Welcome to The Finsiders Awards, where our analysts, and you, the fans, decide which Dolphins players will receive recognition for their play this past season. Throughout the week, we’ll be honoring players in four categories: Most Improved Player, Defensive Player Of The Year, Offensive Player Of The Year, and Play Of The Year.
Our third award will be given out to the the team’s best offensive player.
So without further ado, the nominees for Offensive Player Of The Year are…
Lamar Miller
- When Knowshon Moreno went down with a season-ending injury, Lamar Miller stepped up to become the team’s feature back. Rushing for 1,099 yards on the year – a feat that was accomplished thanks to a 178 yard day on the final week of the season against the New York Jets – Miller provided the Dolphins offense with a potent rushing attack. Averaging 5.1 yards per carry, Miller was able to consitently find holes in defenses for yardage, averaging the second most YPC by a running back in the league. He also assisted Ryan Tannehill in the passing game, coming in fifth on the team in receptions with 38 catches for 275 yards and a touchdown.
Jarvis Landry
- Miami’s 2014 second round pick blew away expectations his rookie season, breaking the single-season rookie reception record, and quickly becoming one of quarterback Ryan Tannehill‘s favorite targets. Jarvis Landry ranked sixth in the league in receptions, recording 84 catches for 758 yards and five touchdowns. He also was a force on kickoff returns, ranking fifth in the league in kickoff return yards and fourth in the league in kickoff return average. Miami’s return man was also named the Special Teams Player of the Month in October.
Mike Pouncey
- Returning from an injury sustained during the summer that reportedly was to keep him out close to half the season, Mike Pouncey returned to game action after missing only the first four games of the year, and subsequently played well enough in to reach his second straight Pro Bowl. He also made his second straight all-star game by playing a different position, starting 12 games at guard for the betterment of the team. A leader on the offensive line, he helped stabilize a unit that had to deal with a lot of change throughout the season due to injury.
Ryan Tannehill
- The team’s first 4,000 yard passer since Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, 2014 was most certainly a career year for Ryan Tannehill. His accuracy and passing prowess improved greatly, with a completion percentage good for 5th most in the league, and a quarterback rating that jumped up 11.1 points from 2013. Racking up 311 yards on the ground, Tannehill had the fifth most rushing yards by a quarterback in the NFL this past season. He was the recipient of the Dan Marino Most Valuable Player Award in 2014.
Mike Wallace
- Mike Wallace doubled his touchdown total from his previous season, catching 10 scores in 2014. During his second season in a Dolphins uniform, Wallace caught 67 balls for 862 yards. The speedster also showed a knack for a sensational one-handed catches, including against divisional opponents in the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. He also caught Ryan Tannehill’s longest pass of the season, a 50 yard bomb against the Patriots.
UPDATE: On Wednesday evening, quarterback Ryan Tannehill was selected as The Finsiders 2014 Offensive Player of the Year in a landslide vote coming from our panel of analysts and fans in the live chat.
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