Race for Rookie of the Year

If you’re an avid Pro Football Focus reader, you’ll know that each week we’ve produced an article focusing on the 2011 draft class. It was our Race for Rookie of the Year series and after 17 weeks of hectic action, that race ended as the regular season did.

That means the other analysts have decided to put their say into who should be the 2011 Rookie of the Year and they’ve seen to it that the “all positions created equal” mantra that I’ve created is no more. They’ve also stopped me hedging bets and looking at five to watch and what we’re left with is the Top 10 rookies of the 2011 NFL season.

The list, especially after doing this last year, is pretty damn impressive. We could quite easily have added another 10 players to it and found more deserving performers than guys who made the Top 10 last year. That’s how much of an impact this class has made. Anyway, without further ado, let’s get into it.

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Maybe I’ve cursed him. But ever since I wrote that Von Miller was a lock to win our Race for Rookie of the Year things seemed to have gone wrong for the Broncos’ outside linebacker. First there was the injury to his thumb, and though he came back strong against Chicago, it’s been followed by two below-average displays against teams you really expected him to have success against.

So maybe, just maybe, that’s re-opened the race? After all, we’ve all seen the highlights of what Cam Newton did this weekend, while situational sensation Aldon Smith added another sack to his ever-growing list.

Perhaps I spoke too soon? Perhaps I didn’t? Let’s find out in the last installment of our 2011 Race for Rookie of the Year.

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Remember when rookies used to hit the proverbial rookie wall?

It seemed only a year ago that I spoke of an admittedly pedestrian (in comparison to this year’s) draft class faltering down the final stretch. In 2011, the rookies don’t seem so much ready to hit the wall, as they are to explode right through it.

That’s made the Race for the Rookie of the Year (2011 edition) all the harder to write. There have been so many great performances across various positions that looking at the highlight reel plays of a quarterback just doesn’t cut it when making decisions any more. It’s partly for that reason I’ve championed less-heralded positions, where guys are playing to a higher level (relative to their peers at that spot), even if the position they play is less valuable.

That disclaimer, in this all-positions-created-equal mantra I’m trying to develop here, likely won’t save me from the usual abuse, but I’ve got to try, right? Here’s the Top 10 and then some, through Week 15.

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14 weeks down and just three to go. This race is over.

I’m calling it now. The continued excellence of Von Miller means this is very much a race to see who ends up on the podium next to him as opposed to who might challenge him. A week ago, I would have put Cam Newton as the standout candidate, but the human highlight reel that is SuperCam, did more bad than good as he contributed to a crushing defeat to Atlanta.

What of the other challengers? Has Andy Dalton got himself back into things? Has Tyron Smith swallowed up the competition as he swallows up defensive linemen? Or maybe Aldon Smith has done enough to force me to look past his situational role?

Let’s find out, shall we.

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If you’ve read Pro Football Focus over the past three months you’ll have noticed we have been somewhat impressed by Von Miller. We’ve handed him accolades like it’s going out of fashion and my colleague Sam Monson felt compelled to write about it at great length.

So now that I come to writing my weekly, race for rookie of the year, I feel a little lost in the knowledge that Miller missed the Broncos’ victory over Minnesota with a thumb injury that may require more time out.

Fortunately, such has been the high level of talent of the rookie class this year, that I can turn my attention to a number of other guys deserving of the internet ink, waxing lyrical about how great they’ve been. That’s the plan anyway. As we near the end, let’s look at our Race for Rookie of the Year.

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Every week I expect him to slip, and every week he does more and more to have this race ended abruptly. There’s simply no denying that Von Miller - barring the kind of end to the year that would see him running away from the ball carrier on every play – is the rookie of the year.

In fact, there’s a legitimate case to be made that Miller, the all-around excellent player specializing in terrorizing quarterbacks, is the Defensive Player of the Year. I said it, and after another week where he essentially locked up our endorsement for rookie of the year, people need to start accepting the fact that Miller isn’t any ordinary player.

But what of the rest of the rookies? In any other year there would be a number contending for the top spot, so they should take no shame in finishing second to Miller. Cam Newton was the best of the rest last week, but did he do enough in Week 12 to hold off the chasing pack? Let’s find out in our Week 12 installment of our Race for Rookie of the Year. Read the rest of this entry »

When this race started there were two guys who took all of our attention. The highlight reel performances of Cam Newton and impact plays of Von Miller set them apart from the class of 2011. Now, as the race gets into the final stretch, we’re seeing less of the highlight reel performances, and more and more of the impact plays.

Without being too smug – since many still disagree – there’s only been one week where Miller hasn’t led our Race for Rookie of the Year, and it’s nice that the praise is starting to flow that should have come so much sooner. He may be head-and-shoulders above the rest, but there are plenty of other performers catching our eye right now who, in any other year, would be in with a serious shot of winning these things.

Still, maybe that rookie wall will begin to slow Miller down soon …  Read the rest of this entry »

Watch out guys, it’s that time of the year where you’re slated to hit the dreaded rookie wall.

Well at least we should be. It turns out that quite a few of the 2011 class aren’t so much interested in hitting the rookie wall, as they are as smashing through it. These are strange times we’re living in.

You won’t be surprised with who the top two are right now (although one of them is clearly pulling away in our eyes). Instead, it’s the battle for the positions below them that is providing the most interesting contest. Two members of our top five had days they’d rather forget while a couple of offensive weapons are catapulting themselves onto the list.

All that and more in our Race for Rookie of the Year!!!

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Last week it finally happened. After weeks of putting off the inevitable, I had no choice but to put Cam Newton as the front runner in my, all positions created equal, Race for Rookie of the Year.

How does he follow that up? By taking a bye. Those inconsiderate Panthers, because it’s left me with quite the dilemma after I just watched Von Miller knock Carson Palmer to the turf on seven occasions. What’s a guy to do?

But this is more than about one man. We’ve got a quarterback making a run at the terrific twosome’s dominance, some solid play from a defensive tackle and a couple of wide receivers who are starting to make big play after big play.

Have I mentioned how good a rookie class this has already proven to be? Let’s get to the race.

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Maybe NFL teams are on to something. Whether it be dumb luck or the lockout meaning teams had a lot more time on their hands to evaluate talent, we’re in the incredible position of our top three spots being occupied by the top three picks.

Chalk that one up as a win for the scouts.

But it’s not just the Top 3 that are showing well. This has been a class that, by and large, has come in and hit the ground running. It doesn’t matter if you’re the first overall pick or an undrafted rookie free agent, the opportunity has been there to impress, and my have some impressed.

As is the formula, here’s our Top 10 in the race for rookie of the year.

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