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Column: Packers’ Rodgers is MVP ... best player on the best team

Packers' Aaron Rodgers is the heavy favorite to be named NFL Most Valuable Player this season.
Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, celebrating on Christmas Day, is the heavy favorite to be named NFL Most Valuable Player this season.
(Matt Ludtke / Associated Press)

And Vrabel gets Sezzie for Coach of the Year for leading Titans to top seed after losing Henry

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Sez Me …

The ultra-reliable firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu has secured the single Sezzie Awards ballot, counted it, and has delivered it to me by drone.

In case you are unaware — and I believe most of you are — The Sezzies annually go to NFL players, coaches and administrators chosen by me, and now are universally accepted as the platinum standard among all trophies, even though they’re made out of fusilli pasta. But unlike others, they can be boiled.

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So without further ado, and taking into account these only involve the regular season, I present the winners:

Most Valuable Player: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay

I understand Bruce Arians said Tom Brady not being MVP is the biggest joke since: “Grasshopper walks into a bar. Bartender says, ‘Hey, we have a drink named after you.’ Grasshopper says, ‘You have a drink named Steve?’”

Tom always seems deserving, but not this time. Despite his foibles — and missing a game after lying about being vaccinated — Rodgers, who has revealed the Woody Woodpecker instigator side of himself, had the best year on the best team.

Nothing left to say about Aaron. He doesn’t throw picks (37 TDs, 4 INTs, astonishing at any level). He’s the most precise thrower I’ve seen and will be MVP in the AP balloting, which ranks No. 2 to the Sezzies. Arians doesn’t have a vote.

Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel, Tennessee

The thinking was the Titans would collapse like a toddler’s souffle when The League’s greatest load, tailback Derrick Henry, went down with a bad foot after gaining 937 yards and 10 scores in eight games. But they finished 12-5 and secured the AFC playoff bye. Henry has returned. Not an easy play, the Titans.

Rich Bisaccia, who, despite the Vegas turmoil somehow got the Raiders into the playoffs, deserves consideration. He probably won’t get the permanent job (Vegas splash, you know), but should (a good man). The Texans fired David Culley, who inherited another mess (without Deshaun Watson), and winning four games with that bunch is worthy of the Vatican bulletin board. The Packers’ Matt LaFleur is vastly underrated.

Offensive Player of the Year: Cooper Kupp, wide receiver, Rams

For whatever reason, MVP is different from this category, but that’s OK. Kupp won the receiving triple crown — yards, TDs and catches. If Henry hadn’t been hurt, he might have been MVP — or won this.

Defensive Player of the Year: T.J. Watt, rush end, Pittsburgh

Watt tied Michael Strahan’s all-time single-season sacks record with 221/2. Strahan did it in 16 games, and while this season went 17, T.J. played in just 15.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ja’Marr Chase, wide receiver, Cincinnati

Chase opted out of his final year at LSU and despite the inactivity easily became one of the NFL’s top pass catchers. He caught 81 passes for 1,455 yards and three TDs — and had 11 for 266 and three scores vs. the Chiefs. Judases left tackle Rashawn Slater was exceptional, as was Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle, and Chiefs center Creed Humphrey.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons, linebacker, Dallas

Not even close. He excelled at every position he was told to play. In the dialogue for Defensive Player of the Year.

Executive of the Year: Bill Belichick, coach, New England

The great coach is not known for his ability to draft, but he’s the real GM and somehow finds the pieces. And after a bad 2020, he went out and spent more offseason free agent dough — and spent it wisely — than anyone. He got to the playoffs with a rookie QB — Mac Jones, who is not Brady, but available.

Comeback Player of the Year: Joe Burrow, quarterback, Cincinnati

Dak Prescott is second. Burrow played better.

Now, let’s join master of crashers Dion Rich at the Governors Ball. Masks required. …

Great moments in Judases history. What’s worse: Brandon Staley going for it fourth-and-2 from his own 18 down three in the second quarter, or Marty Schottenheimer’s gem: “We had a great fourth-and-11 play.” …

J’s-Raiders was the best game of the year — for about 15 minutes. …

I hate to say this, but Anthony Lynn probably wins that game. …

Staley says his defense must improve. He did not say, “One must breathe to live,” but we get the message. His D allowed 179 fourth-quarter points. That’s only 10-plus per game. …

Staley had the Judases’ best special teams unit in years, so it was only proper to fire “teams” coach Derius Swinton. …

Brandon can’t remain a head coach driving the team bus down this road and stopping to throw his players under it. Fingers are capable of pointing both ways. …

Coach what you have, Brandon. …

The Bills led the NFL in almost every defensive category. Not one Pro Bowler. Must have been coaching. …

From Clark Judge: Patrick Mahomes is 5-0 in Mile High Stadium. Drew Lock is 5-5. …

Vic Fangio’s problem was that John Elway couldn’t find a quarterback at a family reunion. …

If the Patriots played every game in Miami, they’d be the Jaguars. …

Hard to remember a worse loss than the Colts to Jags. Well, maybe Judases-Texans. …

Watson made $620,000 for every game he missed — which was 17. …

Why can’t so many DBs be coached to turn their heads around? Must be like punt returners. …

How hard is it for coaches to have plays with the quarterback under center and a sneak in their playbooks? Short runs out of the shotgun are the manure created by a herd of angry bison on Catalina. …

Teams should hire route-master Charlie Joiner to teach most every modern pass catcher/dropper exactly where the first-down markers are. Maybe the smartest receiver ever. …

Love the Rams bitching over 49ers fans filling up their Inglewood mansion. Why do their uber-fanatic followers sell their tickets to the opposition? The J’s, landlord Kroenke’s tenants, don’t complain. …

The Dolphins’ Brian Flores firing was a Bobby Ross-Bobby Beathard dustup repeat 25 years later. Head coach vs. general manager. GM usually wins. Same with Culley in Houston. …

Is this a good time for Brady to retire? The Bucs’ 2022 schedule outside their division: Rams, Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, Bengals, Ravens, Browns, Steelers, Packers, Chiefs, Cowboys. If he wins the Super Bowl after that, he’s good. …

The Rooney Rule is strictly followed for 11 months — January, when coaches are hired, being the exception. …

You know what it means when an NFL organization needs outside assistance to hire a coach or GM and may even hire said coach before naming a GM? Bad team, man. …

Among the 10 most-watched NFL games this season, five involved the Cowboys. …

Mightier 1090 radio now is an ESPN affiliate. Does it mean every show, even traffic, must begin with Cowboys stuff? …

UCLA has extended Chip Kelly‘s contract, possibly because the school is pleased he hasn’t said one word since the Holiday Bowl fiasco. …

The Aztecs had 20 players — a nearly fifth of their roster — out with COVID for the Mountain West championship vs. Utah State. They lost, but they played. …

San Diego State has had nearly 100,000 student applications, 50,000 of which are high school quarterbacks. …

Fran Fraschilla on officiating: “It’s the only profession that you have to start out perfect and improve from there.” …

Ronnie Spector’s remarkable voice has been silenced. Among all female singing group leaders — and there are some great ones — she was the best, my favorite. RIP. …

When Jon Lester’s name arrives on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, I will vote for him. So there. …

First repeat Stink O’ The Week Sezment winner: Novak Djokovic. …

Djokovic got a bad break when Australia didn’t accept his Visa, because it doesn’t take American Express, either. …

How much longer can I say, “He couldn’t block anybody in a phone booth,” without people wondering what the hell I’m talking about? …

I love the Winter Olympics. But if Beijing can hold the event, so can Vegas. Only a five-hour drive to Mammoth. …

Wish I said what Michael Berry said: “COVID did not cause craziness, it revealed it.” ...

Figures. When San Diego gets a tsunami, it’s small.

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