Who could be the NFL Offensive Player of the Year? (Part 1)
When you think about a great offensive player, we think about New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees or Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning.
See a pattern?
We think about great quarterbacks.
But now, the announcement of the Offensive Player of the Year is drawing closer and it’s time to take a look at the top five candidates in this category.
We have three players that just burst in on the scene, one of which is a quarterback, and also two mainstream quarterbacks, but none of them are named Manning.
Number five on the list starts with Houston Texans’ tailback Arian Foster, a player, who was on the Texans’ practice squad last year. He has rushed for 1,616 yards, 2,200 yards from the line of scrimmage with 18 touchdowns.
That is a staggering statistic and to think that they drafted players, who started ahead of him.
He set the record for most yards from scrimmage by an undrafted player ever. He was invited to his first every Pro Bowl in 2011 but had only three carries for 13 yards. He did have two receptions for nine yards but also had one fumble, which he recovered.
The number four slot goes to Kansas City Chiefs’ running back Jamaal Charles. Take a look at all of his numbers: 1,935 yards from the line of scrimmage, 1,467 of which, are rushing yards.
His 6.4 yards per carry are huge because no other ground attacker has that high of an average with the number of carries that Charles has made. He is the nucleus of the Chiefs’ offense. He did not have a great start to his first year in the National Football
League (NFL), rushing only 67 times for 357 yards and 272 receiving yards, seeing as he was a backup running back.
However, after starter Larry Johnson was suspended, he started in 10 games and racked up 190 carries for 1,120 yards. Later, Johnson was let go by the team, naming Charles as the starter.
What was most impressive about his rookie year was the fact that he had an average of 5.3 yards per carry. He signed a five year, $32.5 million contract on 11 December 2010, $13 million, of which, is guaranteed.
In his first playoff game, Charles ran for a 41 yard touchdown, the longest that the Baltimore Ravens have ever allowed.
He, like Foster, was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2011. He did a bit better than Foster, running 10 times for 72 yards and one touchdown, the longest run having been for 31 yards. He scored the AFC All-Stars’ first touchdown of the game on an eight
yard run.
He also had two receptions, but for no yards. He was also named 1st team All-Pro in his first ever All-Pro selection.
Number three on the list is graced by the presence of San Diego Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers. No other great quarterback in the entire NFL had less to work with than Rivers but he still had 4,710 yards through the air for 30 touchdowns and only 13
interceptions.
He didn’t have his starting tight end, Antonio Gates, healthy this season and he didn’t even have his star receiver, Vincent Jackson, to start with him this season either. But Rivers still managed to work with what he had.
These are the writers own opinions and do not reflect bettor.com's editorial policy.
Continued in Part 2…
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