Every year, the Eagles players vote on the team's Most Valuable Players for offense, defense and special teams. It's an award that carries prestige mainly because it's handed out by one's peers, and the results for the 2011 season are in. Here's a rundown of this year's recipients.
Offense: RB LeSean McCoy
Who else could it be? The All-Pro running back set franchise records in total touchdowns (20) and rushing touchdowns (17) while finishing fourth in the league in rushing with 1,309 yards. Not only was McCoy productive, but he was durable, starting and playing in each of the first 15 games before sitting out the season finale once the Eagles had been eliminated from the playoffs (only Brent Celek, Todd Herremans and Jason Kelce started all 16 games for the Eagles on offense). McCoy had six 100-yard rushing games on the year, five of which came in wins for the Eagles. Through it all, there was little doubt that McCoy was the most integral cog in the Eagles' offense, so it's no wonder his teammates saw it the same way.
Defense: DE Jason Babin
This one is less cut-and-dry, but the only member of the defense named as an All-Pro was rightfully rewarded by his teammates with the MVP honor. In his return to the Eagles, Babin erased all questions about what some had called a "fluke" 2010 breakout year. Teamed up with defensive line coach Jim Washburn once again, Babin led the Eagles with 18.0 sacks, a mark that ranked third in the league. With two games remaining, Babin had an outside shot at breaking the league record for sacks in a season, thanks to his back-to-back three-sack performances against the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. Babin is noted for his ability to fire off the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball, which resulted in eight "short sacks." Babin has clearly established himself as one of the league's elite pass rushers, as only Jared Allen and DeMarcus Ware have more sacks over the last two seasons. So with apologies to the likes of Trent Cole (who can be partially credited for Babin's lack of double teams), Mike Patterson, Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuel, congratulations to Babin for another measure of his great season.
Special Teams: Colt Anderson
Alex Henery set an NFL rookie record and an Eagles franchise record for field goal accuracy (88.9 percent). Long snapper Jon Dorenbos helped shepherd Henery and rookie punter Chas Henry into the NFL, all while playing, according to special teams coordinator Bobby April, at the highest level of his career. And yet, the award for special teams MVP went to a player who only played in 12 games this season. But Colt Anderson's impact on the Eagles' special teams was unmistakable. Anderson is an absolute terror in coverage and his teammates' affinity for his style of play is well documented - remember he was named a team captain for last year's playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. Anderson finished the season with 168 special teams production points in 12 games, though Henery eeked him out to close the season with 169 (Henery trailed Anderson 168-98 when Anderson suffered his season-ending knee injury in the team's 12th game of the season). When looking to measure Anderson's impact on special teams, look no further than this: the Eagles ranked fourth in the league in kickoff coverage after 12 games with Anderson but finished the season ranked 14th after four games without their special teams star. No wonder Anderson, like McCoy and Babin, stood above the rest.
