With the new NFL season impending, NFL fans are surely excited about their favorite players hitting the field. For many fans, they haven’t seen their “boys” hit the field since November and December, for other winning teams (like our very own Tampa Bay Buccaneers) we haven’t seen them since their Super Bowl win in February.
With our first game slated to be this upcoming Thursday against the Cowboys, I got to thinking about all the possible awards our boys in Red and Orange may be able to take home this year, on account of their superb playing abilities.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that others in the NFL are less worthy. But c’mon, we’re talking about the Buccaneers here; a team stacked to the hilts with superstar power and impending breakout players. With this in mind, I got to thinking about which awards I can see one of our players taking home at the NFL awards next year.
First off, we have one of my favorite players on the Buccaneers, let alone in the NFL; Antonio Brown. As I stated in one of my earlier articles, I really do believe Brown will have a breakout season, and gain more than 1000 yards, as well as score more than 10 touchdowns this season. For this reason, I am nominating him for the Walter Payton Comeback Player of the Year.
It’s easy to forget that Brown is only three years removed from a pro-bowl season, in which he had 15 touchdowns. Brown is an exciting, talented, and skilled player, who still has a lot of juice left. It also doesn’t hurt that he has the G.O.A.T (Tom Brady) throwing to him.
Next up we have a player who I believe could take home NFL defensive player of the year honors this year if he continues to grow his game the way he has over his past three seasons in Tampa Bay; Jason Pierre-Paul.
Pierre-Paul is one of my all-time favorites, as I started really following him during his years with the New York Giants. Over the past three seasons with the Buccaneers, Pierre-Paul has delivered 30.5 sacks. Last season he also added 2 interceptions, with a total of 15 yards gained. Although he is getting up there in age, I think Pierre-Paul hits his peak this year and wins the NFL honor for the best defensive player.
Lastly, we have none other than Tom Brady taking home the Clutch Performer award. If you search up clutch in the dictionary, a picture of Tom Brady comes up. Ever since that comeback Super-Bowl wins over the Falcons in 2017, Brady has been synonymous with the word clutch. I believe he builds on his championship-winning season last year, succeeds with the chemistry the team has built over the year, and has one of his best seasons to date.
What do you think? Who do you see bringing home an NFL Award? Let me know in the comments below!