Arguing who should and shouldn’t win awards is often futile and pointless, but hearing ESPN and other media outlets debate the NFL Rookie of the Year recently has made my head spin too much not to comment. A recent argument got heated, when Sean Salisbury proclaimed Vince Young the obvious choice and Merrill Hoge countered with Reggie Bush. Young is having a fine season, helping the Titans win six straight games while posting great rushing totals. Still, this “knows how to win” business is ridiculous and his 6.1 YPA leaves a whole lot to be desired. I love him for the future and want him on my fantasy team next year, but he’s not the ROY.
Marques Colston was the clear favorite up until Week 10, when an injury derailed his impressive rookie campaign. 70 catches for 1,083 yards and eight touchdowns is one of the best first seasons ever for a wide receiver, but again, not the best year by a diaper dandy. Marcus McNeill’s name has even been thrown around, and while he’s done an excellent job at left tackle this year, he hasn’t made the biggest rookie impact. The same goes for Devin Hester.
I’m not quite sure why I have yet to hear Maurice Jones-Drew’s name mentioned on ESPN, but he’s such the obvious choice, maybe that’s why he’s being overlooked. Reggie Bush has 1,274 total yards compared to 1,315 for MJD. Bush is getting 3.6 YPC, while Jones-Drew is getting 5.8 YPC. Bush has seven touchdowns while MJD has 14 scores on the year. The numbers aren’t even close in this contest, yet MJD isn’t even a candidate according to Bristol, not that we really should be surprised. Either way, it’s an amazing rookie class, with Maurice Jones-Drew at the head of it.
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