Yesterday we decided who the Redskins Offensive MVP should be for 2011. The people's choice was veteran wide receiver Jabar Gaffney who finished the year with nearly 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. The Offensive MVP was depressing to some, but today we'll touch on the other side of the ball and their should be some more exciting candidates.
Brian Orakpo: Orakpo led the team in sacks this year with nine, while starting every game for the Skins. He also had a career high in tackles (60), forced fumbles (3), fumble recoveries (1), and passes defended (5). I'd speculate he would have gone to the Pro Bowl as an alternate if it wasn't for his recent surgery.
Ryan Kerrigan: The selection of Kerrigan had many Skins fans scratching their heads on draft day, but so far he has turned out to be a stud. Kerrigan was the only Skins player to play every, single snap on defense. For the year Kerrigan had 7.5 sacks, an interception for a touchdown, 64 tackles, four forced fumbles, and four passes defended.
London Fletcher: All the old man did was lead the league in tackles, with 166, and make the Pro Bowl. The 36 year old also had two interceptions, 1.5 sacks, eight passes defended, and two forced fumbles while anchoring the Skins defense.
Stephen Bowen: In his first year as a Redskin, Bowen registered six sacks and 41 tackles while starting every game at defensive end.
Barry Cofield: Cofield doesn't have the worlds most impressive stat-line with three sacks, 26 tackles, a fumble recovery, and eight passes defended. But the impact that Cofield made as this team's nose tackle cannot be overstated. Cofield knocked the Ma'ake Kemoeatu stank right out of our mouth in Week 1.
Josh Wilson: We have to throw someone in from the secondary, right? Wilson gets on the list by default. His year wasn't too dissimilar from DeAngelo Hall, but I feel as if Wilson had more of positive impact on the season. He finished the year with two interceptions, 15 passes defended, 63 tackles, and a fumble recovery. Wilson returned kicks in both Baltimore and Seattle, it would be interesting to see him get a similar chance here.
My Pick: It's hard to go against London, but I just love what Ryan Kerrigan did in his first year and the lunch pail attitude he brought to the Skins. His Week 1 touchdown versus the Giants was one of the biggest highlights of the year and he was a game-changer. Question to ponder for the future: how much of Kerrigan's success is a result of Orakpo being on the other side?