Bradford wins OROY and Suh wins DROY

Rams quarterback Sam Bradford top offensive rookie

(AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File)By BARRY WILNER

AP Pro Football Writer

DALLAS (AP) Top draft choice, top rookie.

St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford won The Associated Press 2010 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award on Friday.

The first overall selection in last year's draft, Bradford guided the Rams from the embarrassment of a 1-15 record to a 7-9 mark. In the weak NFC West, that was good enough to contend for the division title; St. Louis lost out on a tiebreaker to Seattle.

"I think the more I'm out there, the more comfortable I become," Bradford said. "It's been like that all year. There's been some ups, there's been some downs, but I feel like for the most part I've learned from my mistakes each week. I think the game's stating to slow down a little bit, but I really still have a long way to go before I'm as comfortable as I want to be."

The voters certainly were comfortable with Bradford's passing and leadership.

He earned 44 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. Only two other rookies received votes: Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Williams earned four, and Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pouncey had two.

Bradford is the fourth quarterback since 2004 to win the award. Before that, no quarterbacks had won it.

"If you asked me before the season, I probably wouldn't have said that we would have thrown the ball as much," Bradford said. "As a quarterback, you love to throw the football. So the fact that our coaching staff feels comfortable with the ball in my hands just gives me confidence. It makes me feel very good about going out there on Sundays."

Health was one of the major questions about Bradford when he came out of college.

He won the 2008 Heisman Trophy as a redshirt sophomore, when the Sooners lost to Florida for the national championship, then decided to stay at Oklahoma another season. It was cut short by an early shoulder injury and he barely played in 2009. Still, Bradford so impressed pro scouts in postseason workouts that he was a consensus No. 1 pick.

The questions about his durability remained, and he answered them by taking every snap this season. He threw 590 passes, completing 60 percent for 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

"I take a lot in that, especially coming off the shoulder injury last year and knowing that there were a lot of questions about my durability, about my ability to take hits in this league," Bradford said. "So the fact that I've been able to take every snap with this offense, I do take a lot of pride in that."

Bradford became the starter in training camp and never looked over that shoulder. Coach Steve Spagnuolo and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur placed their faith in him, and he came through like, well, a rookie of the year.

It didn't begin well - Bradford threw three interceptions and was sacked twice in a 17-13 loss to Arizona. But he began to hit his stride in midseason, at one point going four straight games and five of six without being picked off.

His best performances came in a 36-33 win over Denver, when he had three TD passes and a season-best 308 yards through the air, and in a 20-10 win over Carolina that featured 25-of-32 passing and two touchdowns.

"He's obviously extremely talented, and I think he works his fanny off to make sure that he does the right things and masters the game plan," said Shurmur, now the head coach in Cleveland. "So to say I would be surprised, I would say no.

"To be thankful that he is what he is, I would say yes."

Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger was the first quarterback to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, in 2004, followed by Tennessee's Vince Young in 2006 and Atlanta's Matt Ryan in 2008.

Williams, a fourth-round pick (101 overall) from Syracuse, had 65 catches for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Pouncey, the rare offensive lineman to collect votes, was a standout in helping the Steelers win the AFC North title.

AP Sports Writer R.B. Fallstrom in St. Louis contributed to this story.

Updated February 4, 2011


Lions' Suh easy choice for defensive rookie award

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)By BARRY WILNER

AP Pro Football Writer

DALLAS (AP) When Ndamukong Suh heard people call him the best player available in the draft, he didn't gloat. He took it as a challenge.

"It was something to live up to," Suh said.

Did he ever.

The Detroit Lions tackle won The Associated Press 2010 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award on Friday.

The only rookie on the All-Pro team, Suh validated Detroit selecting him second overall in last April's draft. He earned 48 votes from a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league. New England cornerback Devin McCourty drew the other two votes.

Detroit won its final four games to finish 6-10, triple the number of victories the Lions managed in the previous two seasons combined. Suh was a major reason with 10 sacks, the most at the position, veteran or rookie, and 66 tackles.

"We didn't learn how to finish games and overcome mistakes until the end of the year," Suh said. "But we figured it out and I think our four-game winning streak is definitely something for us to build on going into next season."

Suh is the first Lion to grab the honor since Al Baker in 1978. He's also the first non-linebacker to win since Julius Peppers in 2002.

Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham has been coaching for four decades, nearly three of them in the NFL. When he's impressed by a player, it carries some impact - sort of like when Suh bull-rushes offensive linemen and knocks them clear to the ground.

"There are so many plays that he's made that I just marvel at," Cunningham said. "We were talking about somebody else in the league as a defensive tackle and as we're watching tape ... I stopped the tape. I said, 'Now, how many guys could do this?'

"He cleaned the right guard's clock on a pass rush."

Suh cleaned so many clocks that he earned a starting berth in the Pro Bowl, which he skipped after undergoing shoulder surgery. Considering what he achieved despite the injury, imagine what might be ahead for the only defensive player to win the AP's College Player of the Year award.

"I was fortunate to be able to grasp my role in our scheme and to flourish in it," Suh said. "I'm just going to keep working hard to improve because I'll never be satisfied."

McCourty, selected 27th overall in April, started from the beginning of the season and was a playmaker all year for the Patriots, who went 14-2 with a rebuilt defense. McCourty had seven interceptions while often handling the opposition's top receiver.

Sam Bradford, taken first overall last spring, won the top offensive rookie honor Friday. It's the first time since 1981 that the top two picks won the rookie awards. New Orleans running back George Rogers and New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor did it back then.

AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this story.

Updated February 4, 2011