NFL Honors 2012 Predictions: Which Players Will Bring Home the Hardware

There were some spectacular performances throughout the 2011 NFL season. Collectively, it may have been the most well-quarterbacked year of all time, with multiple passers shattering Dan Marino's single-season yardage record, and Peyton Manning didn't even take a snap. 

Jared Allen was just a sack away from breaking Michael Strahan's record. Darrelle Revis had one of the best years a corner has ever had. Justin Smith is building on his Hall of Fame resume. 

Here are predictions for all of this year's regular-season awards.

MVP: Aaron Rodgers

There was some talk that Drew Brees may take some serious consideration from Rodgers toward the end of the season, but if you take into account the season's body of work as a whole, Rodgers is the clear winner. 

If you were to write a scouting report on Rodgers, you wouldn't be able to write anything in the "negatives" column. He just does everything well so consistently. He even has enough mobility to throw on the run and make significant yardage with his legs. 

Rodgers unfairly lost some momentum when he did not play for several weeks, while Drew Brees continued to light up scoreboards.

To me, Week 1 should count just as much as every other week, and Rodgers was clearly the most dominant player of the 2011 season. 

Defensive Player of the Year: Darrelle Revis

I know I am breaking the mold a bit with this pick, but Revis' play has been a bit lost in the Jets soap opera. There are a lot of other great candidates for the DPOY, as guys like Justin Smith and Jared Allen are both worthy, but Revis is clearly the league's best defender. 

Ever wondered why are the Jets so good on defense every year without a good pass-rusher? It is because of the play of Darrelle Revis and the unique coverages they can use. He consistently shut down the top receivers in the game.

Through Week 5, he allowed just 10 receptions. 

Naysayers will look to the receptions he allowed against the Bills, which is foolish. Revis was in Cover-0 and was forced to allow slant routes to Stevie Johnson. In the same situation, the average corner would have been burned for a huge play. 

Revis should have won the award in 2009, when he had the best season by any corner in NFL history. His 2011 season is, for the most part, just as good as it was then. 

Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees

Also known as the "second-place MVP award," Drew Brees deserves some recognition for his play that, in any other year, would have resulted in an MVP award. 

He broke Dan Marino's single-season passing record. In 15 games.

He led the league's most explosive offense and was a big reason for the explosion of Jimmy Graham. Brees got so hot late in the season that he ha a real chance of stealing significant votes from Aaron Rodgers for the MVP award.

Even in their loss in the playoffs to the 49ers, he still was able to put up over 30 points on the league's best defense.  

Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh

There were a lot of good candidates for this title, but Jim Harbaugh is going to win this award pretty easily. He took a miserable 49er team and turned them into one of the best teams in football that was just a healthy Ted Ginn away from the Super Bowl. 

What was amazing was that he did it with pretty much the same roster as the 49ers had last year. He turned Alex Smith into an efficient quarterback with his offensive system that exposes defenses and puts his players in a chance to succeed. 

His team was sound in all three phases, rarely turned the ball over, and went almost an entire season without allowing a rushing touchdown. 

Simply put, the job Jim Harbaugh did one of the best single-season coaching jobs of all time. 

Rookie of the Year: Cam Newton

Von Miller certainly makes a strong case for this award, but Newton is going to win this vote. 

Robert Griffin III should send him a fruit basket or something, because Newton has broken the stigma that mobile quarterbacks from a spread system cannot compete at the next level.

Newton has single-handedly brought the Panthers back into relevancy, even if the win-loss column did not reflect it. 

Newton is just dripping with potential, as he shows skills that veteran passers posses while still being able to use his legs and athleticism as an added dimension to his game.

Within a few years, I predict that Newton is going to be one of the best players in the league. 

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Von Miller

Cam Newton may have made all of the highlight reels, but Von Miller was the best rookie of 2011. You can talk about Tim Tebow all you want, but without Von Miller, the Broncos don't win a lot of those games during their run, and "Tebowmania" doesn't exist. 

Miller is already one of the best pass-rushers in football. It's scary to think of what he can do when given an real offseason to master his craft. 

Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Maybin

This award game me some pause, as there was no real favorite for the award. After considering the circumstances of a lot of players that had a resurgence, I went with Aaron Maybin.

After being cut by the Buffalo Bills at the start of training camp, Maybin was able to salvage a roster spot with the Jets, where he added a much-needed dimension of speed to their pass rush, putting up six sacks in a specialist role. 

Not bad for a guy that was once considered to be the worst player in the NFL. 

GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year: Aaron Rodgers' Winning Drive vs. Giants

I don't care how many times Tim Tebow broke twitter with his crazy comebacks; Aaron Rodgers' winning drive to set up a short field goal and beat the Giants in Week 13 trumps all of them.

With hardly a minute to go, Rodgers engineered one of the greatest drives ever and put on a quarterback performance that was as close to perfection as possible.

With the perfect season on the line, Rodgers came through in a clutch moment with spectacular play that no other player would have been able to do. 

Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award: Houston Texans Offensive Line

Without a doubt, the Texans had the best offensive line in football. Their ability to run-block and protect against even the best and most talented defensive lines was something to behold. 

Guys like Chris Meyers, Duane Brown and Eric Winston all deserve this award for how they refused to let the injuries to their quarterback and star wide receiver to hinder their success.

They carried the offense on their shoulders and rode their play to a chance to represent themselves in the AFC Championship Game.