Fansided NFL’s 2011 Season Awards: Offensive Rookie of the Year

A group of writers around the Fansided Network, myself included, submitted ballots for 2011 NFL postseason awards. The votes have been tallied and the results are in. What NFL players came out on top in the categories of Defensive Rookie of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and the coveted NFL MVP.

Earlier today, we announced the recipient of the Fansided NFL 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Now, we stay with first-year players, but move to the offensive side of the ball.

The Fansided NFL 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year seemed to be a no-brainer when you look at the voting. Winning in a landslide was Carolina Panthers quarterback, Cam Newton. While he did not lead the Panthers to a postseason appearance or even a winning record, Newton put together one of the most impressive rookie campaigns in recent memory.

Newton flew out of the gates and started his NFL career with a big bang. He fired off back-to-back 400-yard passing games against the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. During his first-year in the league, Newton threw for over 350-yards an impressive 3 times.

The first-overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft tallied a mind-blowing 4,051 yards in his rookie year. Newton also added 706 yards rushing and accounted for 35 total touchdowns — 21 through the air and 14 on the ground. Newton was key to the Panthers success and he still is nowhere close to reaching his ceiling as a professional quarterback.

Newton has the potential to be a truly great player and he will only grow with experience. He is one of the most exciting young players in the league and spells great things for the future of the Carolina Panthers.

Second-place in voting belonged to Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller Andy Dalton. Dalton led the Bengals to a playoff appearance and more than exceeded everyone’s expectation for the young Cincy squad. In third place was Dalton’s teammate and go-to receiver, AJ Green.

Dalton and Green connected 65 times this season for 1,057 yards and 7 touchdowns. This dynamic duo will only grow together through their careers and be one of the scariest quarterback-receiver combos for opposing defenses a few years down the road.

Thanks to their impressive play from the rookies, Cincinnati has a bright future ahead.

Tune in tomorrow for the announcement of the Defensive Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. On Friday, we will be rolling out the Fansided NFL 2011 NFL MVP. Make sure you are paying close attention.

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