Deep Impact: The Race for Rookie of the Year...and Who Will Win (Part One)

The 2008-2009 NFL regular season is almost over, and although the handing out of the Rookie of the Year award is still some time away, we, as football fans, have been blessed with seeing some of the best NFL rookie talents on display in quite some time.

This year's rookie of the Year award is going to be a hard choice for AP decide, with more than a dozen candidates worthy of the prestigious prize, both on offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Although I am not a part of the Associated Press and do not actually have a saying in the final outcome, I have decided to throw some candidates out there (some of which would probably win the award in most other years not ending in '08).

To set the record straight, I firmly do not believe that the rookie with the best stats should win the award; although football is a series of individual fights, the team win or loses together.

A running back's yardage may only be as good as his blockers, or a cornerback only as good as his defensive line. However, most of you will agree that a handful of rookies this year not only makes himself look good, but his teammates around him as well. 

Therefore, without further ado, I present to you the candidates for Rookie of the Year Award of 2008...and the eventual winner. Enjoy.

AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Candidates

1) Darren McFadden, RB (Oakland Raiders) - 11GP, 100 rushes for 451 yards and 4 TDs plus 234 yards receiving. 

The phenomenal running back out of Arkansas might have strengthened his bid for ROY had he played for a full season. Nevertheless, McFadden was one of the few bright spots for 11 games of the Raider's year.

His breakaway speed and agility was on full display in Week Two against the Chiefs, where he touched the pigskin 21 times and rumbled for 164 yards and a major. To be able to do that in just his second pro football game?

This kid can have the potential to be a great running back real soon, if only he wasn't playing for the Raiders...

2)  Ryan Clady, LT (Denver Broncos) -14 GP, one-and-a-half sacks allowed

Since NFL does not officially keep O-line stats, it might be hard to evaluate Ryan's performance on paper. However, if you ever ask a Bronco (or a fan if you can't get too close) who the rookie of the year would be for their team, the name Clady will come out 99 times out of a hundred.

Assigned the task to protect QB Jay Cutler's blind side, Clady has played beyond his expectation as the 12th overall pick in 2008. He has only given up one-and-a-half sacks, but most importantly, he has frustrated opposing ferocious pass-rushers (Peppers and Abraham for example) throughout the whole season, which contributed largely to the Bronco's current 8-6 record and it's stranglehold on the AFC West.

3) Matt Ryan, QB (Atlanta Falcons) 14 GP, 62% completion, 3146 yards, 14 TDs and 90.0 QB rating

From first glance, the offensive rookie of the year award should obviously go to Matt Ryan, I mean why not? He's a quarterback, he's been healthy, he's completed over 60 percent of his passes for over 3,000 yards (as of Week 15), he's thrown for 14 touchdowns, and he's white (haha, just joking). However, the stats only tell one side of the story for this candidate.

Probably the deciding factor if he were to win the award is the record of the Falcons, or rather the turnaround. A year removed from a  disappointing 4-12 record and the aftermath of the Vick disaster, Ryan has helped the fans forget all that and created one of the biggest season turnaround in recent memory.

Sure, the plays of Turner and White definitely helped, but the man at the helm is still Matt Ryan.

4) Chris Johnson, RB (Tennessee Titans) 14 GP, 1159 yards, 4.9 AVG, 8TD, 259 receiving yards, 1 TD.

When the Titans first drafted Chris Johnson with the 21st overall pick in the 2008 draft class, many analysts said that pick was a major blunder for Tennessee. Now, Johnson, just voted onto the Pro Bowl (only rookie this year to go to the Pro Bowl) is making them eat their words.

Being the second half of the Thunder and Lightning duo of the run-happy Titans, Johnson is playing on a level few has expected at the beginning of the season. He leads all rookie RBs in yards (1159) while tied for first in average (4.9) and rushing TDs (8).

This blazing speedster will cause opponents headaches in the playoffs, where Johnson has a chance of solidifying his bid for ROY while trying to take the Titans to the Super Bowl.

5) Eddie Royal, WR (Denver Broncos) 13 GP, 75 REC for 847 yards, 5 TD

Many Broncos fan criticized HC Mike Shanahan when he selected WR Eddie Royal instead of DeSean Jackson with the 11th pick in the second round of the draft.

That doubt soon dissolved when Royal, in his first pro football game, caught nine passes for 146 yards and a touchdown against CB DeAngelo Hall of the Raiders, in essentially just two quarters.

While Royal has had some minor bumps with injury this season, he has proven to be a valuable asset for the Broncos playing opposite Brandon Marshall. Royal currently lead all rookie WRs in catches (75) and touchdowns (5) while in close second in yards (847). Furthermore, his 93-yard catch against the Browns on Thursday Night Football shows that Royal can also break one for the long run.

6) Steve Slaton, RB (Houston Texans) 14 GP, 1124 yards, 4.9 avg, 8 TDs, 40 receptions for 305 yards.

Most people know Chris Johnson, but few outside Texas knew about Steve Slaton, the RB for the Texans. In almost a step-for-step race against Chris Johnson for running backs, Slaton actually is tied with Johnson for average per carry (4.9) and rushing touchdowns (8).

He only trails Johnson by 35 rushing yards but he has 46 more receiving yards while playing for the Texans. What is more impressive, however, is Slaton's  success against the Titans. In two games against their divisional rival, Slaton had rushed for at least 100 yards in each of them, with the Texans upsetting them in Week 15.

While Slaton might not recieve too much credit in the ROY race, he will be an essential piece for the Texans' success in the near future.

7) DeSean Jackson, WR (Philadelphia Eagles), 14 GP, 58 Rec, 852 yards, 2 TDs, 1 punt-return touchdown.

The race between Eddie Royal and DeSean Jackson began as soon as Royal was drafted ahead of Jackson in the 2008 NFL draft. Through Week 15, DeSean has proved to be the field-stretcher for the Eagles, hauling in 58 catches for 852 yards. 

Both Royal and Jackson are very similar, as shown in their stats and their style. However, Jackson also also contributed to the return game of the Eagles with returning 47 punts for 409 yards and a touchdown. Many of us also remember Jackson as he tried to pull a Leon Lett on Monday Night Football, as he spiked the ball prematurely before reaching the end zone, which cost him a touchdown.

8) Matt Forte, RB (Chicago Bears), 14 GP, 1115 yrds, 7 TDs, 58 receptions, 4 TDs.

If you ask any Bears fan, they would tell you the ROY is Matt....not Ryan, but Forte. This product out of Tulane is as valuable to the Bears' offense as Urlacher is to the Bears' defense.

He is a close third behind all rookie RBs with 1115 yards but leads both Johnson and Slaton in receptions (58), receiving yards (424) and receiving touchdowns (4). Most of all, his play has elevated the Bears to a whole new status while making the Bears' offensive as effective as they're ever going to be in the near future.

And for that, he will receive a lot of thought as the ROY award.

9) Joe Flacco QB, (Baltimore Ravens) 14 GP, 58.7 percentage with 2525 yards, 13 pass touchdowns and 2 rushing TDs.

As a rookie playing in Baltimore, where they are just as happy to run on 3rd-and-5 as on 3rd-and-1, we can't expect Flacco to put up with the numbers as other teams' rookie quarterbacks. Nevertheless, Flacco has won the hearts of Raven's fans by his solid play through 15 NFL weeks while leading the Ravens to a 9-5 record.

If Flacco plays well throughout the playoffs (assuming Ravens make it), he could play potential spoiler in the offensive rookie of the year race.

AND THE WINNER GOES TO...

MATT FORTE OF THE CHICAGO BEARS

In my selection process, I've narrowed the candidates down to 3; Ryan Clady, Matt Ryan, and Matt Forte. Even though I believe Ryan Clady should have a chance to be the Rookie of the Year, I had to remove him from the final two because and just because of his position.

Then, I'm stuck. I just can't seem to decide between Forte and Ryan, not only because of their individual statistics, but because of their importance to their team.

The tipping factor in deciding Matt Forte is the fact that his play benefits his immediate teammates as opposed to the other way around. Let's face it, a huge reason why Grossman's having a superb year is the fact that he's got Forte in the backfield bursting through the line for four or catching passes out of the backfield.

For Ryan, however good he maybe, a huge factor is the superb playing of Michael Turner and Roddy White. Not saying that Ryan's not deserving of the award, but his job gets much easier with White stretching the long field and Turner stretching the short.

Overall, my two choices are so close that for it to be really conclusive, we might have to wait until the playoffs.

*Please feel free to comment/discuss or name other candidates that I have not yet mentioned. I will be happy to throw in my two cents in the process.* Thanks for reading.