Chapter 656: The Official End
The 2011 season's playoff battle has finally come to an end. Two weeks from now, on February 5th, Super Bowl XLVI will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The two teams are officially set:
The AFC champion New England Patriots vs. the NFC champion New York Giants!
Before the Super Bowl officially began, all the regular season statistics and awards were also announced. Only two teams could make it to the Super Bowl, but the seventeen weeks of regular season games provided countless highlights. The players' shining moments were all recorded in history.
The regular season MVP was awarded to Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers for the first time in his career.
The awards were voted on by fifty professional sports journalists. The fifty journalists had to maintain a relatively professional opinion and rich experience. They could not be official journalists of the NFL. Every year, the league screens them, and the members are not fixed. They need to be re-screened to ensure the fairness of the selection. Because of this, the authority of the awards is unanimously recognized.
It is worth mentioning that out of the fifty votes, Rodgers received forty-five votes with a landslide victory. Out of the other five votes, three went to Drew Brees, and two went to Lu Ke, the undrafted rookie quarterback.
Although he only received two votes, Lu Ke was one of only three members who received votes, and he was a rookie. This was enough to prove that his excellent performance had been absolutely recognized, which was an honor in itself.
When the votes were announced, many people were a little surprised because the choice for this year's regular season MVP was undoubtedly very competitive. In addition to the three quarterbacks mentioned above, Tom Brady also had an excellent performance. It was expected that these four quarterbacks would have a fierce battle—even if Rodgers could stand out, it wouldn't be such an easy landslide victory.
But then the league announced the results of the other awards, and the suspense was gone.
Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints.
Defensive Player of the Year: Terrell Suggs, Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens.
Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Lu Ke, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Von Miller, Linebacker, Denver Broncos.
Comeback Player of the Year: Matthew Stafford, Quarterback, Detroit Lions.
Rookie of the Year: Lu Ke, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers.
The above are the main awards of the year. It's clear at a glance.
Generally speaking, the Offensive Player of the Year or Defensive Player of the Year is the regular season MVP. It's rare for these awards to be given to different players, but this year was an exception.
The regular season MVP was given to Rodgers, and the Offensive Player of the Year was given to Brees. Obviously, these two quarterbacks, who both set historical records in the regular season, were evenly matched and it was hard to tell who was better. In the end, the league was in a difficult position and the result came out like this.
In the competition for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Von Miller also had an absolutely dominant performance, defeating JJ Watt of the Houston Texans and successfully taking home the award, becoming the most dazzling rookie player this year. In addition, Aldon Smith of the San Francisco 49ers ranked third in the voting.
As for the Rookie of the Year and the Offensive Rookie of the Year, they were both taken by Lu Ke without any suspense!
This undrafted Chinese-American quarterback had a season that was comparable to a regular season MVP. He swept through everyone with an unstoppable force, showing an incredible potential. He was far ahead of the other rookie players. He was not only the biggest hidden gem in the 2011 draft but also the biggest discovery of the 2011 season.
In the voting for Rookie of the Year, out of the fifty votes, Lu Ke received a whopping forty-nine. The only vote he didn't receive went to the Carolina Panthers' first overall pick quarterback, Cam Newton.
One was a favored son, who broke the passing yard record in his rookie season and powerfully proved his presence. The other was an unknown nobody who started a journey of comebacks, swept all the rookie records in the league's history, and set a standard that was almost impossible to surpass. He was a dark horse of the year.
It's certain that the two sophomore quarterbacks will become the focus of more teams and experts.
For Lu Ke, this was an imperfect season, but it was a perfect rookie season. Honor, fame, popularity, and attention—everything he had dreamed of came one after another. This was perfectly shown in the voting for Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year.
In addition, Jim Harbaugh also won the Coach of the Year award. Among the thirty-two teams in the league, Harbaugh's decisive and wise decisions were unanimously recognized. This also made the San Francisco 49ers the only team to win three awards, and their momentum was truly unparalleled.
In addition to the main awards, the league also selected a series of awards—of course, they were only limited to the regular season and did not include the playoffs.
Play of the Year: Randall Cobb, Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers, a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Week 1 of the regular season.
Never Say Never Moment of the Year: Tim Tebow, Quarterback, Denver Broncos.
Fantasy Player of the Year: Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions.
Walter Payton Man of the Year: Matt Birk, Center, Baltimore Ravens.
It's interesting that Lu Ke's sixty-six-yard touchdown pass in Week 1 of the regular season was also on the list for Play of the Year, ranking second. And Lu Ke's zero-second drive in Week 10 of the regular season also made the list for Never Say Never Moment of the Year, ranking second.
The Walter Payton award can be brought up separately. This is an award for charity work and volunteer activities. It was established in 1970 to encourage league players to give back to society and participate in the league's related activities to give back to the community and fans.
Before 1999, the award was called the Man of the Year Award. After 1999, shortly after the death of Chicago Bears' running back Walter Payton, the award was named after him to honor his consistent dedication and support for charity work.
For most people, this is not an important award; it's more about fame and honor. If a player is not interested in a position in the players' union, they only need to cooperate and attend the league's related activities. There is no need to try their best to win it. But in a way, this is a testament to a player's connections within the league.
There is only one winner for each award. In a professional league with so many participants like the NFL, even if the awards are divided, there are obviously not enough to go around. The players who had excellent performances in the regular season can find their own positions in the Pro Bowl, All-Pro First Team, and All-Pro Second Team rosters.
The so-called Pro Bowl can be compared to the NBA All-Star Game. It includes a skills competition and an all-star game. It is held in Honolulu, Hawaii every year to ensure that players and spectators can relax and have fun.
The All-Pro First Team and All-Pro Second Team are relatively simple. They are the best roster of the season and the second-best. When looking at a player's resume, the number of times they were selected to the All-Pro First Team is undoubtedly one of the best criteria. Of course, the number of times they participated in the Pro Bowl is also a very straightforward number.
Every year, the voting for the Pro Bowl, All-Pro First Team, and All-Pro Second Team is divided into three parts: coaches, players, and fans, each accounting for one-third. Although it's unavoidable for fans to vote multiple times, and players who had highlight moments in a primetime regular season game often get more attention, overall, the selection is still relatively objective.
For the San Francisco 49ers, this was a season of harvest.
In the All-Pro First Team, the defense's Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, and Justin Smith, as well as the special team's David Akers, were all selected.
In the All-Pro Second Team, the defense's Carlos Rogers, the special team's Andy Lee, and the offense's Ted Ginn and Mike Iupati were all selected.
Among them, Lu Ke and Logan didn't make the list. Why?
Because the competition was simply too fierce. There was only one spot for each position on the field. The All-Pro First Team quarterback was Aaron Rodgers, and the All-Pro Second Team quarterback was Drew Brees. The All-Pro First Team tight end was Rob Gronkowski, and the All-Pro Second Team tight end was Jimmy Graham.
These four players were all outstanding figures who made history this season. What's more, Lu Ke and Logan were both rookie players. Among all the All-Pro First Team and All-Pro Second Team selections this year, Von Miller was successfully selected as a linebacker on the Second Team, and he was the only rookie player.
Therefore, in their own incredibly fierce competition, Lu Ke and Logan both missed their first All-Pro selections.
However, in the Pro Bowl selection, the limitations for rookies were not so obvious. The San Francisco 49ers also had a complete breakout. They had ten players selected to the Pro Bowl roster, surpassing the New England Patriots' nine. They took the top spot and became the most popular team of the season.
The three nationally televised games—against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, against the New Orleans Saints in the divisional game, and against the New York Giants in the conference championship—truly gained the San Francisco 49ers a lot of popularity.
Among them, Lu Ke became the most dazzling star. He was successfully selected to the NFC quarterback roster. Although he was a backup, in many of the votes, he almost pulled down the deeply rooted Eli Manning. After his rookie season came to an end, his incredibly high popularity was enviable.
After a season of hard work, it was finally time to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
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