Writers Share Opinions On Upcoming NFL Honors, From MVP to Top Rookie

On Saturday night, the NFL will present several players with such of the most prestigious awards and accolades in sports.

While the Pro Football Hall of Fame will also announce its new inductees, which could include Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as a contributor, other players and coaches on this team could land some hardware as well at the annual NFL Honors Show.

The staff writers of DallasCowboys.com decided to weigh in on seven of the top awards that will be doled out Saturday night. It's not a prediction of what will happen, but more of an opinion if they had say in the process.

See if you agree with their selections:

Bryan Broaddus: Was a really tough choice but you look at what Matt Ryan has done the entire season, you have to give him the nod. The Falcons wouldn't have not made the playoffs if not for his play. Their defense struggled early but along with Julio Jones he was able to carry the team through those rough patches. Of all the Cowboys opponents I had the opportunity to study, Antonio Brown was my favorite one. No matter how teams tried to take him away – he still found ways to make plays. There were scouts in Atlanta that were ready to move on from Vic Beasley. Initially disappointing but found his way in 2016 and was outstanding as a pass rusher. As good as Matt Ryan was for the offense, the emergence of Beasley was the reason their defense was able to turn things around during the season. My Offensive Rookie of the Year pick came down to two teammates, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. I went with Elliott due the fact that he made things easy for Prescott during the season. Elliott took the pressure off Prescott with his ability to keep the offense out of poor down and distance situations which led to easier conversions and the ability to sustain drives. As good as Prescott was with Elliott, I am not sure he has the success that he does.      

Rob Phillips:You've heard me say many times on "Talkin' Cowboys" that both Pro Bowl rookies, and especially Elliott for the tone he set on offense, should be right at the top of the MVP conversation. Ultimately I'd pick Ryan for his full body of work in leading the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl with a league-best scoring offense in the regular season (33.8 points per game) and postseason (40.0). Elliott and Prescott both deserve recognition for their first-year contributions to a team that tied a franchise record for wins (13) and earned the top playoff seed. The season didn't end the way they hoped, but Garrett is a deserving candidate for Coach of the Year when you think about how he kept this team together and focused despite losing Tony Romo in August to a back injury. It could have been a 'here-we-go-again' moment coming off a dreadful 2015 experience. Instead, the 2016 Cowboys set a franchise record for a one-year turnaround (nine more wins than the year before).

Nick Eatman: I nearly had Zeke as the MVP, but I switched it back to Rodgers. This guy was really all Green Bay had and the team goes like he does. When he struggled early, so did they. When he got scorching hot, the Packers ran the table. His weapons were limited this year and he still managed to play lights out. Personally, I think Dak had a better "rookie" year than Zeke because we were way more surprised in Prescott's performance. I never thought he'd go 13-3 in ANY year of his career, much less the first one. It's hard to go against Garrett but I never really looked at it like he built a 4-win team into 13 wins. This was a good team that had a circumstantial bad year in 2015 and bounced back. I think Belichick is the best weapon New England has and that includes their QB. And I went with Murray for the Comeback even though he wasn't really hurt in 2015. He definitely bounced back in a major way.

David Helman: Ironically, it's probably the Cowboys' fault that Matt Ryan didn't get more fanfare as the NFL MVP. Who cares that Ryan, a nine-year veteran, had the best year of his career when the two rookies in Dallas were leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 record. But look at Ryan's stats, not to mention the fact that he's led the Falcons to the Super Bowl, and he's an obvious pick for MVP. Speaking of the Cowboys' rookies, I'd have them split Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. You can read my "Writer's Blocks" column for my reasoning. The Giants' defensive line deserves a lot of credit for their defensive resurgence, but Landon Collins was arguably the team's MVP with 125 tackles and five picks. He was sensational. Deion Jones is a bit of a homer pick, since he's a New Orleans and LSU guy – but that's beside the point. He emerged as a third-round pick to compile 100 tackles and three interceptions on a Super Bowl defense, starting right from the get-go. Impressive stuff.