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, but usually offense)
**Coach of the Year (any coach on the staff, not just the head coach)
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NFC East: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: MVP
DAL: QB Dak Prescott
NYG: RB Saquon Barkley
PHI: WR A.J. Brown
WSH: QB Sam Howell
If this were a ‘1st-half of the season’ award, then Sam Howell might have won it...but he collapsed to the finish line and he’s ‘out’ of the voting.
Saquon Barkley was good, but do you even remember anything about him from this season? Does he jump to mind when you think of the top RBs anymore? And it’s more an NYG O-Line problem than it is a Barkley issue.
I thought A.J. Brown had a stunning year. I did not think he would be a dominant #1 WR in the NFL to the degree of which he has become...but he was in 2023, but also hurt late when they needed him, and some attitude/locker room worries plagued him as well.
The win goes to Dak Prescott, somewhat by default. He was pushed forward by a very fortuitous schedule midseason, but he took advantage of it and won the division – so, a nice bounce back by Dak in 2023.
NFC East Winner = QB Dak Prescott, DAL
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NFC East: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: Rookie of the Year
DAL: DT Mazi Smith
NYG: CB Deonte Banks
PHI: DT Jalen Carter
WSH: CB Jartavius Martin
Not a great year for rookies in this division...
In the battle of DTs, I’ll take overrated Carter over the overrated Smith.
In the battle of the CBs, Deonte Banks was really coming on as the season went on...so he gets the nod.
Then, I’ll definitely take the corner who has every down impact over the rotational DT who had some sacks and not much of anything else for one of the worst defenses in the league.
NFC East Winner = CB Deonte Banks, NYG
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NFC East: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: Defensive Player of the Year
DAL: LB Micah Parsons
NYG: LB Bobby Okereke
PHI: SAF Reed Blankenship
WSH: CB Benjamin St. Juste
Every one of these sections/categories of awards is more ‘pathetic’ than the next. This division was supposed to be ‘so good’ but it really sucked in 2023. No wonder the two NFC East teams got upset/destroyed in the playoffs.
That being said, this will go to Micah Parsons...because do you see the other candidates? Okereke was fine, but nothing special. Blankenship is solid but that defense was horrible. St. Juste is a very underrated cover corner. Parsons is the one of this group that offenses fear, so despite having a ‘meh’ year (among the top pass rushers), he gets the nod.
NFC East Winner = LB Micah Parsons, DAL
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NFC East: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: Coach of the Year
DAL: HC Mike McCarthy
NYG: D-C Wink Martindale
PHI: HC Nick Sirianni
WSH: O-C Eric Bieniemy
Wow, what a collection of trash...I mean that. And these are the ‘best’ of the division...meaning ‘the ones who didn’t get fired’. Actually, one of them who stormed off/away after the season, after being retained is in the running. All four of these candidates are lucky they didn’t get fired after this season.
So, who wins this race?
Not Sirianni...one of the worst head coaching jobs of 2023...he got exposed as a fraud, who will be gone next year. Bieniemy led a terrible Commanders offense...an offense that died weekly the more the season went on. Martindale had the Giants playing good D from time-to-time, but was too inconsistent.
McCarthy wins because he got rid of Kellen Moore and overcame Dan Quinn’s defensive collapse in the 2nd half to win the division at least, mostly because of the offense he headed up. So, shockingly...it’s McCarthy. Man, this division is awful.
NFC East Winner = HC Mike McCarthy, DAL
The winners in each category move on to the conference finals to determine which of them goes onto the AFC v. NFC finals in each award category for the FFM named winners for 2023 season.
