Race for Rookie of the Year

Things are getting serious in our race for rookie of the year.  No longer is a big time performance enough to get you a spot on this list. No, those kind of days now just serve to keep you on it and reinforce your position as a member of this already-elite group.

It’s the consistently outstanding efforts of a handful that keeps the top of this list looking remarkably alike, week-in and week-out.  They’ve had their stumbles, but is it really going to be like this all year? Am I going to have to spend the rest of the season introducing a battle between Von Miller and Cam Newton?  Both men are coming off big performances (albeit for different reasons), while our chasing pack can do just that: chase … and hope that both slip up at some point.

Does that look likely?  Well we’re not far away from the rookie wall stage of the year …

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Is this the week?  The week I finally give Cam Newton his due?

He was able to put the ball in the end zone in a defeat to Atlanta, but was that enough for him to take over from Von Miller in the Bronco’s bye week?

Elsewhere this week saw a number of players on byes, and as can happen, a series of strong performances from those wanting more print on this list, meant those guys taking the week off lost their spot.  Who made the list?  Well let’s just say we’ve added a couple of top ten picks and the new face of a franchise to the race.

But enough babble.  Here’s the week six installment of our Race for Rookie of the Year.

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Finally it happened.  After weeks of dominating, the front runners in our race for rookie of the year stumbled.
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Whether it be an errant throw from Cam Newton, or a blown coverage from Von Miller, both men showed they are indeed human.  Is it a blip?  Have they redefined hitting the rookie wall?  And most importantly, have they both managed to hold onto the top spots?
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Well, I can’t answer the first two questions just yet, but I can answer the third one by presenting the week five version of our ‘Race for Rookie of the Year’.
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With every team having played four games, we’re a quarter of the way through the season. That’s what my rudimentary understanding of numbers as taught me anyway.
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What does that mean for us here at PFF? Well, it means we’ve broken down even more footage to sort out who the top players are in NFL. Which brings us to our Race for the Rookie of the Year, and while this race has been dominated by two men, there are other contenders coming through.
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Have they been able to overcome that terrific twosome?
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Not quite, but there are signs this may be more than just a two-horse race.
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It’s a marathon not a sprint.
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That’s the message in our Race for the Rookie of the Year contest, with some performers falling by the way side after a tough Week 3.
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It’s not completely surprising as veterans tend to be finding their feet more, and the extra tape on rookies make their weaknesses all the easier to exploit. Something that makes the achievements of the guys still performing exceptionally well that much more impressive.
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But if you’re a regular reader of this column, you aren’t here to listen to me build it up. You’re here for the Top 10, so, without further ado …
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I’ve sat here for ten minutes. Deliberating. Contemplating. Wishing I hadn’t shaved my head so I could start pulling my hair out.
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Quite simply, I can’t choose between two players. I haven’t felt so much angst since I was a teenager.
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I go with, Player A and as I start writing I start thinking about some of the great plays, Player B has made. I write about Player B, and then I think its unbelievable Player A has been able to make the plays he has.
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Week one is in the books and how good does that feel?  Sure sleep has gone by the wayside, but it’s for football, and football always trumps sleep.
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So now we’re turning towards giving some players some credit, and what better to do than a little impromptu Race for Rookie of the Year.
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Yes, the requests for it have been so high that we’re not going to be starting it later as anticipated but rather right now!  Now remember, it’s a marathon and not a sprint, so what you see now will not likely be what we see at the end of the year.  But here is goes.  The Top 10!
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Throughout the season we’ve taken a special interest in rookies — and this has been a pretty special group.

Watching these players come into the league, we’ve had the pleasure to chart and analyze them on each and every one of their NFL snaps. We’ve highlighted their play in our game-by-game recaps, and with our weekly “Race for Rookie of the Year” feature that ended with us crowning Devin McCourty as our choice for the leagues top young gun.

The next logical progression is to put forward our PFF All-Rookie team. Some positions were a little low on talent, and others very high, but ultimately we’re pretty happy with the team we’ve put together — you could definitely compete in 2011 with this group.

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With every regular-season game under our belts and every player watched on every play, it’s time to dish out some awards.

It was a heck of a year for rookies in the NFL. All of our top 10 were guys that might place in the top three or four in an average year, and several of them will be playing big roles in the postseason.

Three of our analysts sat down, looked at the grades and the entire body of rookie work to decide the top dog was. And after much discussion, we finally ended this race after deciding one candidate had cornered the market.

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There are a number of different ways you can go with the Rookie of the Year award, and a lot of it depends on your perspective.

Do you go for the guy whose mere presence has played the biggest role in turning his franchise around (Sam Bradford)? Do you go for the guy who has made the biggest impact on the highlight reel (Ndamukong Suh)? Or do you do what we have done and go for the guy who, when you look at the good and bad and detach yourself from the hype, has played the best football all-around?

We’re not saying it’s the right way to decide a Rookie of the Year, but for now it’s the way we’re going to go.
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