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L.A. Rams Regular Season Awards

By Pete Camarillo
Published on: 09:08 PST, Jan 14, 2017

The L.A. Rams (4-12) finished their first season since relocating to Los Angeles without a playoff berth.

L.A. recently hired a new head coach via Sean McVay, per multiple reports, since they fired head coach Jeff Fisher in the middle of the season.

The Rams also premiered No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff in 2016. Here are some more highs and lows via the Rams’ regular season awards.

MVP and Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Donald

Is there any other question as to who the most valuable player is on the L.A. Rams?

Donald’s statistics took a step back in 2016. He registered eight sacks and two forced fumbles in 2016. His sack total was a career-low.

However, he visibly impacted games for L.A. Despite facing constant double teams, Donald is a large reason for the Rams’ success. He led a defense that ranked ninth in yards per game.

Pro Football Focus once again graded Donald as the best defensive tackle in the game. He finished as the top graded interior defender by the subscription service. Donald also made another pro bowl.

Punter Johnny Hekker was the only other player from L.A. to make the Pro Bowl. He almost claimed the team MVP award, because he had the best season of any punter with more punts inside the 20, per multiple reports.

Hekker bailed out his offense and protected his defense via a 47.9 punt average. However, Donald surpasses Hekker based on his impact for the entire defense.

Outside of Donald, other key defensive players like Robert Quinn and Trumaine Johnson battled injuries. Donald was the most consistent and available defensive player throughout the season.

Considering the defense was one of the few bright spots on the team, it should not come as a surprise that Donald wins the team’s Defensive Player of The Year award and MVP.

Offensive Player of The Year: Kenny Britt

Hekker almost claimed this offensive award, because the Rams offense was that bad. They ranked last in the NFL for yards per game and total points.

Neither Rams quarterback deserves this award as both Case Keenum and Jared Goff ranked towards the bottom in QBR. Goff finished with a 22.9 QBR and Keenum registered a 43.5 QBR, per ESPN.

2015 rookie offensive player of the year Todd Gurley took steps back this season. He did not eclipse 1,000 rushing yards, despite playing in all 16 games. Gurley also averaged just 3.2 yards per carry.

As for receiver Kenny Britt, he was the lone bright spot on the Rams offense. Britt became the first Rams to surpass 1,000 yards in almost ten years, per ESPN. His 1,002 receiving yards was the most since Torry Holt in 2007.

He was a reliable possession receiver despite having different quarterbacks. Britt earns this award at the perfect time because he is a pending unrestricted free agent. L.A. Should look to keep the 28-year-old.

Best Rookie: Jared Goff

Jared Goff wins this award for the slew of draft picks it cost the team to acquire him. Goff only started seven games last year, but he failed to win a single game.

Goff flashed some glimpses of hope versus the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints. However, he was mostly unimpressive. See his weak quarterback rating above.

You can’t really blame Goff considering the weapons that surrounded him. Either way, he contributed more than any other rookie this season.

Breakout Player: Lance Kendricks

Again, I don’t want to give this terrible offense too much credit. However, tight end Lance Kendricks had a solid season.

He came one receiving yard short of surpassing 500 receiving yards for the season. Kendricks also registered two receiving touchdowns.

It was his best season since 2012. Kendricks has been mostly a blocking tight end, but he emerged as a consistent passing option.

Do not forget that L.A. did not have many passing options, so Kendricks was a welcomed breakout.

Biggest Flop: The Rams Front Office

The Rams front office was supposed to capture a market that was thirsty for football after a 20-year NFL vacancy.

Instead, they put out the last ranked offense and fired their coach with three games left on the schedule. Do not forget the whole Eric Dickerson issue that happened this season too.

L.A.’s front office wins this award for thinking the move to Los Angeles would be easy.

The Rams front office made the Jared Goff trade. This group was also responsible for firing Fisher after they extended him before the season. They gave Tavon Austin an extension and he did eclipse 1,000 yards receiving.

Further, this group expected Todd Gurley to be the same player without surrounding him with an improved offensive line.

Hence, the front office is the biggest flop because they sold this team as a winner.

At 4-12, the Rams did everything but win. The front office has a lot to do with that. Disorganization starts at the top.

[Featured Image by Duane Burleson/AP Images]

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