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 South: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: MVP
ATL: RB Bijan Robinson
CAR: RB Chuba Hubbard
NO: QB Taysom Hill
TB: QB Baker Mayfield
Chuba Hubbard? I had to pick somebody...that’s how bad the Panthers were. Chuba isn’t winning, obviously.
Bijan Robinson had a solid season...he was handed everything and had the offense built around him and he was just ‘good’ and got his coach fired, so no award...or maybe a special award for getting Art Smith fired.
Taysom Hill is one of the best/most useful offensive players in the league and the Saints still don’t know how to use him or see it through for more than a week at a time. He falls short because the Saints fell short.
Baker Mayfield 2023 was better than Tom Brady 2022 and got the choppy Bucs past everyone to a division title. I’m so happy for Baker, and he deserves the division MVP for sure.
NFC South Winner = QB Baker Mayfield, TB
------------------------------
NFC South: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: Rookie of the Year
ATL: RB Bijan Robinson
CAR: QB Bryce Young
NO: DT Bryan Breese
TB: DL Calijah Kancey
I had to put Bryce on here...he deserves some kind of award for all the betting (against him) money we made off him and he was definitely a historical rookie figure this season (historically awful). But he’s not winning this award, obviously.
Bryan Breese takes a backseat to Calijah Kancey in the battle of the DTs, which leaves Bijan v. Calijah...and I will go Calijah there because he had a huge impact as a young Aaron Donald wannabe...whereas Bijan was a just a ‘good’ RB.
NFC South Winner = DL Calijah Kancey, TB
------------------------------
NFC South: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: Defensive Player of the Year
ATL: CB A.J. Terrell
CAR: DE Brian Burns
NO: CB Marshon Lattimore
TB: DL Calijah Kancey
In the battle of DBs, A.J. Terrell had a better year than Marshon Lattimore. AJT was one of the best shutdown corners of 2023.
In the battle of DLs, Burns had some better numbers, but Kancey played less games -- but also was the more dangerous/prepared (by the opposing O-Cs) for defender.
Terrell v. Kancey...I’m going to lean it to AJT as the more important/better defender in 2023.
NFC South Winner = CB A.J. Terrell, ATL
------------------------------
NFC South: 2023 Season Awards Tournament: Coach of the Year
ATL: D-C Ryan Nielsen
CAR: D-C Ejiro Evero
NO: HC Dennis Allen
TB: O-C Dave Canales
We can eliminate the one HC right away because he was terrible and had been his whole HC career in NO and OAK. So, it’s a battle of the coordinators...
I thought Ryan Nielsen did a good+ job in ATL, but of course he was allowed to leave because Atlanta is so well run. Jacksonville scoops up a nice D-C that ATL fumbled.
Ejiro Evero did as good as he could with the disaster known as the Panthers, but Nielsen and Evero can’t touch Canales...who did such a good job that Tampa won a division and he got hired to be the HC of the Panthers now. Good luck hitching your career wagon to Bryce Young...
NFC South Winner = O-C Dave Canales
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.
