The NFL's annual awards show offered good news for Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins but disappointing results for Zach Thomas
The Miami Dolphins brought the award to the annual NFL Honors Show for the third time in four years, although it was again not one of the significant awards.
In fact, it was the least significant with all due respect to Christian Wilkins, who earned Bud Light Celie of the Year for his celebration when he toucheddown at a small reception against the New York Jets in Week 15. .
Now, it was clearly great that a grown man was doing the worm and a little break dancing in the end zone after leaping into the stands, though the prolonged celebration saw the Dolphins line up for an extra point. Forced to do so so that delay does not get penalized.
Since we mentioned it, the Dolphins were recognized for Play of the Year in both 2018 and 2019, first with "Miracle in Miami" and then "Mountaineer Shot."
All told, we'll cut Wilkins some slack, especially since he was far from the big story with him at touchdown fest 2021, as it was his massive improvement in his third season, to the point where he's a fundamentalist for the Dolphins. pieces were made. Defense.
For this, the Dolphins will have to decide before May 3 whether to opt for a fifth-year option on Wilkins' rookie contract and that is very likely to happen. We are not sure if that was the case before the 2021 season.
Waddell and Rookie Award
That wide receiver Jaylen Waddle won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award was no surprise as Jammer Chase was a slam dunk, but we must say we were surprised by the turnout.
Remember that the AP Awards are awarded by a vote of 50 media members who selected just one winner for each category.
So Chase got 42 out of 50 votes, which was no surprise, but then Patriots QB Mack Jones was runner-up with five votes, followed by Chiefs center Creed Humphrey with two votes and the Chargers one vote for Rashwan Slater. .
Notice someone is missing from that list?
Yes, the man who set the NFL rookie record with 104 catches, finished eighth in the league in 2021, and was named team MVP.
Jones was an interesting choice here for five voters who chose him because he was a middle-of-the-pack quarterback (15th in passer ratings), although he was a starter for a team that made the playoffs.
The weirdness of the whole thing was that Weddle was announced as one of the three finalists for the prize, along with Chase and Jones.
This brings us to our last point about Waddle, and it comes from new head coach Mike McDaniel when he was asked about his level of enthusiasm about working with the wide receiver.
"Look at the yards after the catch in San Francisco," he replied. "That should tell you how excited I am."
The 49ers averaged 6.5 yards after catches in 2021 and the figure ranks first in the NFL. NFL leader in average yards after catches among wide receivers was Deebo Samuel, who, yes, played for the 49ers.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, were 30th with an average of 4.3 yards after catches, and their leading wide receiver in that category was Waddle, who ranked 89th among all NFL players at 4.22.
Zack Thomas and the Hall of Fame Snub
To understand how Zach Thomas was made to wait at least one more year before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one has to understand the process.
Simply put, with a few exceptions everyone has to wait their turn.
And as Dolphins fans are upset today that Thomas was not among the five modern-day inductees revealed Thursday night, understand that the same sentiments were for Saints and Panthers fans, who called for the inclusion of Sam Mills or for the Jaguars. had waited for a long time. Fans who waited long enough to see Tony Bocelli join, or Packers fans who waited long enough for Leroy Butler to get their turn.
It doesn't necessarily have to be perfect, but it is what it is.
And, unfortunately, Thomas is not viewed as a slam dunk by 49 Hall of Fame voters, which includes one voter representing each team and 17 at-large voters.
On the resume alone, it's easy to argue that Thomas should be based on his seven All-Pro selections from Mills (first five teams, two seconds) compared to Mills' five or five from his seven Pro Bowls. I should have moved on. 10 seasons in the top 10 in total tackles, compared to Mills' two.
But it was the final year of Mills' eligibility as a candidate for the modern era, and it could have made a difference in the final analysis.
It won't be easy for Thomas to be inducted next year either, as the list of first-year Hall of Fame nominees includes Darrell Revis, Joe Thomas, Dwight Freeney and James Harrison.