Wednesday Morning QB (Season Review)
Another season is done and the Baltimore Ravens are sitting at the top of the heap as Super Bowl Champions. Their journey was a strange one with the season starting well and ending terribly and then taking another turn in the playoffs until they would end as champions. It would be a strange year for the Ravens but it would be the perfect season to represent the larger 2012 NFL season. There was the strange and the normal along with the inspirational stories and the anomalies that may never happen again. 2012 would begin with a few strange issues that would ultimately make Roger Goodell yet another questionable commissioner in a major league. The Commissioner would suspend a number of players and coaches from New Orleans in the Bountygate Scandal. Then he would proceed on a second lockout in as many years this time with the NFL referees. Replacement referees from College and high school would take over to the dismay of coaches, players, and fans until the now famous “Fail Mary” in Seattle would force the NFL to end the lockout. That would just be the beginning of the year as there would be a lot more in store for NFL fans throughout the year. There would be the team performances as the Indianapolis Colts would go from the worst team in the NFL to a Wild Card Playoff team. Or the New York Giants who would enter the season as the defending champions and then would miss the playoffs. There were also the individual performances with record chasers and breakers all making their impacts. Calvin Johnson would fall into the latter as he would break the single season receiving record held by Jerry Rice. Then there was J.J. Watt and Aldon Smith who would chase the single season sack record held by Michael Strahan but would come up just short. Then there would be two of the most captivating stories surrounding two players who would comeback from very different situations and become MVP candidates. Adrian Peterson would go down with a torn ACL at the end of the 2011 season and then would start in the beginning of the 2012 season in an almost inhuman recovery period. He would go on to rush for over 2,000 and come up only 9 yards short of Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record. The ability to comeback in just short of a year after tearing an ACL was big enough but to have one of the greatest seasons by a running back in less than a year after tearing an ACL is something special. Then there was Peyton Manning who would spend the 2011 season on the sidelines with major neck problems. After multiple surgeries and uncertainty the Indianapolis Colts would release him going instead with Andrew Luck, the top pick in the 2012 draft. Manning would joining only his second team since being drafted by the Colts in 1998 as he would be swayed by john Elway and the Denver Broncos. There was a lot of questions heading into the new seasons as he was not getting younger and his neck may still have been bothering him especially with a full year off. He would put all doubts to rest as he would throw for over 4,500 yards and lead the Broncos to the playoffs. These were not the only players to make an impression though as a total of 5 rookie quarterbacks would start the season under centre for their teams, more than any other year. They were all more than just place holders too as this year may go down as one of the best draft classes in the NFL with players like Robert Griffin, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, and many more would make their impression. It was a unique year and one that may not be seen for years to come but that is nothing different from usual years. With 2012 behind us the only thing left to do is to look forward to next year as another unique season with plenty of stories is right around the corner as the race for the 2013 Vince Lombardi Trophy is already underway.
NFL Awards
NFL MVP:
Adrian Peterson, RB (Minnesota Vikings)
348 rsh
2,097 yds
6.0 avg
12 TD
AP Offensive Player of the Year:
Adrian Peterson, RB (Minnesota Vikings)
348 rsh
2,097 yds
6.0 avg
12 TD
AP Defensive Player of the Year:
J.J. Watt, DE (Houston Texans)
81 tkl
20.5 sck
16 Pdef
4 FF
NFL Rookie of the Year:
Robert Griffin III, QB (Washington Redskins)
65.6% cmp (120 rsh)
3,200 yds (815 rsh yds)
8.1 avg (6.8 rsh avg)
20 TD (7 rsh TD)
5 INT
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Robert Griffin III, QB (Washington Redskins)
65.6% cmp (120 rsh)
3,200 yds (815 rsh yds)
8.1 avg (6.8 rsh avg)
20 TD (7 rsh TD)
5 INT
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year:
Luke Kuechly, LB (Carolina Panthers)
164 tkls
1.0 sck
8 Pdef
2 INT
NFL Comeback Player of the Year:
Peyton Manning, QB (Denver Broncos)
68.6% cmp
4,659 yds
8.0 avg
37 TD
11 INT
NFL Coach of the Year:
Bruce Arians (Indianapolis Colts)
– Helped guide the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs while filling the head coaching role for the hospitalized Bruce Arians
– Is now the 2013 head coach of the Arizona Cardinals
NFL Executive of the Year:
Ryan Grigson, General Manager (Indianapolis Colts)
– Helped to lead the Colts from a 2-14 season to a 11-5 playoffs team with multiple signings and a great draft class that was highlighted by Andrew Luck
Walter Payton Man of the Year Award:
Jason Witten, TE (Dallas Cowboys)
110 rec
1,039 yds
9.4 avg
3 TD
– Heads up the JWSF SCOREkeepers Program to assist children living in battered women’s shelters
– Is also involved in multiple non-profit organizations while acting as the Vowboys spokesperson for “NFL Play 60”
The Sport Addiction 