2022 Season Awards Tournament: MVP, ROY, DPOY, COY (NFC West)
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
NFC West
SF: RB Christian McCaffrey
SEA: QB Geno Smith
LAR: WR Cooper Kupp
ARI: QB Kyler Murray
Cooper Kupp and Kyler Murray both got hurt (and lost for the season) about halfway into the 2022 season…they’re their team’s best/most critical weapons, but they didn’t have MVP seasons in 2022.
Wherever Christian McCaffrey is playing, he’s the focal point of the offense (and the defense)…and his arrival to SF had an obvious impact to their win streak in the 2nd-half. CMC worthy in this discussion…as is Brock Purdy, and Trent Williams.
But I’m going to give the nod to Geno Smith. His resurgence…or his first every impact in the NFL, playing for a team everyone thought was dead -- and Geno made them a contender out of nowhere. Geno was impressive running the offense in 2022 and producing nice numbers to go with that. Stunning, actually. Congrats.
NFC West Winner = Geno Smith, SEA goes on to the AFC Final Four
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2022 Season Awards Tournament: Rookie of the Year
NFC West
SF: QB Brock Purdy
SEA: CB Tariq Woolen
LAR: CB Derion Kendrick
ARI: DE Myjai Sanders
It was difficult to find candidates for LAR and ARI…thus, the weak names as their representatives -- ones that are not worth mentioning here. On the other hand, Purdy and Woolen are heavyweight contenders for the award nod. Woolen a shutdown corner from about Week 1 on…that is seriously impressive, but how can you deny what Purdy did at the games most important position?
Both Purdy and Woolen and great contenders for the division’s best…and league’s best. I have to go with Purdy because of the position he played, how important that is to operations…but it’s really close. Woolen played great and Seattle had a fine season, and Woolen would be a winner in other years. But Purdy saved the 49ers season and is undefeated as a starting QB at this writing.
NFC West Winner = Brock Purdy, SF moves on to the NFC Final Four
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2022 Season Awards Tournament: Defensive Player of the Year
NFC West
SF: DE Nick Bosa
SEA: CB Tariq Woolen
LAR: DT Aaron Donald
ARI: DE J.J. Watt
Some real firepower here for this award. Let me rule out a couple players first…Nick Bosa had another terrific season, his best statistical season of his fantastic career. With Bosa’s candidacy, he bumps out the other DLs in Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt, who both were great too…but Bosa stands out a little more in 2022.
Tariq Woolen had a stunning rookie season. An instant shutdown corner with terrific cover ratings on his targets this season.
It’s impossible to choose between Bosa and Woolen because both were so great in their own way/at different positions. But I’m going to stay consistent with MY vote -- I value a shutdown corner more than a top pass rusher, so for that reason…I’m going with the rookie, in a mild shocker. Woolen’s cover metrics/NFL ratings were spectacular.
NFC West Winner = Tariq Woolen, SEA moves on to the NFC Final Four
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2022 Season Awards Tournament: Coach of the Year
NFC West
SF: HC Kyle Shanahan
SEA: HC Pete Carroll
LAR: HC Sean McVay
ARI: DC Vance Joseph
The Rams season was a hot mess, so out goes the Chunky Soup shill.
Vance Joseph was the only good thing on a bad team, and the Arizona defense wasn’t all that great. It was much better last season…but Joseph had a ton of injuries to deal with this season. Joseph has been pretty good for two seasons now.
Kyle Shanahan went through three QBs…and still won the division. He also made that smart CMC trade. Strong resume for the award. However, how do you not give the AFC West COY award to Pete Carroll? A stunning job of coaching -- Geno Smith an MVP candidate from the ruins. A bunch of rookies all over the starting lineup, and many of those rookies were terrific/key to the season. Sorry, Kyle…any other year but not this year.
NFC West Winner = Pete Carroll, SEA goes on to the NFC Final Four.
Photo credit: Dave Sizer
