NFL 2015 Award Picks: Cam Newton earns top honors

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates after a touchdown in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates after a touchdown in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates after a touchdown in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates after a touchdown in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

Coach of the Year

Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers

A 15-1 record for a team that began the season as 30-to-1 longshots to win the Super Bowl. That is all that Ron Rivera managed to preside over this year in Carolina.

The “Riverboat Ron” mantra has faded into near oblivion at this point, and even if Rivera isn’t the best tactician when lined up against the likes of Bill Belichick and others, he pushed all the right buttons this season. Everywhere you turn is a mention of Rivera’s “steady hand”, and that is noteworthy, but beyond that, he avoided the costly mistakes that many (including another candidate in Andy Reid) often fall prey to during the course of a season.

Having the league MVP is nice, but Rivera deserves real credit here.

Runner-up: Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings

2015 NFL Most Valuable Player

Cam Newton, QB Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers were the highest scoring offense in the NFL this season, averaging 31.3 points per game.

The Carolina Panthers utilized Ted Ginn Jr., Corey Brown, Devin Funchess and Jericho Cotchery as their top four wide receivers throughout the season.

That, of course, is a simplification of why Cam Newton deserves the MVP nod, but it isn’t a crazy one. Newton was saddled with a largely impotent cast of receivers, and while he does have an upper-tier tight end (Greg Olsen) and a strong running back (Jonathan Stewart), no one would mistake his offensive line for a fantastic unit, either.

Newton rushed for 636 yards and ten touchdowns this season, and that is perhaps the biggest illustration of the difference between his candidacy and that of Tom Brady or Carson Palmer. However, it wasn’t as if Cam Newton generated all of his value on the ground, as he connected on 35 touchdown passes against just ten interceptions while achieving full-on breakout status as a pocket passer.

It certainly helps that his team finished 15-1, but even at 13-3, Cam Newton would have been deserving of this award, and he was the best player in the league this season on balance. It was Cam’s year.

Runner-up: Tom Brady, QB New England Patriots