Season 31 RedZone Awards

 

Eric Noble, QB, Atlanta: Noble finished 2nd in touchdown passes, 7th in yards, and 7th in AY/A as a rookie. Plus he led the Falcons back to the playoffs. The future is bright for Atlanta.

Derek Cota, LB, Minnesota: Derek Cota was billed as the best linebacker prospect since Ray Lewis and he lived up to the hype. He finished 4th in the league in solo tackles and added 3 picks, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 recoveries on top of that.

Eric Noble, QB, Atlanta: Anytime your QB leads your team to the playoffs after a long drought, he should probably win RoY. This wasn’t the case of a game manager riding a good run game and defense to the playoffs. This offense is built around Noble. 

Jarvis Landry, WR, KC: Season 30 – 16 receptions, 242 yards, 1 TD; Season 31 – 80 receptions, 1072 yards, 6 TD. Landry was a great fit for KC and flourished after getting out of Miami.

Bronson Wagner, RB, Los Angeles: Obviously I’m biased, but hear me out.

 

Wagner – 2009 yards, 349 touches, 5.8 yards/touch, 19 TD’s;

Elliot – 2327 yards, 387 touches, 6.0 yards/touch, 23 TD’s.

Rams offensive line overall: 92, 82, 85, 84, 88.

Cowboys’ offensive line overall: 99, 95, 95, 97, 97.

 

The Rams faced the 11th most difficult schedule, while the Cowboys (courtesy of the NFC North) faced the 5th easiest. Wagner propelled the Rams #4 scoring offense (1 spot ahead of the Cowboys) with an inferior line and tougher schedule and comparable offensive production. If not Wagner, give the Cowboys line the award.

 

Also in the running is Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ had 22 touchdowns, led the league in yards, and was the best player on the #1 offense in football. Just like the Cowboys though, the Giants benefitted from playing a ridiculously soft schedule, facing just 2 top 10 scoring defenses and 3 top 10 defenses by yards, all year.

Dont'a Hightower, LB, New England: Another controversial pick for me. Shane Ray had an historic season with 28 sacks. However, with Cox posting 29.5 sacks in 13 games last season, it makes it a little less impressive. Hightower and Ray both had 40% more production in sacks/interceptions than the next closest player. The difference is that Ray is a bit more of a one trick pony while Hightower does it all. And again, the Patriots faced a much tougher schedule, 10th most difficult.

Conner Bingham, QB, San Diego: This award means different things to different people. To me, it is the player that was most valuable to one of the best teams in the league. That disqualifies the Cowboys and Patriots. An argument can be made for Stafford and the Jets, Odell Beckham and the Giants, Wagner and the Rams, or Cam and the Panthers. But for me, what Bingham did this season sets him apart. He finished first in the league in AY/A with an all-time great 9.9, first in QB rating, and 7th in touchdowns, while also having a top 10 rushing attack. He also spread the ball around. Sure Tribble is ridiculous, but he had 3 other receivers with 50+ catches and over 600 yards. San Diego surprised everyone with a 14-2 season after not making the playoffs each of the previous three seasons. Even playing the NFC North, they finished with a tougher schedule than fellow playoff teams Falcons, Giants, Packers, Cowboys and Broncos. Conner Bingham is my choice for MVP.

James Panos, Tennessee Titans: Every season I look through all of the stats, schedules, player movement, projections, and more, searching for indications of teams that might make a jump from the previous season. Not a single indicator showed that the Titans would be a contending team this year. Sure they outperformed their Pythagorean Win Expectation, but as Moji has shown the past few seasons, winning close games can be a skill as much as luck. The Titans played a defensive brand of football that kept them in every game and allowed them a chance to win at the end, which they did all season.

 

Everyone had the Jaguars as the sexy pick in the AFC South and few thought that the Colts would fall out of the playoff picture after winning the Super Bowl. But no one predicted the Titans would finish 12-4 and host a playoff game. JP is my RedZone coach of the year.

Tiko Brown, San Diego Chargers: Prior to this season, Tiko was 18-31 with one winning season and no playoff appearances. Tiko traded away talented players like Keenan Allen and Jason Verret, while letting others go in free agency. Whether by design or failed expectations, the Chargers under achieved prior to this season. All of the moves finally paid off with great performances from players like Tevin Coleman, Connor Bingham, DeVonte Tribble, and Josh Goddard – all brought in by Tiko over the past 3 seasons. Not to mention his video production chops going from non-existent to top notch in one season.