At the end of the regular season, the NFL has a handful of awards that they give out to their players based on performance. Instead of looking at the whole league though, we’re just going to look at the Jets.
There are six awards to give out to players and coaches for their contributions to the 2019 season. That includes Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and Least Valuable Player of the Year.
Let’s take a look at the team awards for the Jets in 2019.
Offensive Player of the Year: Jamison Crowder
Jamison Crowder was expected to have a big role in the slot this season and he lived up to those expectations.
Crowder was the Jets’ leading receiver with 78 catches for 833 yards and six touchdowns. He also was targeted the most with 122 targets. Not only was Crowder the best offensive player, but he was the most consistent. Crowder had at least two catches in every game this season and was targeted heavily every week.
The 26-year-old fit well in Adam Gase’s offense as he was used in a variety of different ways. He was used as a vertical threat and was great at going from sideline-to-sideline. Overall, in an offense that struggled the entire year, Crowder was the one player that stood out from the rest.
Defensive Player of the Year: Jamal Adams
Undoubtedly, the Defensive Player of the Year goes to the Jets’ First-Team All-Pro Safety Jamal Adams.
Adams put together another fantastic season in his third year out of LSU. Adams led the Jets in solo tackles (61) and tackles for loss (13.5), while was tied for pass defenses (7), and forced fumbles (2). He did this all while missing two games too.
The star safety has established himself as the best player on the entire team. Week in and week out, he’s out there giving it his all and making big-time plays. No one can ever question his effort level on the field and his production is absolutely phenomenal.
Rookie of the Year: Kyle Phillips
Out of all the Jets rookies on the roster this season, Kyle Phillips is not the one you expected to have the best season.
Phillips went undrafted out of Tennessee and was signed by the Jets after the draft. He made the 53-man roster and had a solid season. In 15 games, Phillips had 39 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss and a pass defense.
Given all of the defensive ends on the roster, it didn’t seem like there would be a lot of playing time for Phillips. However, Gregg Williams did a great job of rotating all of his defensive lineman and Phillips made the most of his opportunities in his rookie season.
Coach of the Year: Gregg Williams
No coach did more with very little than Gregg Williams and his defense.
Williams’ defense was 16th in points allowed per game, 7th in total yards allowed, 17th against the pass and second against the run. His unit was hit with a ton of injuries, especially at linebacker and cornerback. But Williams coached up his players and got them to make huge contributions.
Williams is the best coach for this Jets defense, probably since Rex Ryan was the head coach. His defense could’ve folded easily with the amount of injuries it had, but instead it was the main reason why this team finished 7-9 on the year.
Comeback Player of the Year: Marcus Maye
After being plagued by injuries in 2018, Marcus Maye returned to form in 2019.
Maye played a full season after only playing in six games last year. He had 79 total tackles, one forced fumble, two interceptions and two pass defenses. While Jamal Adams was always at the line of scrimmage, Maye was out in center field making sure no one got past him. Not many safeties are asked to lockdown as much space as Maye does.
Maye is so overlooked because of what Adams does on a weekly basis. But Maye is one of the better safeties in this league because he does things that don’t always standout on tape.
Least Valuable Player of the Year: Henry Anderson
Henry Anderson had a breakout season in 2018, but 2019 was a difficult one for him.
Anderson was rewarded with a hefty contract after a seven-sack season, only to follow it up with one sack the following season. Meanwhile, he had 25 total tackles and three tackles for loss. Anderson was battling through a shoulder injury for the majority of season, but he didn’t display that same pass-rushing ability like he did last year.
He was expected to build off his career year, but instead was one of the bigger disappointments for the Jets.
