Jan 1, 2009

NFL Postseason Awards

I know a few of these have already been named, but here are my picks for NFL postseason awards:

Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta
- I have to agree with the voters and give the award to Matt Ryan. There were some great rookie running backs this year -- Chris Johnson, Matt Forte and Steve Slaton, especially -- but quarterback is the media darling every year and Ryan was tops. No offense to Joe Flacco, but Ryan was the cream of the crop of the rookie passers.

Defensive Rookie of the Year:
Jerod Mayo, LB, New England - I also have to agree with the voters here as well. Mayo led the Patriots in tackles with 128, 100 solo. At the draft, this pick seemed to be a little bit of a reach, but now he's the top defender from the '08 class.

Coach of the Year:

Mike Smith, Atlanta - The Falcons were perhaps in the worst situation possible last season, losing Michael Vick and head coach Bobby Petrino. They rebound with an 11-5 record and a playoff berth. Mike Smith did a heck of a job with a rookie QB and no expectations.

Comeback Player of the Year:
Kerry Collins, QB, Tennessee - Kerry Collins was in the trash pile a few years ago. Tennessee snagged him to be the veteran presence for Vince Young. Young went down with an injury early this year and Collins hasn't let go of the starting job since. He led the Titans to the AFC #1 seed in the playoffs and a 13-3 record.

Offensive Player of the Year:

Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans - Drew Brees threatened Dan Marino's passing record this year and came up 16 yards short. His 5,069 yards passing make him only the second player in NFL history with 5,000 passing yards. His 34 touchdown passes tied for the league lead with Phillip Rivers. Brees led the league's #1 offense. Who would be more deserving of this award?

Defensive Player of the Year:

DeMarcus Ware, DE, Dallas - Ware finished the year with 20 sacks and 84 tackles. He tied the NFL record with a sack in 10 straight games this year. Ware looked to be a man among boys as he rushed the passer this year.

Most Valuable Player:

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota - Peyton Manning is getting the most MVP buzz right now, but he and the Colts looked terrible early in the season. Peterson was solid throughout the year and he is the main reason the Vikings won the NFC North. He led the league in rushing with 1,760 yards and had 10 touchdowns. With the revolving door of Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback, Peterson was the bell cow for Minnesota.

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