I know it has not been decided yet; but Sunday pretty much sealed the deal.
There were three front runners for the rookie of the year award and they all played on Sunday. Andrew Luck and his Colts were clobbered by the Ravens. RG3 lost a tough one after a knee injury against the Seahawks. While, Russell Wilson, the rookie quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks led his team to victory. In fact he threw the final block that led to Lynch’s touchdown.
It was a tight race to begin with, but the Seattle win pushes Wilson ahead.
Why?
Well, because everyone loves a winner.
Luck may have been the number one draft pick but he was never popular enough, and now his team has also been eliminated. Luck was below the radar this entire season. He had no major sponsorships that would provide him with a high profile. Nor did he win over the media with a glowing personality in press conferences. While Luck does hold the record for the most passing yards this is not enough to win the NFL rookie award. Especially in contrast to his interception record; which he shares with Mark Sanchez.
RG3 seemed to be ahead in the race. He had the fame, he was exciting to watch, and he was successful as a quarterback. He holds many sponsorships, including Adidas and Subway. He was also always in the news with his conflicts with the NFL over his loyalty to Adidas. RG3 exhibited a very charismatic personality this season. Finally, he’s really good at his job. He can throw, he can run, and he brought his team to the playoffs. However, his team’s elimination from the playoffs lowers his value in the award race.
Wilson is the dark horse in this race. He was the 12th pick in the 3rd round by the Seahawks. He doesn’t have any major sponsorships. No one predicted that he would be the next Elway. There were no expectations on Wilson like there were on Luck and RG3. It is because of the lack of expectations and the unforeseen talent that Wilson has exhibited that make him the number one candidate for rookie of the year.
