What about Bob?

One of the best things about this week is the announcements of individual awards from the Associated Press, as voted on by a panel of experts. I’m privileged to be one of those voters, so I’ll share my thoughts on some of the key votes:

Comeback player of the year. I had Chad Pennington of the Jets, and he won. A number of quality possibilities, including Drew Brees, who also came off shoulder surgery, and Carson Palmer, who returned from a torn ACL. But I gave Pennington the nod because it was not only his second shoulder surgery, but he had to go through a four-way competition in training camp just to get his job back. Throw in restructuring his contract for the benefit of the team, and he got my vote.

MVP: LaDainian Tomlinson got my vote, and he won it. Brees was my other major consideration, and without either guy, those teams do not come close to what they did. Why Tomlinson? Because it was a transcendent season – maybe the best he’ll ever put together, and certainly one of the best we’ve ever seen from a running back.

Coach of the Year: I went with Sean Payton (vote hasn’t been announced). A very, very close call with Eric Mangini of the Jets, but Mangini didn’t have to deal with the relocation of his team, the uncertainty of whether the franchise will be there long-term, and a massive rebuilding job, mostly with players who weren’t there last year. Take nothing away from Mangini, who did a brilliant job getting the Jets back to the playoffs. I just thought Payton had the more daunting task.

Defensive player of the year: Jason Taylor of the Dolphins got my vote, NOT Shawne Merriman. Taylor got the award. And yes, I factored in the suspension Merriman was given during the season for violating the league’s steroids policy. Plain and simple: The guy got caught trying to increase his speed and strength with a banned substance. I don’t care if he ingested it unknowningly, or if it was mixed in with supplements. The guy got caught cheating, period. He is a great player and he will win this award one day, but now is not the right time.

Here’s the rest of my ballot:

OFFENSE:

WR (2): Marvin Harrison, Laveranues Coles.

TE (1): Tony Gonzalez.

T (2): Willie Anderson, Walter Jones.

G (2): Brian Waters, Shawn Andrews.

C (1): Olin Kreutz.

QB (1): Drew Brees.

RBs (2): LaDainian Tomlinson, Tiki Barber.

FBs (1): Lorenzo Neal.

Place Kicker (1): Matt Stover.

Kick Returner (1): Devin Hester.

DEFENSE:

DE (2): Jason Taylor, Aaron Schobel.

DT (2): Kevin Williams, John Henderson.

OLB (2): Audalius Thomas, DeMarcus Ware.

ILB (2): Brian Urlacher, DeMeco Ryans.

CB (2): Champ Bailey, Assante Samuel.

S (2): Brian Dawkins, Kerry Rhodes.

Punter (1): Brian Moorman.

The awards

Most Valuable Player: LaDainian Tomlinson.

Comeback Player: Chad Pennington.

Defensive Rookie: DeMeco Ryans.

Offensive Rookie: Marques Colston.

Defensive Player: Jason Taylor.

Offensive Player: LaDainian Tomlinson.

Coach: Sean Payton.