SportsRuckus Sports Awards – 2014 NFL Edition
SportsRuckus Sports Awards – 2014 NFL Edition
By: Justin Walters @SportsRuckus
Another NFL regular-season is in the books. Is it me or do they just fly by? This season was as entertaining as any, a ridiculously deep rookie class along with some breakout teams and stars. The playoffs are starting this weekend and most of these players will be taking part. With that being said here are our SportsRuckus 2014 NFL award winners :
MVP- 1. Aaron Rodgers- He is the best in the game, after a slow start the first 2 weeks he made the now famous quote “R-E-L-A-X”, and then went on a tear and played lights out pretty much the rest of the way leading the Packers to the 2 seed in the NFC Playoffs 2. Tony Romo- Romo has been heavily criticized for years despite putting up good numbers. This year Tony limited the ill-timed turnovers that have always plagued him and made some huge plays. He saved his best football for the last month of the season as the Cowboys won the NFC East 3. Tom Brady- After being written off by many after a blowout loss to the Chiefs, Brady turned back the clock and started ringing up touchdowns. Tom doesn’t have the same weapons that the other top QBs, which says a ton about his leadership and ability to do more with less. 4. Demarco Murray/ Leveon Bell- I couldn’t leave either of these guys out. Both players provided a combination of running and receiving that relieved the pressure on their QBs and helped teams that didn’t have the highest expectations win their respective divisions. Each player amassed over 2,000 yards of total offense showing that an elite running back is still important.
http://youtu.be/lvsH0NKugbA
Def POY – 1. JJ Watt – 20+ sack and 5 tds, including some on offense have many considering Watt for league MVP. He isn’t just a pass rusher though, he is an all out terror for offenses who led an otherwise average Houston Texans team close to the playoffs. JJ has a career that looks to to have him headed towards Canton. 2. Justin Houston- had a great season totaling over 20 sacks but he was overshadowed by the insane season Watt had. 3. Darelle Revis- Stats say he had a really good season but his overall effect on the Patriots defense was immeasurable. He was back to his old form, on most weeks eliminating opposing teams top targets.
Off ROY – 1 Odell Beckham – OBJ was the most dominant receiver in the NFL over his 12 games. The wide receiver position has become the land of the giants but at 5′-11″ he has the speed, agility, and athleticism of a smaller guy but he attacks the ball like a Giant(no pun intended) Beckham has ridiculous hands which leads to him making some of the most ridiculous catches you’ll ever see. 2. Zack Martin- Man are the Cowboys happy they chose him instead of the other guy. He is a key part of what may be the NFLs best offensive line and he was also selected to his first pro bowl. 3. Mike Evans- In the year of the rookie receiver Evans used his large frame and above average speed to have a huge season in Tampa despite an unsettled QB situation. Things should only get better.
http://youtu.be/2KA36bw18cI
Def Roy- 1. Aaron Donald The former Pitt stand out had no problem translating his game to the NFL. He was dominant from the start and was not only one of the best rookie defensive players but one of the best defensive players in the NFL. He used his mixture of power and quickness to disrupt offenses for a good Rams defensive line. He was chosen for his first of what should be many pro-bowls 2. Mack – was everything the Raiders hoped he would be and everything the Texans wanted Clowney to be. He showed the ability to rush the passer as well as play off the ball. 3. Mosley- stepped in as the heir apparent to Ray Lewis from day 1 and did a great job leading the Ravens D.
Coach of Year- 1. Bruce Arians- If it wasn’t hard enough to try to turn around perennial laughing stock Arizona, imagine doing it without your starting QB for most of the season then losing your backup QB in the process. With all of that Arians had the Cardinals within 1 game of winning their division and being the top seed in the NFC. The Cardinals have showed unmatched resiliency led by their head coach and he has earned this award. Jason Garrett- Talk about going from the outhouse to the penthouse. If we blame Garrett for the Cowboys failures over the last few years, then we have to credit him for the shocking turn of events down in Big D. The biggest Cowboys fans had them winning 6 games and under his control they doubled that and won the always elusive NFC east division crown with a 4-0 December.
http://youtu.be/tYkkWhpbpgM
NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com