The new NFL season is just around the corner and I couldn’t be any more excited. We are two weeks into the preseason and it is hard to put a finger on which teams and players will succeed this upcoming year but like always, people want to start making their predictions. So with absolutely no idea and confidence I will make some predictions for the annual NFL seasonal awards.
MVP: Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts. This is the obvious pick for MVP so why be risky with it. He has won this award the past two years and so I say he goes for the three-peat. I actually wanted to pick Philip Rivers for this award but being a San Diego native and fan, I am sure people would just assume that I was being a homer. With LaDainian Tomlinson gone to the New York Jets, it seems like the prime year for Rivers to take control of this team. He has already proven his leadership and quarterback abilities over the past few years but this could be the year where he leaps into elite status. Even though I would love to pick Rivers for MVP, I am going to be safe and go with Manning (the good one).
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Offensive Player of the Year: Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens. Yes, this time I am going to try and take a risk with my pick. The sexy pick for this award would be a repeat win for Chris Johnson and the second choice would be between either Adrian Peterson and Drew Brees but I’m feeling lucky. Johnson is an amazing athlete but he is getting a little ahead of himself by predicting 2,500 rushing yards. He is good but he needs to be realistic. The Tennessee Titans started off pretty bad last season but things will be different this upcoming year. Defenses will be ready for them and will definitely be looking to shut down Johnson. Rice seems to have the skills to put up huge numbers but it could all depend on how big of a factor Willis McGahee will be for the Ravens. The running game as a whole will definitely benefit from the pick up of Anquan Boldin, who will play across from Derrick Mason. The presence of two talent receivers plus the growth of Joe Flacco could really open up the running game for Ray Rice.
Defensive Player of the Year: Troy Polamalu, SS, Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers will be without their offensive leader for the beginning of the season, which means the defense will have to keep them in the games until Ben Roethlisberger can return. This puts all the pressure on the defensive leader, who in this case would be Polamalu. Also after missing 11 games last season, I am sure he is ready to come back out with vengeance. He is a truly talented player and is the heart of that dreaded Steeler defense. I most likely would have given this award to Darrelle Revis, but who knows when he will even play. Patrick Willis also came close to being my choice for this award but the absence of Roethlisberger is what sold me on Polamalu.
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Offensive Rookie of the Year: Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys. With all the talk about this guy during the off-season, he better win this award. The Cowboys had some struggles last season at wide receiver and although Miles Austin came up out of nowhere, he hasn’t looked so convincing during the preseason. Roy Williams is another case by himself. You never know what you will get out of him so Bryant could become a big part of this offense right away. Once again I did want to be a homer and give this award to Ryan Matthews, but I guess I will throw the Cowboys a bone after all this hype they keep getting.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Eric Berry, FS, Kansas City Chiefs. Honestly, I have no idea who will win this award. It is pretty tough to come to a decision about defensive players but I liked Berry in college and expect more great things to come of him in the NFL.
Coach of the Year: Mike Singletary, San Francisco 49ers. This guy scares me sometimes. He is just a hard-nosed coach and expects nothing but the best from his players. He has the ability to push them and he has proven this with Vernon Davis. The 49ers could of gone out and picked up a proven quarterback but instead Singletary has shown some faith in Alex Smith and I think he may be able to finally get something out of his quarterback. I almost chose Rex Ryan for this award because dude, he is awesome! I love how he says what he wants and riles up his team, plus the Jets will be pretty good this year. In the end, I chose Singletary’s work ethic and determination.
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Comeback Player of the Year: Chad Henne, QB, Miami Dolphins. I am not sure if you could consider this a comeback because he never really went anywhere. I guess I would call this more of an emergence. Henne showed a lot of promise last year and I believe this upcoming season he will definitely not disappoint. If you do not consider him a comeback player then I would probably give it to Polamalu. I have him as the Defensive Player of the Year after missing 11 games last season, so this would definitely be considered a comeback.
So these are my award predictions, all of which may be completely wrong. But hey, this is just an opinion…so please Pardon My Bias.
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