St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press Friday night, ending speculation that's gone on almost since the start of the season. Bradford, the number-one overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, had one of the best seasons of any rookie quarterback in NFL history; his 3512 yards passing were the second-highest in NFL history, behind only Peyton Manning.
Most rookie quarterbacks are eased into their role as offensive cornerstones, but not Bradford; he threw 590 passes in 2010, third most in the NFL, and didn't miss a single snap as the Rams quarterback. His 18 touchdowns came against 15 interceptions. With Josh McDaniels in at offensive coordinator and wide receivers on the Rams' draft board, he could be in a good position to improve on that rookie season in 2011. The most pressing goal—to improve on Bradford's underwhelming 6.0 yards per pass attempt, a side-effect of an undersized slot receiver standing in as the rookie's only consistent target all season.
Ndamukong Suh was named defensive rookie of the year, to no one's surprise. Mike Sando has some quick hits from Bradford on winning the award, and SB Nation has more on both winners at our NFL news site.