2013 NFL Picks and Predictions: 2012 Regular Season Awards: The 2012 NFL regular season is in the books, and it is time to hand out some hardware. Some of the winners were easy choices while other awards had several worthy candidates. The battle for the league’s Most Valuable Player was particularly intriguing, along with the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for what will go down as one of the best rookie crops in recent history. Before the major awards are actually decided on, here is how I see the votes going.
2013 NFL Picks and Predictions: 2012 Regular Season Awards
Most Valuable Player: Adrian Peterson, Running Back, Minnesota Vikings
Peyton Manning should probably receive a lifetime achievement MVP for his work this season, and I actually thought Aaron Rodgers did more for the Packers this year than last. That being said, Peterson is the guy. Not only did Peterson lead the NFL in rushing by a wide margin and come with nine yards of a new single-season record, but he powered the Vikings into the playoffs in the process. Minnesota’s passing game was atrocious, and Peterson actually averaged the same amount of yards per carry as quarterback Christian Ponder did per pass. Throw in the fact that 87 percent of his rushing yards came when defenses put eight or nine men in the box, and there is little doubt that Peterson pretty much carried the Minnesota offense on his back all year long.
Defensive Player of the Year: J.J. Watt, Defensive End, Houston Texans
Watt is the obvious choice for this award, and it isn’t even close. He led the NFL with 20.5 sacks, and he added a league-high 24 tackles for loss, as well. Throw in four forced fumbles, 16 passes defended and 81 tackles, and Watt literally stuffed the stat sheet on a weekly basis. His numbers become even more impressive when you consider that Houston uses a 3-4 base system, which forces Watt to deal with double teams on every single snap.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Andrew Luck, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
Robert Griffin III had the best QB rating ever for a rookie and Russell Wilson tied the record for touchdown passes by a rookie, but Luck still gets my nod for Offensive Rookie of the Year. For one, he did set a new record for passing yards in a season by a rookie. More importantly, he took an Indianapolis team that went 2-14 last season and led them to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth. For the record, the nine-win turnaround was the second best in NFL history. No rookie was asked to do near as much as Luck had to do for the Colts, and with a bad a defense and an offense filled with rookies, Luck found a way to pile up wins.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Luke Kuechly, Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
He was a tackling machine in college, and he lived up to his reputation in his first year as a pro. In fact, Kuechly led the NFL with 164 tackles. He also added a sack, picked off two passes, defended eight more and recovered three fumbles. More importantly, his presence in the middle of the Carolina defense made an impact. With Kuechly on the field, the Panthers allowed 4.1 fewer points and 20.7 fewer rushing yards per game this season. There were a lot of strong rookies on the defensive side of the ball this year, but Kuechly was the best.
Comeback Player of the Year: Peyton Manning, Quarterback, Denver Broncos
This award could just as easily go to Adrian Peterson, especially since he earned my MVP nod after returning to the field just a few months after knee surgery. However, I feel there is a difference between the comeback Manning made and the one Peterson made. Both players had to put in a tremendous amount of rehab to get back on the field, but Manning missed an entire season and his role is a bit more complicated. He basically couldn’t throw a pass or work on any sort of timing for over a year, and he showed back up with a new system and new receivers and promptly led the Broncos to the best record in the AFC and finished the year with the second-best QB rating, third-most touchdowns and best completion percentage.
Coach of the Year: Bruce Arians, Indianapolis Colts
He was planning on being the offensive coordinator of a team that went 2-14 last season and was going to be starting a ton of rookies. When head coach Chuck Pagano was hospitalized with a cancer diagnosis, Arians suddenly became the interim head coach, as well. The situation had disaster written all over it, but Arians not only held the team together, he helped them start winning. Indianapolis had already clinched a playoff berth under Arians’ watch by the time Pagano returned for the regular season finale. I’m not sure any coach has ever stepped into a more difficult situation on short notice no less and found a way to succeed at such a high level.
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