Oakland Raiders: 2011- 2012 Individual Awards

The Oakland Raiders completed their season on Sunday with a disappointing 38-26 loss to the San Diego Chargers. The Raiders had a lot of studs on both sides of the ball in 2011. However, there were also some players who failed to live up to expectations. 

Here are my individual awards for the 2011- 2012 Oakland Raiders.

Offensive MVP: Michael Bush

Oakland had many weapons on offense in 2012. However, none were as important as Michael Bush. Darren McFadden, who would have likely won this award if he stayed healthy, was out from Week 8 through the end of the season. Oakland's offense would have surely fallen apart without the stellar season of Michael Bush.

With only nine starts, Bush was still able to rush for 977 yards with 7 TD's. If he were able to start more games, it would be safe to assume that he would have had his first 1,000 yard season.

McFadden is the best player on Oakland's roster and one of the best running-backs in the league. Losing him could have put the entire season down the drain. Michael Bush saved this offense and kept his team in the playoff hunt. It will be important for Oakland to re-sign him. 

Defensive MVP: Tyvon Branch

In a season where the Defense completely embarrassed itself I considered picking Shane Lechler as Oakland's best defender. However, I went with strong safety Tyvon Branch.

Branch led the Raiders in tackles with 109. He was in on so many plays and made the largest impact of any player on the Raiders defense. 

As bad as the secondary played down the stretch, I can't imagine how bad it would have been without Tyvon Branch. 

Special Teams MVP: Sebastian Janikowski

Could it has been anyone else? Okay, I know Shane Lechler had one of his signature amazing seasons averaging 50.8 yards a punt, but where would this team be without Sebastian Janikowski. 

Janikowski accounted for 129 of Oakland's 359 points this season. He hit 31 of his 35 field goal attempts with 3 of his misses being from 50+ yards. He tied an NFL record with a 63 yard field goal in Week 1 and converted seven kicks of 50+ yards. 

Janikowski was named to his first ever Pro Bowl and it is well deserved. He kept his team in numerous games with his consistency and therefore was the most valuable Special Teams player.

Most Valuable Rookie: Denarius Moore

Moore is a very exciting player who had an immediate impact in his rookie year.

A 5th round pick out of Tennessee, Moore was second on the team in receiving. Most importantly, he gave the Raiders a consistent deep threat which directly helped Carson Palmer adjust to the offense. Moore averaged 18.7 yards per reception and had 5 touchdowns. 

The speedy playmaker had a great rookie season and will be a big part of the Raiders future. 

Most Improved Player: Darius Heyward-Bey

After two years of lackluster seasons, DHB finally stepped up in his third season.

Going into this season, it didn't appear that DHB would have much of a role with the likes of Ford, Murphy, and pre-season sensation Denarius Moore. Yet, Heyward-Bey stepped out of the shadows and into the limelight with his stellar 2011 season.

Heyward-Bey led the Raiders in receiving and was the most consistent wide-receiver on their roster. His route-running is refined and his hands have improved tremendously. 

DHB appears to have removed the "bust" label from his name and is looking to lead this Oakland receiving corps for the foreseeable future.

Most Disappointing Player: Rolando McClain

I was expecting McClain to take the next step in leading this young, talented defense. But this defense seemed to lack an identity and that has a lot to do with McClain. 

While McClain is exceptionally smart on the field, his off the field issues in 2011 were disturbing. Aside from that, his performance was inconsistent in both run defense and pass defense.

All too often he seemed a step slow and missed plays that he is expected to make.

Hopefully this was just a sophomore slump, but never-the-less McClain needs to step up in 2012.

Most Valuable Coach: Bob Wylie

While I really like Hue Jackson's style, I can't give him the award after leading his team to the same record as last season. Instead Raiders Offensive Line coach, Bob Wylie, had the best coaching performance on the Raiders staff.

The offensive live has been one of the Raiders weakest areas for the past few seasons. That was not the case in 2012. The Raiders offensive line was solid all season long, giving Campbell and Palmer adequate time to pass the ball while also consistently opening up holes for Bush and McFadden in the run-game. 

Wylie helped turn a mediocre offensive line into a bully and for that he deserves a lot of credit. 

Most Disappointing Coach: Chuck Bresnahan

Bresnahan, who returned for his second term as the Raiders defensive coordinator (held the same role earlier in the decade), did a poor job as defensive coordinator. 

The Oakland Raiders defense has many skillful and promising players. Yet this defense transformed into one of the worst defensive units in the NFL. 

When the season was on the line, the defense repeatedly crumbled. It was best summarized by Detroit's and San Diego's 99 yard touchdown drives late in the season. 

Bresnahan simply didn't do enough to develop this defense and as a result the entire defensive unit regressed as the season went on. 

Raider Nation is calling for Bresnahan's job and I would be very surprised if he returns as Oakland's defensive coordinator in 2012.

Honorable Mentions

Obviously, with all the talent on this Oakland Raiders roster, some of these awards were very tough decisions.

Here are the honorable mentions for each award: 

Offensive MVP: Darren McFadden- Led the NFL in rushing before his season-ending injury.

Defensive MVP: Richard Seymour- Played through injuries all year and earned another Pro Bowl nomination.

Special Teams MVP: Shane Lechler- Another great season for the best of all time. 

Most Valuable Rookie: Stephen Wisnewski- Important piece of the Raiders' offensive line. The second-round pick had a stupendous rookie year. 

Most Improved Player: Stanford Routt- Despite penalty issues, Routt did a great job in man coverage all season

Most Disappointing Player: Kevin Boss- Not necessarily his fault, but injuries limited his role in the offense. He did not fill the hole that Zach Miller left in the passing game.

Most Valuable Coach: Hue Jackson- Despite failing to make the playoffs, Jackson is changing the identity of this team in a positive way.

Most Disappointing Coach: Rod Woodson- Wasn't able to develop the young cornerbacks on Oakland's roster. This left the Raiders extremely thin with capable cornerbacks late in the season. 

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