Arizona Cardinals 2015 postseason awards

Cardinals Offensive Player of the Year

Again, there are several guys here you could make an easy case for.  Logic would tell you the offense doesn’t move up and down the field without the captain, quarterback Carson Palmer. You can’t argue with his numbers.  I think had Chris Johnson or David Johnson played full time all season, one of them could have this award.  I think though you have to look to the other comeback kid in 2015, receiver Larry Fitzgerald. He seemingly was going in a downward career spiral and then he got a contract extension in the off-season.  He rewarded the Cardinals with a 1,215 yards, nine touchdown season.  Clearly he isn’t ready to retire. – Scott

Collective wisdom says that this should be Carson Palmer, and if I had written this in a snap judgement it might have been, but the more I think about it, the more it is Larry Fitzgerald. His states weren’t the best of his career by far, but nothing to scoff at, 109 receptions for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns with an average of 11.1 yards per reception. This doesn’t even count the massive 176 yards and a touchdown in the NFC Divisional Game that we’ll be talking about for years. Fitzgerald fully embraced the move to the slot, his blocking, his ability to identify what is going on on the play are just two reasons why he is the offensive player of the year. One example stand out: Against the Vikings in mid-December, the Vikings had broken coverage on both Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald to the point they were both wide open. Palmer throws the ball in that direction and Floyd catches the ball, from there Fitz’s key block opens up the sideline for Floyd to score. Being an offensive weapon doesn’t mean always running it into the end zone, it means helping the team score, and this season, Larry Fitzgerald was the epitome of offensive. – Erich

Carson Palmer hands down. Nothing makes this more evident than comparing the 10 games played without him last season compared to the full season he played this year. Playing the NFL’s 5th hardest schedule, while coming off of his second ACL tear, Palmer threw for 4671 yards and 35 touchdowns, both career highs. As a reward for his excellent play, Palmer was named to All-Pro Second Team and is in the running to win the NFL MVP award. While Larry Fitzgerald is a tremendous offensive talent, it is Palmer who helped Fitzgerald have his first 1000 yard receiving season and once again become one of the NFL’s deadliest weapons. In addition to his improvement as a passer, he has also surprisingly been able to move effectively in and out of the pocket to avoid the pass rush. While his season ended in disappointing fashion, there will be no one more eager to have another shot at a Super Bowl.

Honorable Mention: Larry Fitzgerald, Jared Veldheer, Mike Iupati – Vijay

Running back Chris Johnson.  Many would say Carson Palmer, but I need to say someone who is a very unpopular pick for the Offensive Player of the Year. Chris Johnson really carried the load for the Cardinals (before an injury in week 12 against the 49ers), and showed the resilience that the Cardinals needed in the running game. He rushed 196 times, 814 yards, and 3 touchdowns, while showing great power and agility. I like him as a darkhorse, not that he is the MVP of the Cardinals, but he is my Offensive Player of the Year. – Johnathan 

Next: Cardinals MVP