Cowboys: An Election Day Look at the Candidates
On this election day, let’s take a moment to enjoy all of the Dallas Cowboys candidates who could win their “elections” when it is time for postseason NFL awards.
Let’s look at Offensive Rookie of The Year. The Dallas Cowboys right now have two candidates with strong platforms who could win rookie of the year.
Ezekiel Elliot has to be the lead vote-getter at this stage of the season. He leads the NFL in rushing yards, third in rushing touchdowns, most 20+ rushes, and third in all-purpose yards.
Dak Prescott has quite a bit to say in his platform for why he should be rookie of the year as well. He has led a team that was terrible last season, to a 7-1 record this season. Prescott also has set records for rookie quarterbacks.
MVP Award
In the MVP race, both Prescott and Elliot should get some consideration if the Cowboys win out. However, the real winners should be the offensive line. While it has never happened for MVP, the offensive line should be seriously considered. They have dominated every team they have faced and is getting better by the week.
Elliot and Prescott, however, will certainly lead in the polls.
Coach of the Year
In Coach of the Year, Jason Garrett has to be the front-runner at this point. He has taken a terrible Dallas Cowboys team of 2015 and made them the cream of the crop in 2016. Sure, some of that was the draft picks of Prescott and Elliot, but he is the head coach. When the team performs poorly he gets the blame, so it only seems fair he should get some of the credit for his success, as well.
Garrett has to be the front-runner and it looks to be a landslide victory.
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Comeback Player of the Year
There is one race where a Cowboy has been quietly taking votes away. For Comeback Player of the Year, Morris Claiborne has to be in the conversation.
His play has been stellar and looks every bit the first round selection the Cowboys thought they were getting. Even with a recent injury, if he can finish the season strong, there is no reason he isn’t in the conversation.
Defensive Player of the Year
There isn’t anyone who stands out as Defensive Player of the Year, but this defense as a whole should be considered comeback players of the year. They have far exceeded anyone’s expectations, and no one saw this coming.
They have been strong when they needed to be and have been able to close out games. The defense and coach Rod Marinelli need all the credit we can give, even if they won’t be in the discussion for awards.
Of course, this is only halfway through the season. The Cowboys still have to close out the season and perform well in the playoffs. All of the awards and personal trophies won’t matter if they don’t win the Lombardi. The Dallas Cowboys are one of the favorites for the Lombardi at this point, but there is still a lot of football to play.
Next: Cowboys Raise Expectations
If only we could vote on the NFL awards. This is one election cycle, however, the Dallas Cowboys should be involved in heavily. For the first eight games of the NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys look to be one of the favorites, but there are still eight “debates” to go. At least we can still put the signs in our yards and let everyone know who we support. Vote Dallas Cowboys!