Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Throughout the 2012 season the talk has surrounded the rookie players and who will win the award for rookie of the year. Though there are a few running backs that could be considered for the award, more than likely the rookie of the year will be a quarterback since it is the top position in football and the leader of the team.
At the start, the talk surrounded the first two picks of the draft in Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Since then, Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has stormed the scene with some amazing performances as he has led his team to the playoffs and an 11-win season.
The stats and performances by these quarterbacks have been outstanding and have made it very difficult to figure out who deserves the award. Luck has brought a team that ended last season with only two wins and turned them into a playoff team while displaying impressive numbers (4,374 passing yards and 23 touchdowns) in the process.
Griffin also led his team from a terrible season to a playoff berth while also having the best passer rating among the three rookies (102.4). On top of an impressive rating, Griffin only threw five interceptions all year to go along with his 20 touchdown passes. All of this into consideration along with his ability to run that ball has made him a problem for all opposing defenses.
As for Wilson, he was not too far behind Griffin with a passer rating of 100 at the end of the regular season. Though he did throw 10 interceptions, his 26 touchdown passes overshadow that small fact. Wilson has made an incredible case for rookie of the year and if the playoffs are to be considered in the award race, he is the only remaining rookie quarterback in the running for a championship.
Yes, Griffin did suffer an injury during the playoff game versus the Seahawks that could have changed the outcome, but never the less–Wilson was the only rookie to pick up his first career win in the playoffs last weekend.
