The NFL saluted its best players and plays from the 2011 season the night before Super Bowl XLVI with the first annual “NFL Honors” show. The star-studded football and entertainment event was held at Murat Theatre in Indianapolis and it made for a great two-hour primetime awards special that aired on NBC. Alec Baldwin hosted the show that featured a performance from Lenny Kravitz. It was a mix of comedy with awards as seven of the yearly Associated Press awards were handed out. The show was predicted to be a flop, but instead it was very entertaining and it should turn into a yearly red carpet event for the league. It was a night dominated by the quarterbacks and no Pittsburgh Steelers received any awards. The real snub was that San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Justin Smith was beat out by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs.
Below are the 2012 NFL Honors Winners
AP Most Valuable Player – Aaron Rodgers
AP Coach of the Year – Jim Harbaugh
AP Offensive Player – Drew Brees
AP Defensive Player of the Year – Terrell Suggs
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year – Cam Newton
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year – Von Miller
Pepsi Rookie of the Year – Cam Newton
NFL.com Fantasy Player of the Year – Calvin Johnson
Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award – New Orleans Saints
Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award – John McKissick
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year – Matt Birk
AP Comeback Player of the Year – Matthew Stafford
Play of the Year – Randall Cobb
Salute To Service Award – Bud Adams
Never Say Never Award – Tim Tebow
