NFL Award Predictions for the 2012-13 Season

The 2012 NFL season is upon us, so it’s time to unveil new award predictions.

Over the past eight decades, these awards have been won by such Hall of Famers as Vince Lombardi, Joe Namath, Lawrence Taylor, Barry Sanders, “Mean” Joe Greene, Joe Montana and Otto Graham.

The game has changed since the days of “three yards and a cloud of dust.” Instead of running backs and defensive tackles walking away with the most prestigious NFL hardware every year, quarterbacks and linebackers dominate.

Are there future Hall of Famers on this list? Absolutely. Just how many is unknown.

Your updated award predictions for the 2012-13 season are as follows:

Coach of the Year

Pat Shurmur, Cleveland Browns

Paul Brown won the Coach of the Year award in 1957.

He did so with a rookie running back by the name of Jim Brown, who led the NFL with 942 rushing yards, nine touchdowns and 78.5 yards per game.

Cleveland Browns coach Pat Shurmur will win the award in 2012 largely because of rookie workhorse Trent Richardson. Despite Brown telling Yahoo! Sports that Richardson is an "ordinary” running back, the rookie will carry the load and earn Shurmur the hardware.

Rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden appears to be ready to make a difference as well, and with an already stout defense, the offensive improvement will be all Cleveland needs to make a splash in 2012.

They have a tough schedule, but with the talent on offense and a solid defense, there is no reason this Browns team can’t be in the playoff hunt late into December.

Comeback Player of the Year

Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos

Earl Morrall. Joe Namath. Ken Anderson. Randall Cunningham. Dan Marino. Tom Brady.

All of these quarterbacks won both an MVP and Comeback Player of the Year award during their careers.

Peyton Manning will join the list this year.

It will seem wrong to see No. 18 in anything other than royal blue and white all season, but times change and players change teams. It’s just the post free-agency world we live in.

Manning will make a star of left tackle Ryan Clady and No. 1 receiver Demaryius Thomas in no time flat. Clady may be the best blind-side protector Manning has ever had, while the case can be made that Thomas is the most physically gifted and talented receiver he’s ever worked with.

But what Manning means for those two is also good for the man himself.

He gets the most out of his teammates every week, and he accepts nothing less than everything they have. Manning does what Tim Tebow does—that is, motivate his players—while actually being an able-armed quarterback.

Motivating receivers to run crisp and thorough routes is fine, but if the receiver knows there’s a 50-50 chance the ball won’t reach him even if he’s the target, he may dog it on occasion.

Expect a very Peyton-like season from Manning: a completion percentage of 65.0, 4,200 yards, 30 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

That will be more than enough to win him this award.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Melvin Ingram, OLB/DE, San Diego Chargers

Since 2000, 10 of the 12 players to win this award have been linebackers—five inside, five outside.

Melvin Ingram can likely play both positions and anywhere along the defensive line. That versatility has been on display throughout the preseason and will allow him to win the award this year.

He is everywhere on the field seemingly all at once, and no one player can overpower him or outsmart him. Ingram is the perfect defender, and more specifically, the perfect pass-rusher.

As of now, Ingram is behind veteran Jarret Johnson on the depth chart. But as he grasps more of defensive coordinator John Pagano’s scheme, there is no way Pagano can keep the monster that is Ingram out of a starting rotation.

Once he’s in there, he will dominate and become the second Chargers defender to win the award in the past eight seasons (Shawne Merriman, 2005).

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Being compared to Peyton Manning as often as he is, Andrew Luck has learned to respond to such comparisons with every boring cliché in the book.

He's more annoying to listen to than the most annoying sound in the world.

But after this season, he will be able to say he’s done something even Peyton couldn’t do; and that is win this award. Randy Moss won the award in 1998 instead of Manning for his amazing rise to stardom.

Luck has his work cut out for him, but with how Cam Newton—last year’s winner—performed as a rookie, anything is possible. With the aid of his reported photographic memory, he’s already mastered the Colts offense, according to an Indianapolis Star report from June.

"

I’ve managed to learn the playbook. I’d wake up in the morning and have a serious lack of motivation to go to class [while still at Stanford]. Then I’d work out, do football stuff until lunch, then go to afternoon classes and go from there.

"

Newton’s rookie record of 4,051 passing yards may not last long.

Defensive Player of the Year

Aldon Smith, OLB, San Francisco 49ers

Sacks and interceptions: Those are what make a defender “Player of the Year” material.

Not since former Colts safety Bob Sanders in 2006 has a player won the award without being in the top five in either of those two categories.

As a rookie, Aldon Smith didn’t start a single game for the 49ers, yet he led the team—and the NFC West—with 14 sacks.

His pass-rushing prowess proved pivotal in the playoffs, as he recorded two more sacks in postseason play. One came against the New Orleans Saints and immediately led to a punt and subsequent touchdown. The other came against the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants and led to a punt (which was then fumbled away).

Now, as the full-time starter at right outside linebacker, Smith has a chance to be great. Increased responsibility could be overwhelming at first for the second-year player, especially after missing time this preseason with a bruised hip.

But with the defense as good as it is, it will relieve some of that pressure by doing just what it does, which is shut teams down.

Adding the other elements of defense to his game, such as stopping the run and dropping into coverage, will help him take home this award.

Offensive Player of the Year

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Since its inception in 1972, 22 running backs, 16 quarterbacks and one wide receiver have won the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award.

But quarterbacks have won four of the past five awards. Actually, it’s been Tom Brady and Drew Brees twice. But the trend is changing.

The now clichéd saying, “It’s a quarterback-driven league,” holds true, and Aaron Rodgers is the best of the best.

He led the Green Bay Packers to a 14-1 start last season before giving way to now-departed Matt Flynn in favor of resting for the playoffs and attempting to avoid injury. All that did was disrupt the momentum of the offense. The team sputtered and lost to the the fourth-seeded Giants in the playoffs.

The most glaring problem in Green Bay’s offense was the lack of a run game. It was evident during the divisional-round loss to New York, as Rodgers was the leading rusher with seven carries for 66 yards.

Rodgers and the passing game will benefit this season from the emergence of a rushing attack. Cedric Benson is not listed as the starter (he’s actually sixth on the most recent depth chart), but he will be a significant contributor in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

But Rodgers is a surgeon. He can dissect a defense faster than most and dismantle it even faster. He will cruise to this award with more than 5,000 passing yards, and he might flirt with Brady’s single-season record of 50 touchdown passes.

Side note: I’ll give you a nickel if you can name the only wide receiver in NFL history to be named the AP Offensive Player of the Year. Hint—it’s not that difficult, and I’m broke.

Most Valuable Player

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Winning the Offensive Player of the Year and MVP awards in the same season is not as rare as one might think.

Since 2004, Peyton Manning (2004), Shaun Alexander (2005), LaDanian Tomlinson (2006) and Tom Brady (2007, 2010) all have done it.

Drew Brees should have had the honor last season.

Rodgers would also find himself in rarer territory, joining Peyton, Jim Brown and Brett Favre as the only players in NFL history to win back-to-back Associated Press Most Valuable Player awards.

With so many weapons from which to choose, Rodgers’ job is rather easy:

Huddle up. Call a play. Set the offense. Receive the snap. Find the open receiver. Hit him for a chunk of yards. Repeat as necessary.

Oh, the life of today’s NFL quarterback.

He already has a place in Canton for last year’s MVP uniform. It may soon have company.

Follow @ShaunMChurchBR