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PatsProp – End Of Season Awards

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(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

With the 2020 season now in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to reflect and recognize the brighter moments of an otherwise disappointing year for the Patriots.

As voted by the readers of PatsPropaganda, here are the PatsProp 2020 – End Of Season award winners.

Rookie Of The Year

(T) Michael Onwenu

(AP Photo/Stew Milne)

After being picked in the sixth round of this year’s Draft, there were no major expectations for Mike Onwenu to make the sort of impact he did in his rookie season. But, following the opt-out of starting RT Marcus Cannon, Onwenu enjoyed his first season in New England splitting reps with Jermaine Eluemunor and making quite the impression across the league in the process.

PFF ranked Onwenu on a number of occasions as one of the best performing Tackles in the league during the season, as well as his inclusion in the PPF 2020 All-Rookie Team.

A great building season for Mike, with potential turnover at the offensive line position coming in the next few months, Bill will be pleased with the early performances from the former Michigan Wolverine.

2nd Place – Kyle Dugger

Team MVP

(P) Jake Bailey

(Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)

No surprise here, Jake Bailey has been a stand out performer for this Patriots team in 2020. Coming off a solid rookie season, Bailey continued to execute enormous punts (there were a lot of them), aiding the team with better field position in the process.

His performances also earned him a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection, his first in both categories. Along with punting, Bailey also handled placekick holding and kickoff duties. I started the #ProBowlBailey bandwagon back in training camp and I’m glad the readers chose him to receive the team’s MVP award.

A real Swiss army knife as a specialist, what a great player.

2nd Place – Damien Harris

Offensive POTY

(RB) Damien Harris

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Cries from Patriots fans for a Damien Harris breakout year were answered in Week 4 again Kansas City, Harris started that game in the place of an injured Sony Michel and secured his first career 100-yard performance on the ground.

Although his season was cut short at the end due to an injury, Harris still managed to rack up 691 yards on the ground, along with two touchdowns, a promising second-season, as many see him as new leader at the position.

Harris, along with Jakobi Meyers were the only real good offensive breakout performances this year. Both were worthy of the OPOTY award, but Harris edges it in the reader vote.

2nd Place – Jakobi Meyers

Defensive POTY

(CB) J.C. Jackson

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

An obvious choice was confirmed in the voting this time, unlike his ridiculous Pro Bowl and All-Pro snub, J.C. Jackson has been an interception machine this season, and wrapped up his impressive haul against the Jets last Sunday with his ninth pick.

Jackson, originally an undrafted free agent, has excelled to one of the league’s best cornerbacks, along with Stephon Gilmore. Some may argue that Jackson’s picks covered up for some discrepancies in his play this year, which may be true, but results matter, and Jackson snagging almost double-digit interceptions in just one season is a cause for celebration.

J.C. is a restricted free agent this offseason, expect the patriots to place a tender on him and potentially look to a long-term deal, or a trade-in the coming year.

2nd Place – Stephon Gilmore

Comeback/Emergence POTY

(C) David Andrews

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

No real surprise with this one. After coming back from a near career-ending health emergency, David Andrews returned and was, for the most part, a solid rock at the heart of the Patriots offensive line.

Missing Andrews was felt last season and, along with Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason next to him, he put together some solid performances which enabled the run game to flourish at times. Andrews is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and with Thuney expected to leave, retaining Andrews should be a high priority for the Patriots.

The fans felt his return, as they chose him as the comeback player of the year.

The Propies: 2016 Patriots Regular Season Awards

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No gameplan article this week, unless you consider sitting on your couch watching some stress-free playoff football a gameplan. Instead today I’ll be handing out a bunch of “Propies” for the regular season awards, honoring the the superlative performances from the 2016 Patriots.

Yes, the next month will truly determine where the 2016 Patriots place in history will be, but if 2007 taught me anything, it’s that appreciating the regular season is what makes being a football fan the most fun. Let’s face it, the playoffs are stressful. Almost too stressful. And more often than not they’re going to end in bitter disappointment.

But can anyone at this point really feel disappointed? We got the Deflategate suspension over with, lost only Gronk to injury (still significant, but not what we saw in 2013 or 2015), and finished the regular season off in dominant fashion that gives every indication this Patriots team will come out with something to prove the next (hopefully) three games.

The Patriots dynasty continues to roll on with another 14-2 season in books!

Without further ado, we’re on to the Propies!

[Read more…] about The Propies: 2016 Patriots Regular Season Awards

Handing out midseason New England Patriots awards – ESPN Boston

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Handing out midseason New England Patriots awards – ESPN Boston

Great stuff in here, and I have to say my opinions line up a little closer with Field Yates’.

My choices:

Offensive MVP: Tom Brady

It hasn’t been his best season stats-wise and it might be easy to overlook him, but Brady has stood tall in the face of unprecedented adversity and come through with some clutch moments despite some inconsistency.

Defensive MVP: Devin McCourty

The back end of the Patriots defense has been a major problem since 2010, but now with McCourty back there, the Pats haven’t been hemorrhaging passing yards any more. We knew a full offseason working at safety would help. McCourty’s been one of the best in the NFL.

Rookie of the Year: Chris Jones

Little debate about this one, Jones has been outstanding replacing Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly. With his interior rushing skills he should be a long-term fixture on the defense. He should be even better with a rotation around him.

Game of the Year: Saints

There hasn’t been a last-minute miracle win like this one for the Pats in a long time. Certainly wasn’t a perfect game and left us with concerns, but it showed the Pats once again have a fearless team that will fight until the end.

Best Coaching Decision: Cover 1 Robber Defense

Look back at the tape of when the Pats were getting shredded in recent seasons and almost always you’ll see soft zone coverage. Maybe it’s been Aqib Talib or maybe it’s just the better talent all over, but the Pats have been primarily a man-to-man defense and it’s made a big difference. Steve Gregory excels in the robber role, coming down into the box against the run or to cut off the short inside routes. They still don’t get over-aggressive but they have the corners to execute the scheme and the results are clear.

Unsung Hero: Michael Hoomanawanui

I’m with Reiss on this one, Hooman has come through with a few big catches playing 71.1 percent of the offensive snaps. That could dip a bit now with Rob Gronkowski back, but the Hooman did an admirable job playing a big role.

Second-Half Player to Watch: Aqib Talib

I’m excited to see what Shane Vereen does, but I think the Patriots playoff hopes live or die with Talib’s ability to be the shutdown corner he was early this season. If he can do that the Pats will be a very tough out.