As the season winds down everyone’s favorite part of the NFL year is upon us.
No, not the playoffs. Award debate season.
That’s right, soon enough everyone’s Twitter timeline will be filled with rage and fury as we argue over awards. What makes a player valuable? Who really had the biggest comeback? What head coach did the best job? What general manager?
And of course, Rookie of the Year awards.
Given that the league has a pair of Rookie of the Year awards, one for offense and one for defense, we are going to handicap each award in this week’s Overreaction Index. Here are the likely – and perhaps in a few cases unlikely – candidates for Defensive Rookie of the Year. You can view the parallel piece on Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates here.