It Was a big night for
the Carolina Panthers at Saturday's NFL Honors show. Cam Newton swept the top
two awards, while Ron Rivera walked away with Coach of the Year once again. Meanwhile,
J.J. Watt continued to build on what's already turning into a Hall of Fame
legacy. The NFL seems determined to make this red-carpet extravaganza an annual
tradition, but once again the show was pre-taped, leading to all the winners
being revealed early on Twitter. Still, Conan O'Brien was the host for the
night, and he brought the jokes early on. Without further ado, here's the list
of the major award winners
MVP: Cam Newton
No surprises or close
race this year: Newton takes home the top individual prize. Newton
enjoyed his best-ever season in 2015, leading the Panthers to a 15-1 record
despite having limited weapons at wide receiver. He looks to achieve even
greater things when he takes the field at Super Bowl 50 on Sunday. Newton was
oh-so-close to being a unanimous winner -- he had 48 of the 50 votes, with Tom
Brady and Carson Palmer getting one apiece.
Offensive Player of the Year: Cam Newton
Newton doubled up on
awards, becoming the fourth player in eight years to win both MVP
and Offensive Player of the Year. The Panthers' star became the first
quarterback to have 35 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns in the same
season. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown finished second in the
voting.
Defensive Player of the Year: J.J. Watt
Watt wins it for the
second year in a row and third time in four years. He joins Hall of
Famer Lawrence Taylor as the only players to win this award three times. Watt
had yet another dominant season, leading the league with 17.5 sacks despite
playing with a broken hand for part of the season.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Todd Gurley
Gurley ran away with
this honor after already establishing himself as one of the league's
best running backs. After getting eased into a full-time role at the start of
the year, Gurley exploded with 125 rushing yards in four straight games,
becoming the first rookie in NFL history to reach that milestone.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Marcus Peters
Ball-hawking cornerback
Peters takes
home the award after tying for the league lead with eight
interceptions. He was also tied for first in the NFL with 26 passes defended. A
first-round pick out of the University of Washington, Peters' eight
interceptions are the most by a rookie since Jairus Byrd in 2009.
Coach of the Year: Ron Rivera
Rivera wins
for the second time in three years. It was a rather easy choice for the voters
to make after Rivera guided the Panthers to a 15-1 season, making the most out
of a depleted wide receiver corps that lost Kelvin Benjamin in training camp. Newton,
Josh Norman, Kawann Short and Ted Ginn all had career years under Rivera's
watch in 2015.
Comeback Player of the Year: Eric Berry
In another landslide vote, Kansas City Chiefs
safety Eric Berry won after beating cancer over the offseason. Berry was
diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphona in late 2014, leaving not only his NFL career
but his life in doubt. But his treatment was a success, and he returned to the
field in training camp and had a strong season, reaching the Pro Bowl. In
addition to the awards, the Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed its class of
2016. Brett
Favre and Marvin Harrison headline this year's class, along with
Tony Dungy, Kevin Greene, Orlando Pace and Eddie DeBartolo Jr. Ken Stabler and
Dick Stanfel were posthumous inductions. There were also a handful of smaller
awards handed out. Anquan Boldin won Walter Payton Man of the Year, Charles
Woodson took home the Art Rooney Award, and Antonio Brown was Fantasy Player of
the Year.
