Brees, Newton among NFL winners

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Drew Brees' record-setting season has earned the New Orleans quarterback the 2011 Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

Brees shattered Dan Marino's 27-year-old mark by passing for 5,476 yards, and his 468 completions broke Peyton Manning's 2010 record of 450. Brees finished the season completing 71.6 percent of his passes, breaking his own 2009 NFL record (70.6). He also surpassed 300 yards passing for seven straight games and 13 times during the season, both beating league marks he already held.

"I obviously take a lot of pride in what I do on the football field, because that has the ability to influence a lot of people," Brees said. "That puts smiles on people's faces. That gives people a pep in their step on Monday morning when they go back to work. That does so much for the city. We have the greatest fans in the world. There's no doubt about that. I think each and every day I think about what can I do to make my team better, make my city better, that's my mentality."

Brees, the 2008 top offensive player, received 43 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers got the other seven votes. The award was presented on the "NFL Honors" primetime special Saturday night on NBC.

Thanks to Brees' brilliance, the Saints set several single-season records, including offensive yards with 7,474 and first downs with 416.

"Our best is yet to come, not just for our team, but the league," Brees said.

Panthers QB Newton wins Offensive Rookie of Year

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has won the 2011 Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Newton is the second straight No. 1 overall draft pick to take the honor in voting by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. Rams QB Sam Bradford won it last year.

The first Panther to take the award, Newton received 47 votes to three for Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton.

Newton set an NFL record for touchdowns rushing in a season by a quarterback with 14 and became the first player in league history to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 500. He helped Carolina improve from 2-14 to 6-10, throwing for 21 touchdowns.

No quarterback had won the award until Ben Roethlisberger in 2004. Since, Vince Young, Matt Ryan, Bradford and Newton have been chosen.

Broncos LB Miller wins Defensive Rookie of Year

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller has won a two-man race with 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith for the 2011 Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, sparked a defensive turnaround in Denver with his steady and sometimes spectacular play. He teamed with quarterback Tim Tebow to energize the Broncos, who rallied from a 2-5 record to the AFC West title and a playoff win over Pittsburgh.

Miller received 39 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Smith, also a first-round choice, got the other 11.

The second Bronco to win the award - LB Mike Croel got it in 1991 - Miller made 64 tackles and had 11 1/2 sacks despite missing one game and playing the last four contests with a cumbersome cast protecting his surgically repaired right thumb.

49ers' Jim Harbaugh wins Coach of Year

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh has won the 2011 Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award for leading the 49ers back to the playoffs.

In his first season as an NFL head coach, Harbaugh guided the 49ers to a 13-3 mark and the NFC West championship game. They beat New Orleans in the first round of the playoffs before losing the conference title game to the Giants.

A former NFL quarterback and successful coach at Stanford, Harbaugh earned 45 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. He easily outdistanced Green Bay's Mike McCarthy, who received three votes, and Denver's John Fox, who got two.

Atlanta's Mike Smith is the last man to win the award in his initial season as an NFL head coach, in 2008.

Lions QB Stafford wins Comeback Player of Year

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has won the 2011 Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.

Stafford beat out six other players who received votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. Stafford fought through injuries his first two seasons, then threw for more than 5,000 yards in 2011 to lead Detroit to its first playoff berth in 12 years.

He received 21 votes, six more than Cleveland linebacker D'Qwell Jackson. San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith finished third, followed by Carolina receiver Steve Smith, Denver defensive end Elvis Dumervil, New England defensive end Andre Carter and Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Stafford is the first Lion and the ninth quarterback - four straight - to win the award since its inception in 1998.

Ravens LB Suggs wins Defensive Player of Year

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, the most dynamic player on the Ravens' staunch defense, has won the 2011 Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

On a team featuring longtime stars Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, Suggs stood out most for a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. He earned 21 votes, seven more than Minnesota end Jared Allen.

Suggs had 70 tackles, including 14 sacks, and was a force all over the field from his hybrid linebacker-end position. He also forced seven fumbles and had two interceptions as the Ravens went 12-4 to win the AFC North. Baltimore allowed 266 points, third fewest in the NFL.

Safety Reed won the award in 2004, while Lewis won in 2000 and 2003.

Also receiving votes were DE-DT Justin Smith of San Francisco, DE Jason Pierre-Paul of the New York Giants, linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman of San Francisco, and Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson.

Ravens C Birk wins NFL's man of year award

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk is the Walter Payton Man of the Year.

The award honors a player for his off-the-field work as well as for his playing excellence.

Birk, a 14-year NFL veteran, has made 96 consecutive starts and is one of the Ravens team leaders. He also supports youth literacy with a program called "Ready, Set, Read," through his HIKE Foundation.

Birk also has agreed to donate his brain and spinal cord tissue to the Boston University's Center for Traumatic Encephalopathy, which researches the effects of repetitive head trauma.

The award will be presented Sunday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Payton's two children - Jarrett and Brittney - before the Giants and Patriots play in the Super Bowl.

The other finalists were San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers and Chicago cornerback Charles Tillman.

"This award is not about the recipient," Birk said, "but rather a celebration of the decades-long tradition of NFL players using their unique platform to touch lives and make a positive and lasting impact in the communities in which they work and live."

NFL Charities makes a $1,000 donation to the charity chosen by each team's winner, a $5,000 donation to the three finalists' favorite charity and $20,000 donation to the winner's choice.

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