The NFL Honors are held every year the night before the Superbowl to honor the top players in football. From Player of the year, to the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, the league watches as the best are honored. Here are the 2015 recipients and my thoughts.
Pepsi Next Rookie of the Year: Minnesota QB Teddy Bridgewater.
This one caught me off guard. I was surprised at Bridgewater's performance this year. I liked him at Louisville but predicted wrong and thought we wouldn't see to much of him this year. When Christian Ponder went down with injury Bridgewater came through and took over. While he was without Adrian Peterson in season one his replacement Matt Asiata kept Bridgewater from drowning in pass attempts.
AP Offensive Player Of The Year: Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray.
Breaking a record like DeMarco Murray did will set you up for an award like this. Rushing for 1,845 Murray shouldered a tough season in Dallas helping Tony Romo take the Cowboys from 8-8 to 12-4. Murray started the first 8 games of the season with every one being over 100 yards rushing. While that streak ended in week 9 against Arizona, He finished with 12 games over 100 yards. This particular award is always tough to choose because QB's, WR's and RB's fight all season and come up with great statistics but I do believe Murray was the right choice to win this award
AP Offensive Rookie Of The Year: Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.
“The Catch”: that is all I have to say to explain this one. OBJ came in and took the league by storm. Excelling at breaking away and defining his own career while coming in with one of the best wide receiver draft classes the NFL has ever seen. OBJ took the pressures of playing in New York and threw them in the trash. Providing possibly one of the best catches ever, its all routine for OBJ. This young man is going to do big things, happily I'll sit back and watch his story unfold. He also broke a Guinness World Record last week.
Defensive Player of the Year: Texans DE J.J Watt.
No one should be shocked at this one. JJ Watt is quickly revolutionizing football by himself! He caught three passes this year and scored three touchdowns. On top of that he downed the QB 19 times and made a interception. The man is a absolute monster on the field, and I would say one of the top 5 nicest players in the NFL. Also, JJ Watt was chosen as the first unanimous DPOY in NFL history.
AP Defensive Rookie Of The Year: Rams DT Aaron Donald.
The Rams constantly fluctuate between “not to bad” and “total trash”. The bright spot here though was the Rams Defense. They impressed at points, yet, Aaron Donald was very impressive. Picking up 9 sacks in his 1st season is really impressive. I feel its really difficult for d-lineman to transition to the NFL. They go from probably being the biggest guys on the field to being shrunk by veteran offensive lineman. Credit to you Mr. Donald.
Comeback Player Of The Year: Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski.
The Gronk took this one home in a big way. When Gronk is healthy he is easily the best tight end in the NFL. Jimmy Graham is my second but there's quite a gap between them. He came back and showed everyone that he is too be feared when healthy, he's showing that all the way to the Superbowl. Staying healthy is the problem is there is one to Gronkowski. This was no problem this year, and it showed in his stats. A great Choice for the award.
Fantasy Player Of The Year: Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell.
I know not everyone is into fantasy football. I wasn't either until about two years ago. I did not have Bell on my team this year, (the guys in my league wouldn't accept my great trades), though I sure wish I did. His season was pretty spectacular as he became the true workhorse for the Steelers offense. He showed he could catch and run the ball which provide points and joy for fantasy owners and fans alike. Bells injury in the Steelers game against Ravens was heartbreaking as the Steelers just collapsed without him. Next year I look forward to seeing Bell back in action in Pittsburgh.
Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award: Panthers LB Thomas Davis.
While most of the awards are for on-field performance the Walter Payton Man Of The Year award is given to the player who works to give back to his community. All of the nominees are great men with amazing charities but Thomas Davis took home the award this year. Davis and his wife run a nonprofit organization called Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Foundation (TDDDF) which provides activities to enhance the quality of life for over 2,000 under privileged kids. Davis balanced this with a tough season in Carolina. It's great to see these athletes taking care and giving back to the community.
AP Player Of The Year: Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
Yep the race is finally over. “A-Rodg” is your NFL MVP this season. This was one of the closest races I've seen. With nominees such as Tony Romo, Big Ben, and DeMarco Murray, Rodgers have a tough fight for this years top hardware. In my opinion I would have given it to Tony Romo. Taking the Cowboys from back to back 8-8 seasons to 12-4 is really impressive. Lets make sure Murray gets his fair share of credit in that equation as well. Their Green Bay counterpoints (Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy) led the Pack all the way to the NFC Championship game where a horrifying second half collapse led to a OT loss to the Seahawks. His numbers remained impressive, throwing for 38 touchdowns and over 4,300 yards. Rodgers is obviously one of the top 3 QB's in the league though the order and who depends on who you speak too. He is the definition of a field general. Rodgers is a electrifying player and will give anything to win every week and it shows in his play.
So there it is people, the 2015 NFL honors. There are more awards that were given out, I chose the most popular awards to cover in this article. I hope you are all satisfied with the result of the Super Bowl - I know Gronk is.
