February 03, 2018

Several Eagles, past and present, receive recognition at 2018 'NFL Honors'

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

On Saturday night, the NFL held its 2018 "NFL Honors" awards party, and the Philadelphia Eagles were well represented. Let's just round up all of the award winners first (h/t NFL.com), and then comment thereafter.

• Pepsi Rookie of the Year: New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara

• FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Year: Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz; Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley

• AP Defensive Player of the Year: Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald

• Salute To Service Award Presented by USAA: Atlanta Falcons WR Andre Roberts

• AP Offensive Rookie of the Year: New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara

• AP Offensive Player of the Year: Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley

• Game Changer Award presented by Secret: Sam Gordon

• AP Defensive Rookie of the Year: New Orleans Saints CB Marshon Lattimore

• Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018: Bobby Beathard, general manager; Robert Brazile, LB; Brian Dawkins, S; Jerry Kramer, G; Ray Lewis, LB; Randy Moss, WR; Terrell Owens, WR; Brian Urlacher, LB

• Offensive Line of the Year: Philadelphia Eagles

• Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award: Carolina Panthers LB Luke Kuechly

• AP Comeback Player of the Year: Los Angeles Chargers WR Keenan Allen

• AP Assistant Coach of the Year: Minnesota Vikings OC Pat Shurmur

• Castrol Edge Clutch Performer of the Year: New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees

• Bridgestone Elite Peformance Play of the Year: The Minnesota Miracle

• Greatness on the Road Award: Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson

• AP Coach of the Year: Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay

• AP Most Valuable Player: New England Patriots QB Tom Brady

• Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year presented by Nationwide: Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt

Comments

• The Eagles didn't have any realistic candidates for many of the above awards, including Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year.

• The NFL conducts voting on these awards during the regular season, which explains why Rams head coach Sean McVay won over Doug Pederson. Had it included the postseason, Pederson should have been a unanimous choice after bringing his team to the Super Bowl without Carson Wentz, Jason Peters, Darren Sproles, and Jordan Hicks. Even without their playoff run, there was certainly a great argument for Pederson regardless.

• Carson Wentz didn't win MVP, as expected, but he did take home FedEx Air Player of the Year after a season in which he was the best quarterback in the NFL through the first 14 weeks of the season, before he tore his ACL.

• As we reported earlier, Brian Dawkins and Terrell Owens were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Both were deserving inductees, albeit a year late.

• The Eagles were an easy choice for best offensive line, as Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce were both first team All-Pros, and Brandon Brooks made the Pro Bowl. Additionally, Jason Peters likely would have made his 10th Pro Bowl had he not tore his ACL and MCL mid-season.

• Jim Schwartz and John DeFilippo would have been good choices for Assistant Coach of the Year instead of Pat Shurmur. In hindsight, after Schwartz ate Shurmur's lunch in the NFC Championship Game, it's hard to justify this outcome, though again, voting is conducted after the regular season.

• Drew Brees did indeed lead an impressive comeback over the Redskins, however, Jake Elliott was also a strong candidate for this award with his game-winning 61-yard field goal Week 3 over the Giants.

• Not noted in the list above is that the Eagles also won best celebration, for their electric slide.