quarterbacks and this is another one. It's hard to believe that Peterson will be able to beat all of the quarterbacks again. My favorite to win this year is Rodgers. He is extremely talented and should have a slightly better running game this year. Rodgers had a "down" year last year but should blow up the NFC this season.
Winner: Aaron Rodgers
Defensive Player of the Year
Candidates: J.J. Watt, Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Aldon Smith, Clay Matthews
J.J. Watt is extremely talented but frankly there hasn't been a repeat winner for this award since Lawrence Taylor and while Watt is great I don't know that anyone will ever be LT. Miller would have been my favorite until his suspension which will hurt his stats and likely hood of winning. Aldon Smith is tempting because he puts up the sacks but he isn't quite the all around player I would like to see as the winner. Ware is getting a older and has moved to DE as the cowboys switch to the 4-3. While, Ware is probably my runner up to the award I have to go with Clay Matthews. Matthews doesn't get the credit he deserves because of the Packers defense being so horrible but he really is one of the best in the league. With the addition of Datone Jones and the progression of last year's rookies the packers D should progress with Matthews leading the way. While he might be some what of an under the radar pick who saw Watt dominating the way he did last year.
Winner: Clay Matthews
Coach of the Year
Candidates: All Coaches
This award is hard because frankly who knows which team will explode onto the scene. If it was expected then it wouldn't be much of a surprise. Jim Harbaugh is a favorite because the 49ers are so talented this year but I think the expectations might be too high. Andy Reid is a guy going to a team that has really underperformed the last few years so he will be in the conversation, but I am not convinced he can win enough. The Chiefs should improve but in a division with the Broncos I'm not sure by how much. My favorite for this award is Mike Shanahan. Yes, I am a Redskins fan so, there is probably some bias coming through but the way he has handled RGIII has been so well documented that if the Redskins win the NFC East (a weak division) for the second year in a row and Griffin has another big year he will be deserving. Shanahan has done a great job turning the team around and it should only be more improved this season.
Winner: Mike Shanahan
MVP
Candidates: Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady
There area a lot of dark horses for this award, specifically the 2nd year quarterbacks. However, the favorites are the ones you would expect. Win it comes down to it though win loss record seems to be a heavy factor with this award and the team I see coming away with the best record in the NFL is between the Falcons and the Broncos. For that reason Manning and Ryan are my favorites. Both Ryan and Manning are on teams with tons of talent and ironically are known for their regular season successes and postseason failures. Fortunately for them the postseason does not impact this award. My brain in this case tells me to pick Manning but my gut tells me that Ryan is going to win it. So, I will side with my gut and say Matt Ryan will win MVP. Reports are that Julio Jones is having a monster offseason and the addition of Steven Jackson will make this offense even better. Ryan has all the weapons around him and I believe will take his play to the elite level this year. Look for Ryan to put to rest the Flacco vs Ryan debate.
Winner: Matt Ryan
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