NFL Honors 2012: 4 Biggest Locks for Saturday Night's Award Show

The NFL's elite will hit the red carpet on the eve of Super Bowl XLVI, as the league puts on its first true award show to honor its best players and coaches.

While a few awards are still essentially up for grabs, these are the four biggest locks.

Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh

Harbaugh took a hapless, 6-10 San Francisco 49ers team and morphed them into a powerful 13-3, NFC West-winning club that advanced to the conference title game.

They really became a titan of the NFC in 2011.

The culture is changed in San Fran, and most importantly, Harbaugh finally tapped into quarterback Alex Smith's talents and has gotten the most out of the former No. 1 overall pick.

Smith pieced together his best season as a professional, throwing 17 touchdowns to only five interceptions in 16 games.

The Lions' Jim Schwartz is another fine candidate, leading Detroit back to the playoffs for the first time since 199, but Harbaugh's got Coach of the Year wrapped up.  

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Cam Newton

During the middle of the 2011 season, there was talk that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was threatening Cam Newton for Rookie of the Year honors.

Newton's Panthers were struggling, and Dalton's Bengals were atop the AFC. Cincinnati still made the playoffs, but Dalton faltered down the stretch.

Newton deserves this award after he throw for over 4,000 yards and 35 total touchdowns.

It's really that simple.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Aldon Smith

When the Denver Broncos were making their ascension from the AFC cellar to AFC West supremacy in the middle stages of the 2011 season, everyone was penciling pass-rusher Von Miller as the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

He was injured and wasn't nearly as productive when he returned, opening the door for Aldon Smith, the 49ers edge rusher who was somewhat overlooked for most of the season.

The rookie of out Missouri totaled a whopping 14 sacks this season, along with two forced fumbles, and was a major threat on the NFC's most ferocious defensive line.

Play of the Year: Jerome Simpson 

There's absolutely no doubt about it: The touchdown flip by Bengals wideout Jerome Simpson was the greatest display of elite athleticism in the NFL this year. A total lock to win play of the year. 

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