Teddy Bridgewater named 2014 Pepsi Rookie of the Year

On Friday night, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was named the 2014 Pepsi Rookie of the Year.

As the 2014 season comes to a close, we take a look back at the year that was with award season hitting its apex. Though the fourth annual NFL Honors are set to be broadcast Saturday evening from Phoenix, Arizona on NBC, Pepsi handed out some of its own hardware Friday night. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was selected as the 2014 Pepsi Rookie of the Year.

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Bridgewater was taken by Minnesota with the 32nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. In just 13 games this season, he threw for 2,919 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Vikings were .500 with no. 5 behind center as the starter this past year (6-6). He completed an efficient 64.4 percent of his throws for an 85.2 passer rating.

Many fans might be shocked by the selection, as there were a considerable amount of candidates perhaps more suiting of the honor. A few players that immediately come to mind are New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide out Mike Evans, Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill, and Buffalo Bills WR Sammy Watkins.

Beckham Jr. was selected as the 2014 Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) Rookie of the Year award winner. In just 12 games played this season, ODB had 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns. The first two statistical categories set Giants rookie records. In fact, one could make the argument that ODB might have had the greatest rookie receiving season in league history. What makes this most impressive of all is that he played in just twelve games all year. So despite the fan voting, it is still very surprising to not see the man’s name adorn this award.

A name that seems to get unfairly overshadowed by the media this postseason when discussing the year in review is Mike Evans. For a Tampa Bay team struggling with consistency all year, especially on offense, Evan was a dream. Virtually establishing every Buccaneers rookie record, he caught 68 passes for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns, despite missing one game on the year. After Evans’s performance in the 2014 season, Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has got to be missing his favorite college target more than ever now.

Cincinnati made it to the playoffs for a fourth straight season. Despite being knocked out in the wild card round for the fourth straight year, the team would never have been there without the performance of rookie running back Jeremy Hill. During an excellent 2014 season, Hill rushed for 1,124 yards and 9 touchdowns. What makes those numbers all the more special is that he did it on just 222 attempts (good enough for an average of 5.1 yards per carry), and started just eight of the sixteen games he played in.

Watkins would have been another somewhat unsurprising winner had his name been attached to the award. In his rookie campaign with the resurgent Bills, Watkins set records for his respective franchise with 65 receptions and 982 yards receiving. He also scored 6 touchdowns on the year. Next season he looks to be a part of a Buffalo team poised to improve upon a 9-7 mark last season, and possibly end the NFL’s longest standing playoff drought.

Fan voting is a major caveat in sports. Sometimes hometown bias can overshadow statistical measures. You would hate to think that way about this award. However, this particular year tends to lend itself to that very notion.

[H/T: NFL.com]

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