We've reached Super Bowl Weekend. The two weeks of hype and analysis (and analysis, and analysis) and predictions are almost over, and the 49ers and Chiefs are almost ready to get down to business. But before we can crown a champion, there's some other business that needs to get taken care of first.
Most of that business will be handled at the NFL Honors, the now annual pre-Super Bowl event. We're in year nine and I'm still not sure why it's pre-taped instead of shown live (probably in case it runs longer than two hours), but here we are. And Steve Harvey will once again be hosting the festivities from Miami.
There are eight awards set to be handed out, and I'm sure there will be some sort of NFL 100 celebration worked into the ceremony, as well. I'm not sure if they're announcing the winner at the NFL Honors or at some point during the actual Super Bowl coverage, but they're down to the Final Four in the "Greatest Moment" bracket...and it's the Helmet Catch, the Immaculate Reception, The Catch, and the Dolphins' perfect season. I obviously have a favorite among those four, but they're all great plays. And it would be especially appropriate if either the '72 Dolphins or The Catch ends up being the fans' choice.
Now on to the 2019 regular season awards. Of the seven (not including Man of the Year), I think there are five where the winners are fairly obvious. Offensive Player of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year seem very much up in the air, though.
MVP: Lamar Jackson, Ravens-What started out as a tight MVP race turned into a Lamar Jackson runaway by midseason. The Ravens' quarterback was the best player in the league all season, and he was dominating with both his arm and his legs in ways no one has ever seen before! There was a lot of pressure on Jackson heading into this season, too. Don't forget, Baltimore released Joe Flacco and handed him the keys. All he did was throw 36 touchdowns to only six interceptions, pass for 3,127 yards...and rush for over 1,000 yards with seven TDs on the ground. No dual threat QB has ever had a season like that. And certainly not while leading his team to the best record in football!
Offensive Player: Michael Thomas, Saints-You could easily make the case for Jackson to win both MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. But that would mean completely ignoring Thomas and his record-setting season. He had 149 freakin' catches this season! That's insane! That's 33 more than second-place Christian McCaffrey. And his 1,725 receiving yards were also the most in the league by a wide margin. This with everyone and their mother knowing he was the Saints' best player and Drew Brees was going to throw him the ball.
Defensive Player: Stephon Gilmore, Patriots-The Patriots' offense was terrible this season. That's no secret. It's also no secret that they went 12-4 primarily because of their No. 1-ranked defense. And Stephon Gilmore was the best player on that defense. He led the league with six interceptions, including two pick-sixes, one of which went for 64 yards. Teams knew better than to throw the ball anywhere near Stephon Gilmore in the second half of the season. He was that dominant!
Offensive Rookie: Kyler Murray, Cardinals-I think that for the first time since Cam Newton in 2011, the No. 1 pick in the Draft ends up winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Drafting Kyler Murray could very well have been a franchise-altering moment for the Cardinals (actually, scratch that, drafting Larry Fitzgerald 30 years ago was!). Murray made the Cardinals relevant again, starting with that Week 1 comeback against the Lions. Then there were those performances against the Falcons and 49ers.
Defensive Rookie: Nick Bosa, 49ers-This one isn't even close. The 49ers went from having the No. 2 pick in the Draft to the Super Bowl. Nick Bosa is a big reason why. He was everything they could've asked for and then some as a rookie pass-rusher with high expectations. I can't say he's the only reason they improved so dramatically, but he was definitely a difference-maker on an elite defense.
Coach: John Harbaugh, Ravens-Did anyone see the Ravens coming? Sure, they won the division last season, but most preseason projections had them finishing third behind the Steelers and Browns. Instead, they rolled to a 14-2 record, 12 straight wins to end the regular season, and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. And they did it with the offense leading the way, which speaks a lot about Harbaugh's adaptability. Baltimore's strength has always been its defense. But he knew his best chance to win was to let Lamar Jackson loose, and that's exactly what he did. A veteran move by a veteran coach.
Comeback: Ryan Tannehill, Titans-It's safe to say that the Titans wouldn't have even made the playoffs, let alone the AFC Championship Game, if Mike Vrabel hadn't made that midseason quarterback change from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill. Although, I'm not sure Tannehill expected to be getting the 2012 version of Ryan Tannehill! Evidently there's a Fountain of Youth somewhere in Nashville!
Man of the Year: Andrew Whitworth, Rams-As usual, deciding who should win the Walter Payton Man of the Year is incredibly difficult. Because the criteria for this award are so different and all 32 candidates are deserving. But I'm going with the Rams' Andrew Whitworth.
Ever since joining the Rams in 2017, he has been involved in so many projects to benefit the LA community that it's hard to keep track. He chairs his own foundation that makes six-figure donations all over Southern California. He's a team captain, and he uses that leadership position to get other Rams players involved in these efforts. Whitworth was going to retire after the 2017 season, but put it off and was rewarded with a Super Bowl appearance last season. A 14-year vet, he's played 208 games at left tackle, which isn't exactly the easiest position.
Andrew Whitworth has been a leader both on the field and in the community throughout his career. Beyond that, he's one of the NFL's genuine "good guys." While I'm not saying he's more deserving of the NFL's most prestigious honor than any of the other 31 finalists, who are all outstanding representations of their teams, he gets my vote. And I don't think anyone would be complaining if he wins it.
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