Every postseason we go through every team/division, head-to-head/tournament style, casting our vote for the team’s and each division’s Offensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year…sending the divisional winners to a conference battle to get down to the final two (AFC and NFC) for the ‘Super Bowl’ of each award.
Our voting process and methodology and reasoning is usually quite different from the NFL’s and typically at least half If not all) our winners are not the NFL’s voted winners.
Come along for the division-by-division ride, and then to the conference finals, and then to the ultimate final to find out who our 2021 winners are…a new piece posted each day of early February, and the finals happen right before the NFL has their awards night.
OK, here we go…
--NFC NORTH--
Offensive Player of the Year
GB = QB Aaron Rodgers, GB
MIN = WR Justin Jefferson, MIN
CHI = WR Darnell Mooney, CHI
DET = QB Jared Goff, DET
I mean, do we really need to discuss this one? Mooney was the best of a weak group of nominees for Chicago. I was really impressed with Goff’s intestinal fortitude to fight through a bad Anthony Lynn offense (until Lynn got it taken away halfway into the season), and the O-Line injuries, and the lack of weapons to throw to…but not enough to win this divisional award. Jefferson was great as always, but Rodgers is the best in the division by far…and Davante Adams would have been the runner up.
WINNER = Aaron Rodgers moves on to the NFC finals.
Rookie of the Year
GB = CB Eric Stokes, GB
MIN = OL Christian Darrisaw, MIN
CHI = QB Justin Fields, CHI
DET = OT Penei Sewell, DET
Darrisaw was a mild disappointment, but the best of the Vikes group…just over Kene Nwangwu. Justin Fields wasn’t great in his shot to play, but wasn’t horrible. Sewell held his own at RT as a rookie, but the real difference maker here was Eric Stokes.
To some degree, Stokes saved the season (a bit) early on for the Packers defense that lost Kevin King right away (which was a blessing) and lost elite CB Jaire Alexander too – thus Stokes was thrust into the starting lineup a few weeks in and was really, really good. He’s going to be one of the best CBs in the NFL next year, and for years to come.
WINNER = Eric Stokes moves on to the NFC finals.
Defensive Player of the Year
GB = CB Rasul Douglas, GB
MIN = LB Eric Kendricks, MIN
CHI = LB Roquan Smith, CHI
DET = CB Amani Oruwariye, DET
Eric Kendricks and Roquan Smith are two of the better, most notable linebackers in the game. They certainly deserve recognition…but their defenses in general weren’t very good…and ‘yes’, they got numbers…but would many other LBs do the same if in their spots? Kendricks is more worthy, to me, than Smith. Oruwariye had a really good season, under the radar…and for a Detroit defense that (to me) outplayed MIN or CHI…in part, Oruwariye in coverage (6 picks) was a big reason why Detroit was scrapping with better teams all season. Oruwariye might be my runner up here with Kendricks.
However, the corner that really changed things for a defense that was the best in the division was Rasul Douglas (cut by PHI, and signed/cut by CAR, LV, and HOU the past two seasons). Douglas had 5 picks and 13 PDs in 12 games played and returned two picks for TDs. He was a key reason the Packers went to another level of defense midseason, teaming with Eric Stokes, helping overcome the loss of Jaire Alexander…which is really unbelievable how it all happened when you think of it – Douglas picked up off waivers, the Pack flourishing without Alexander. It’s surreal. His teammate, De’Vondre Campbell, is really my runner up here…but I was so smitten with Douglas’s 2021, he gets my nod.
WINNER = Rasul Douglas moves on to the NFC finals.
Coach of the Year
GB = D-C Joe Barry, GB
MIN = none
CHI = D-C Sean Desai
DET = HC Dan Campbell
I so loathe everything about Mike Zimmer and the awful staff he put together…son of his friend as O-C, and his own son as co-D-C…it’s a joke. How Mike Zimmer has scored the Instagram girlfriend he has warrants the COY award but not his football coaching.
The best thing about the Bears was their defense, but not that good to lift the D-C to the award. The Packers defense was remarkable considering all the injuries they dealt with. Dan Campbell definitely had an impact on his team – they rarely quit on him and fought hard in most games. The Lions really should’ve won 6-7+ games this year but they made so many late game mistakes…so, I’ll give it to Joe Barry for a remarkable job with so many key injuries right away on the D side.
WINNER = Joe Barry moves on to the NFC finals.
