Andrew Luck will compete against Robert Griffin III for the 2012 Pepsi Max NFL Rookie of the Year award.
The 2012 PEPSI MAX NFL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR award will be announced in New Orleans, the site of Super Bowl XLVII, at NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on February 2, 9-11 p.m. EST on CBS. The five finalists were selected for their outstanding performances throughout the 2012 NFL season. Each week, five nominees were chosen for the Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL fans voted for the winner on NFL.com. Those results were used to help determine the finalists. Andrew Luck, one of the finalists, gets into the game in this exclusive video interview.
ANDREW LUCK (Indianapolis Colts) – The first pick overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, Luck directed the Indianapolis Colts to an 11-5 record, completing a remarkable turnaround in which the Colts had won just two games the season before. Luck amassed a record-breaking 4,374 passing yards topping the previous mark held by Newton (4,051). He also became the first rookie in NFL history with 4,000+ passing yards and ten victories. Luck started all 16 games for the Colts, engineering seven game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime which tied the record for most by a starting quarterback in a single season since at least 1970. His six 300-yard passing games ranks most all-time by a rookie. The former Stanford Cardinal was nominated for Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week nine times, winning three times.
ROBERT GRIFFIN III (Washington Redskins) – Griffin, who hails from Baylor University, played an enormous role in the Washington Redskins success this season, leading his team to a 10-6 record and the NFC East division crown. Griffin finished the regular season throwing for 3,200 yards, 20 touchdowns and a 102.4 passer rating. He also rushed for seven touchdowns and 815 yards, breaking the previous record held by CAM NEWTON (2011) of the Carolina Panthers for most rushing yards by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. Griffin, who was selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl, also became the first player in NFL history with at least four 60+ yard touchdown passes and a 60+ yard rushing touchdown in a season. In Week 11, Griffin’s 158.3 passer rating became the highest mark (min. 15 attempts) by a rookie quarterback. Griffin was nominated for Pepsi MAX NFL Rookie of the Week seven times, winning six times.
