NFL Honors- The Preview

1. Most Valuable Player– Lamar Jackson: Was there even a doubt on who’s name you’d see here? For a good portion of the year, my pick for this award was Russell Wilson. He was having the best year of his career. He begins struggling and everything else fell into place for the Ravens quarterback. I always stated that each MVP winner has their moments. He has two. The first was beating Seattle in Seattle which is a very tough place to play. The second was when he defeated an 8-0 Patriots team on a Sunday night. He led the Baltimore Ravens to their best record in franchise history. A 14-2 mark with the top seed in the AFC playoffs. He finished the season with 43 total touchdowns (36 passing which led the league & seven rushing). Lamar also had three games where he threw five touchdown passes. Not bad for a guy who was told to switch his position.

2. Offensive Rookie of The Year– Josh Jacobs: A running back won this award last year (Saquon) and I like for another to win it again this year. Josh Jacobs truly burst onto the scene to contribute to this Raiders offense. He was considered one of the best running backs in the 2019 NFL Draft and proved it each time he was given the football. He provided the Raiders with a consistent rushing attack for the first time in many years. Josh finished his season with 1,150 yards rushing. It’s safe to say he was the Raiders best offensive player this year. When Derek Carr struggled, Josh was there to pick it all up. The future is bright for this young running back. What a year. He’s only getting started.

3. Defensive Rookie of The Year– Nick Bosa: The second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. All year, he showed exactly why he was worth the selection. He was a disruptive force in Columbus for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Nick transferred all that energy to the San Francisco 49ers. He stepped on the field and immediately became the heartbeat for this entire defense. As a rookie, Nick became one of the best defensive ends in football and was a key piece in the turnaround for the 49ers defense. I didn’t even have to think twice on the winner of this. He’s the anchor of the best defensive line in the NFL.

4. Offensive Player of The Year– Michael Thomas: I really had to think on this one. There were three choices for this award. The first was Lamar Jackson. He did account for 43 total touchdowns on the year. The next was Christian McCaffrey who put together a season to remember. In the end, the best wide receiver in the game gets the nod from me. The NFL’s version of Kawhi Leonard did it again after being rewarded with a contract extension before the season started. This year, he made history by setting the record with the most receptions in NFL history in a season with 149. The record was previously held by Hall of Famer, Marvin Harrison. Everyone can joke around and say it’s easy to put up those numbers with Drew Brees as your quarterback. Remember, he caught passes from Teddy Bridgewater in five games.

5. Defensive Player of The Year– Stephon Gilmore: Troy Polamalu was the last defensive back to win the award. Number 24 in Foxborough was the best player on a defense that ranked first in total defense and scoring defense. The numbers don’t lie either. Stephon recorded six interceptions, returned two for touchdowns, 20 passes deflected and only allowed one touchdown on the season. He reminds me a lot of Champ Bailey. He doesn’t talk but he knows when to make plays. Although the season ended too soon, Gilmore was everything to the Patriots defense.

6. Coach of the Year– John Harbaugh: I was so back and forth on this one as I was the Offensive Player award. Way back when the season started, I gave Sean Payton a strong endorsement for being able to win without Brees on the field. Mike Tomlin was looking like the favorite if the Steelers got to the playoffs with a third-string quarterback. I could even say Kyle Shanahan. Look where his team is!  He did what many coaches hesitate to do which was stick to a full-time option offense. It was bold yet successful. The Ravens finished the regular season winners of their final 12 games.

7. Comeback Player of the Year– Ryan Tannehill: As a head coach, you must do what’s best for the interest of the football team. That’s exactly what Mike Vrabel did. He decided to bench Marcus Mariota. In comes Ryan Tannehill and the rest is history. He started the final nine games for the Tennessee Titans. The team won six of those nine starts and Ryan led the Titans to the final playoff spot in the AFC. He helped lead the Titans to upset wins over the Patriots and Ravens in the playoffs.