This Saturday, Feb.
2, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Steve Harvey will host "NFL
Honors." The eighth edition of this annual event, which will be nationally
televised on CBS at 9 PM ET/PT, features the announcement of the Associated Press
awards and the newest Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Before the official hardware is handed out, here are my
picks for the major individual awards:
MOST VALUABLE
PLAYER
(1) Patrick
Mahomes
(2) Drew Brees
Why Patrick Mahomes: What more can you
say about a quarterback who threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns in his
first season as a starter? The scariest thing about Mahomes is that he's only
going to get better.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
OF THE YEAR
(1) Drew Brees
(2) Patrick
Mahomes
(3) Todd Gurley (4
votes: Bergman, O'Hara, Shook, Wayne)
Why Drew Brees: Brees was outstanding,
with 32 TD passes (against just five picks) and a 115.7 quarterback rating. He
makes everyone around him better with his great vision, decision-making and
accuracy -- especially on difficult throws like the back-shoulder and fade. His
receivers can be covered, but he puts the ball in a spot where the receiver can
catch it and the defender can't get to it.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
OF THE YEAR
(1) Aaron Donald
Why Aaron Donald: Aaron Donald is,
quite simply, the best player in football today. This was an all-time great
season for a defensive tackle. Case closed.
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE
OF THE YEAR
(1) Saquon
Barkley
(2) Baker
Mayfield
Why Saquon Barkley: A lot of people
questioned the Giants'
decision to draft Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick (instead of taking a
potential quarterback of the future). Barkley put those questions to rest right
out of the gate and solidified himself as one of the best backs in the league
while setting rookie records throughout the 2018 season.
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE
OF THE YEAR
(1) Darius
Leonard
(2) Derwin James
Why Darius Leonard: There were plenty of
worthy contenders for this award, but Leonard led the league in tackles with
163 -- and also had seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and
two picks. Leonard and fellow rookie Quenton
Nelson transformed the attitude, the fortunes and the future of
the Indianapolis
Colts.
COMEBACK PLAYER OF
THE YEAR
(1) Andrew Luck
(2) Adrian
Peterson
(3) J.J. Watt
Why Andrew Luck: A year ago, the football
world wondered if Luck would ever take another snap in the NFL. Luckily for
the Colts,
he returned in 2018 as one of the best versions of himself and finished with
the second-most passing touchdowns (39) in the league. Luck played so well in
his comeback campaign that he was considered an MVP candidate at one point.
COACH OF THE YEAR
1) Frank Reich
2) Matt Nagy
3) Anthony Lynn
4) Andy Reid
T-5) Pete Carroll
T-5) Sean McVay
Why Frank Reich: Reich won with his
scheme more than any coach in the league. Journeyman receivers were wide open,
the offensive line transformed with quick passes and a team without great
talent kept believing it was destined for great things -- even after starting
1-5.
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