As far as awards go this may be the toughest of all to pick a winner. There where so many good rookies in the NFL this season that even getting a ballot of five together meant leaving a couple of players out. The advantage to this is everyone has their opinion and this is how my ballot shakes out.
Andrew Luck is the NFL Rookie of the Year on my ballot. Luck led the Indianapolis Colts to a 10-5 record and a playoff spot. Luck threw for 21 touchdowns and 4183 yards; he also rushed for 5 touchdowns. There where a lot of expectations put on Luck being the #1 overall pick in the draft and he handled them well. The only negative to his rookie season where the 18 interceptions he threw. Since the Colts went to picking #1 in the draft with just a couple of wins to a playoffs spot this season that helps boost Luck to the NFL’s Rookie of the Year.
This is a close call but I put Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins second on my ballot. He could just as well be the Rookie of the Year but I went with Luck. Griffin threw for 3100 yards and 20 touchdowns with only 5 interceptions. Griffin has also ran for 752 yards and 6 touchdowns. If the Redskins can get a win in their last game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys they’ll make the playoffs. Griffin has led the Redskins to a 9-6 record this season but has missed a game and parts of a couple others due to injuries. Even with that Griffin would be a good choice as a Rookie of the Year.
Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks is third on my ballot. Wilson a third round draft pick is one of the biggest surprises this season. Most people thought he’d sit behind free agent singing Matt Flynn but Wilson went to camp and won the starting job. He led Seattle to a 10-5 record and a playoff birth. Wilson has thrown for 2868 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also added 3 rushing touchdowns this season. Wilson has played just as well as Luck or Griffin and I wouldn’t be surprised if he won Rookie of the Year.
Enough with the quarterbacks for now. Alfred Morris of the Washington Redskins comes in at #4 on my ballot. Morris had to of been the steal of the draft. Morris was taken in the 6th round with the 173rd pick. Morris has carried the ball 302 times this season. Morris has rushed for 1413 and 10 touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Morris is the perfect to compliment to quarterback Robert Griffin III (#2 on my ballot). The Redskins are 9-6 with their make or break game coming up this Sunday against Dallas.
If he was good enough to be considered Defensive Player of the Year then Luke Kuechly Middle Linebacker of the Carolina Panthers should get consideration for Rookie of the Year. He leads the NFL on tackles with 151. Of course being a Middle Linebacker, he doesn’t put up huge sack numbers; he has 1. Kuechly has intercepted 2 passes this season to go along with all his tackles. In a down year for the Panthers (6-9) Kuechly is a bright spot for their defense.
There you go pick one of mine or come up with your own Rookie of the Year. You can follow me on Twitter @Burketime
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A very competitive year for rookies. I’d have to vote for Andrew Luck with Robert Griffin III a distant second.
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