Benoit honors 2 Rams

And the Awards Go to…

With two weeks left in the regular season and the playoff picture starting to take shape, we’re close enough to the end to identify who should be taking home NFL awards

by Andy Benoit

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/12/21/2015-nfl-awards-mvp-defensive-player-year

Defensive Player of the Year

1. J.J. Watt, DE, Texans
Let’s not overthink this. Several guy are in legitimate competition for DPOY, but it should be a competition for second place. Not only do Watt’s numbers once again border on surreal, but offenses have paid more attention to him than ever. Without Watt, the Texans would not be in contention for the AFC South. If he doesn’t win, it’ll be because voters are reluctant to award it the same guy for the third time in four years.

2. Aaron Donald, DT, Rams
Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was right in comparing the second-year star to Watt. Donald’s quickness—off the snap, on second effort and in redirect moves—is as startling as anyone’s. He also plays with A-plus intensity.

3. Josh Norman, CB, Panthers
It’s a little tough putting a corner from a zone-centric scheme so high (zone is less demanding than man-to-man), but Norman has been flawless week in and week out. Carolina’s secondary has a better feel for zone spacing and shared coverage assignments than any other in the league. Norman has been the most important piece.

4. Luke Kuechly, LB, Panthers
He would be higher on this list except he missed three-and-a-half games early in the year (concussion). Kuechly has the sharpest play recognition you’ll see, pre-and post-snap.

5. Patrick Peterson, CB, Cardinals
Stylistically, the purest No. 1 corner in football. Has drawn marquee solo assignments against the likes of Calvin Johnson, Antonio Brown, Steve Smith and A.J. Green. He came away the unofficial winner each time. Without Peterson’s press-man prowess, the Cardinals would not be as diverse and aggressive with their foundational pressure concepts.

6. Chris Harris, CB, Broncos
The best player on what’s easily the best defense in the AFC. Ability to slide inside in nickel leaves Denver with no exploitable weakness on passing downs.

7. Thomas Davis, LB, Panthers
He’s as explosive as ever. That, plus a high football IQ has brought crucial versatility to a Panthers defense that’s outstanding with selective schematic wrinkles.

8. Tyrann Mathieu, DB, Cardinals
A dynamic Swiss Army Knife. Lack of size has rarely been an issue when he matches up to tight ends one-on-one or attacks ball-carriers in space. Some of his flash plays have been products of bad offense (the interceptions against San Francisco, for example), but you also must take into account the impact plays he has that don’t show up on paper. These are most evident when he blitzes off the edge.

9. Kawann Short, DT, Panthers
Hard to put four players from the same defense on this list, but Short has jumped off the screen too many times to ignore. He blends initial quickness and raw strength.

10. Clay Matthews, LB, Packers
The Packers rank fifth in points allowed because they’re so versatile in personnel and scheme. Matthews headlines that. Plus, his early-down work as a base inside linebacker has converted a longstanding weakness into a strength for this defense.

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Offensive Rookie of the Year

1. Jameis Winston, QB, Bucs
Mariota has been the more impressive of the two by a slight margin, but in terms of impacting his team’s win/loss record, Winston has the edge. Turnovers haven’t been the problem many expected even though he’s playing in an old-school vertical passing game and handling significant responsibilities at the line of scrimmage.

2. Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders
Even if he didn’t have a big game on Sunday, the few poor showings he’s had in recent weeks aren’t enough to negate that he’s already a top 10 NFL wide receiver.

3. Todd Gurley, RB, Rams
He has also had some recent poor outings, not necessarily to his fault, but still. And remember, he missed the first month of the season. Despite all this, he cracked the 1,000-yard rushing mark in Week 14. As smooth and firm of a runner as the game has right now.

4. Marcus Mariota, QB, Titans
Has had a very fine season operating as an every-down pocket passer—something no one expected.

5. Ali Marpet, G, Bucs
He missed three games due to injury but has shown athleticism and improvement all the other weeks. The Bucs’ system asks a lot of its guards, both run and pass.