2022 Season Awards Tournament: MVP, ROY, DPOY, COY (AFC South)
Each year, I go division by division and nominate who I believe is each team’s candidate for the major NFL awards and then we discuss/declare who the division’s major award winner is for the season…and that player goes onto the divisional Final Four with a chance to go to the Super Bowl/Finals for a chance to be declared my seasonal award winner.
We go division-by-division each day, then to the Final Four for each conference, then the finals to name our winner the day the NFL announces their winners. *And my choices are usually different up and down the line in each category, so enjoy a different take on the NFL awards.
*MVP (any position)
*Coach of the Year (any coach on the staff, not just the head coach)
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2022 Season Awards Tournament: MVP
AFC South
JAX: QB Trevor Lawrence
TEN: RB Derrick Henry
IND: RB Jonathan Taylor
HOU: RB Dameon Pierce
Three RBs and a QB…hard to judge their MVP-ness with the totally different roles they’re in, and it’s unusual to see three RBs, or even one RB, on an MVP list. Let’s boil down the RBs to one winner, and then we’ll face that RB off against Trevor.
Dameon Pierce was very important to Houston’s offense for a stretch, but it was a short stretch and then he started getting stuffed…then hurt and gone. Jonathan Taylor had a similar pattern, where he WAS the offense on an awful offense with awful blocking…and that led to mostly poor numbers and injuries, and then gone too. Derrick Henry is such a cut above all NFL RBs and was again this season. He is the one guy that can win a game despite everyone knowing he’s going to get the ball, even when that is true PLUS his QB is out and his O-Line is banged up. Henry wins the battle of RBs.
Trevor had a nice season, but I didn’t see him carrying the team on his back as much as just working really well in a new design offense perfect for him…and if JAX lost Trevor and had put Davis Mills in the same spot, then JAX would’ve had about the same offensive output. Henry is irreplaceable in the NFL, but I feel like I could be fine with other midrange QBs over Trevor.
AFC South Winner = Derrick Henry, TEN goes on to the AFC Final Four.
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2022 Season Awards Tournament: Rookie of the Year
AFC South
JAX: LB Travon Walker
TEN: CB Roger McCreary
IND: WR Alec Pierce
HOU: SAF Jalen Pitre
Alec Pierce looked great, but the Indy QB play took him right out of any of this discussion. He wasn’t targeted enough or treated like a real WR in most games -- when he was, arguably, their best-looking WR this season. A future star potential in a ‘bad’ place, right now.
Roger McCreary started right away/started all 17 games for the injury depleted Titans secondary. Impressive, but he wasn’t that good…so, he’s out of this discussion.
Travon Walker looks great moving around the field, but just like his college tape/output…in the pros, year one, he was a minor factor (started 17 games total, with 3.5 sacks, 5 TFLs). So, that leaves the guy who DID look great on tape in college…who DID have great numbers in college, and then DID play terrifically in the pros and DID put up numbers. Easy choice here…
AFC South Winner = Jalen Pitre, HOU moves on to the AFC Final Four
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2022 Season Awards Tournament: Defensive Player of the Year
AFC South
JAX: CB Tyson Campbell
TEN: DT Jeffrey Simmons
IND: CB Stephon Gilmore
HOU: SAF Jalen Pitre
Not Jeffrey Simmons’ best season…and he played hurt through it or things would be different. A nod that he’s the Titans’ best defender, but we rule him out of the DPOY award for 2022 at this stage.
Both Campbell and Gilmore had great numbers/ratings on throws against them, but Gilmore played a tougher schedule/faced tougher WRs to contain and he did a good job containing them.
Pitre had such a good rookie season, and was really coming on strong down the stretch -- but a shutdown corner trumps a great safety, so we give the win to Gilmore.
AFC South Winner = Stephon Gilmore, IND goes on to the AFC Final Four
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2022 Season Awards Tournament: Coach of the Year
AFC South
JAX: HC Doug Pederson
TEN: HC Mike Vrabel
IND: DC Gus Bradley
HOU: HC Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith was also the de facto D-C, and the Texans defense showed some promise…but overall, Lovie was terrible -- and thus fired, for due cause.
The only thing about the Colts that wasn’t a total disaster was the defense…but even that broke late in the season. Bradley has no chance to advance.
Mike Vrabel did an incredible job considering he may have had to deal with the most injuries of any coach/team in 2022, but Doug Pederson coming in and taking over this total mess of a franchise and getting past the Titans and winning the division -- you have to give Pederson the nod, but Vrabel did a helluva job given the circumstances.
AFC South Winner = Doug Pederson, JAC goes on to the AFC Final Four
