Each year since 1972, the AP has picked out its Offensive Player of the Year. Generally speaking, the award goes to a quarterback, but it isn't as obviously a quarterback award as say, the MVP award is. The favorites are all going to be quarterbacks, but if there's a man who has an exceptional year as a running back or a wide receiver, that man certainly could be up for consideration for the honor in 2016.
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Last year, Cam Newton pulled off the double of winning Offensive Player of the Year and the MVP award, and that isn't anything that is all that out of the ordinary.
Newton is going to be favored to win the honor for the second straight season, though we think it would be a bit surprising if he actually pulled it off. Newton, after all, only finished No. 16 in the league in passing yards behind the likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Kirk Cousins, and though he did throw for 35 TDs, it feels like that was a tremendous anomaly considering the fact that the most total touchdowns he accounted for in a season in his career prior to that was 35 from his rookie campaign.
The Panthers are definitely still amongst the teams to beat, but most recognize the fact that they aren't averaging 31.2 points per game as they did a season ago.
If we're talking about quarterbacks, the discussion has to at least start with Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers had himself an off year for sure in which he threw for 3,821 yards and 31 touchdowns, but he'll have Jordy Nelson back in the fold after missing him for the entire 2015 season thanks to a torn ACL.
Big Ben is a different story unto himself. He's got to stay healthy to have a shot at winning Offensive Player of the Year for sure. He only played in 12 games last year, but if you prorated his stats over 16 healthy games, he would've had 5,250 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, albeit against 21 INTs. If that TD/INT ratio improves this year and Roethlisberger threatens to throw for 5,000 yards, you'd have to consider him amongst the frontrunners.
Last year was tough on many of the skill position players who you traditionally think about for Offensive Player of the Year honors. Julio Jones and Antonio Brown got their yards (over 1,800 apiece), but neither one was a real extreme touchdown machine. No running back managed 1,500 yards on the ground, and only two men were over 1,200.
Still, if there's a man to forecast as a frontrunner this year for Offensive Player of the Year, it's the man who won Offensive Rookie of the Year last season. Todd Gurley ran for 1,106 yards and 10 TDs, and he did so playing in just 13 games and playing a major role in just 12 of them. Parlay natural growth with a full 16-game schedule and you've got a man quite capable of leading the league in rushing while threatening the 15-touchdown mark for sure.
Don't forget as well that the Rams are going to be more run-oriented this year now that Jared Goff is going to be under center. Perhaps Goff is the real deal, but whether he is or is not, he's not throwing the ball 500 times this season. Gurley is far more likely to have 300 carries, and if that's what he ends up with, we'd at least keep him in the discussion for Offensive Player of the Year honors even if the Rams aren't great in their first year in LA.
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