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)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
NFC West: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: MVP
ARI: QB Josh Dobbs
LAR: QB Matt Stafford
SEA: QB Geno Smith
SF: QB Brock Purdy
It’s a battle of all QBs...
Josh Dobbs is out of the running early for a variety of reasons, but the reason why he even made it to this juncture – the Cardinals were never better all season than when Dobbs was at QB. Early in the season, this was a pesky team and Dobbs was carrying the team...not through pure talent but just through gritty play and willpower. Arizona was so close to getting off to a .500 start the 1st-half of the season...they just couldn’t catch a break early.
Geno Smith is not going to win it...a lesser campaign than last season, but he’s still the key/hub of the Seattle offense.
Matt Stafford was really good this season...could’ve led the league in a lot of passing categories if he stayed healthy and played 17 games, but the money player all season was Brock Purdy. Everyone in the mainstream thinks Purdy is carried by SF...no, the 49ers are carried by Purdy. He has saved the franchise from just being very good...to potentially ‘great’/Super Bowl champs.
NFC West Winner = QB Brock Purdy, SF
------------------------------
NFC West: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: Rookie of the Year
ARI: OL Paris Johnson
LAR: WR Puka Nacua
SEA: CB Devon Witherspoon
SF: PK Jake Moody
Witherspoon had a hot start and cold finish...so he’s not winning this vote.
Jake Moody was solid, reliable but not ROY material.
Paris started all 17 games and was solid for sure...but you can’t put him or any of these options over Puka’s record-breaking rookie season. Puka’s rookie teammate, Kobie Turner, would be the close runner up here.
NFC West Winner = WR Puka Nacua, LAR
------------------------------
NFC West: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: Defensive Player of the Year
ARI: SAF Budda Baker
LAR: DL Aaron Donald
SEA: LB Bobby Wagner
SF: LB Fred Warner
I couldn’t really find a great Arizona candidate, so I nominated their very good heart & soul defender...but he’s not winning it. Similarly, I nominated Wagner for Seattle...on a terrible defense he was the leader...but he’s not a serious DPOY option.
Fred Warner just always seems to be the backbone of this defense, but Dre Greenlaw is good, and Nick Bosa is good (but had a ‘meh’ season statistically) as well...all worthy of consideration. I wanted to honor Warner, but he’s not beating out Aaron Donald – the guy defenses still have to plan everything around/on...and who opens up things for rookies to thrive like Kobie Turner and Byron Young.
NFC West Winner = DL Aaron Donald, LAR
------------------------------
NFC West: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: Coach of the Year
ARI: HC Jonathan Gannon
LAR: HC Sean McVay
SEA: HC Pete Carroll
SF: HC Kyle Shanahan
For all the woes of the 2023 season for Seattle/Pete Carroll – they did have a winning record and only missed the playoffs via tiebreaker. It wasn’t a total disaster...but Carroll ain’t winning this.
Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers flow with Brock Purdy, so I’m not giving award winning credit to Shanahan’s coaching this year. Shanahan did fine, but I think the two others I haven’t touched on yet were better this season.
Jonathan Gannon impressed me more than maybe any coach out there in 2023...give him the Rookie Coach of the Year. What he did with that roster...that QB...the effort that the Cardinals put out – a wonderful job, and I want to give it to him...but I can’t. Because...
Sean McVay deserves a round of applause for his 2023 season. What looked like a rebuilding/retooling season ended up with Rams as one of the best teams in the league by season’s end. An excellent job taking guys like Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, and Kobie Turner, and Ahkello Witherspoon (among others) and having them play Pro Bowl level football...a fantastic job from arguably the best coach in the game, the one everyone is trying to steal his assistant coaches year in and year out.
NFC West Winner = HC Sean McVay, LAR
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.
