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The NFL will hold their annual NFL Honors award show on Saturday night, handing out the top individual prizes from the 2016-2017 season. The night, a formal celebration of the season, will also officially introduce the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, with the vote for the group of all-time greats coming earlier on Saturday.
The night could feature a few Miami Dolphins being honored. Defensive end Cameron Wake, who at 34 came back from an Achilles tear to record 11.5 sacks and return to his place as one of the top pass rushers in the league, should be in consideration for the Comeback Player of the Year award, though he could face tough competition in the voting from Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson.
Miami head coach Adam Gase, who took over a 6-10 team from 2015 then sparked them, following a 1-4 start to 2016, to a 10-6 finish, winning six straight and nine of their last 11 games. The Dolphins made the Playoffs for the first time since 2008 and Gase appears to have changed the culture of the franchise, winning games that it seemed in the past the team would accept as a loss. He benched and cut players for not performing, and he stood behind quarterback Ryan Tannehill, something that did not always happen in the past. Gase has a clear case for Coach of the Year, though Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett seems to be getting the most chatter for his success with a rookie quarterback and rookie running back leading his offense and working their way to the best record in the league in the regular season.
Finally, Miami could also have a Hall of Fame player in the 2017 induction class, with defensive end Jason Taylor a finalist in his first year of eligibility. Taylor, who played 15 seasons in the league, recorded 139.5 career sacks, with 775 tackles, eight interceptions with three returned for a touchdown, 77 passes defensed, 46 forced fumbles, and 29 fumbles recovered with six returned for a touchdown. Those nine touchdowns are the most by a defensive lineman in league history, and his six fumble returns for a touchdown is the NFL record. Taylor is seventh in league history in sacks, and every player ahead of him on the list, other than the still active Julius Peppers who passed Taylor this season, is in the Hall of Fame, as are the next two retired players after him (DeMarcus Ware is still active in the eighth position, while Richard Dent and John Randle are tied for ninth and in the Hall of Fame). Taylor seems to be a lock for the Hall of Fame, but it is just a matter of if he gets the necessary votes in his first year, or if he will have to wait.
Everything you need to know to watch tonight’s NFL Honors awards show is below:
NFL Honors
When: 8pm ET, February 4
Where: Wortham Theater Center, Houston, Texas
Host: Keegan-Michael Key
TV Coverage: Fox
Online Stream: Fox Sports Go
Awards:
- AP Most Valuable Player
- AP Coach of the Year
- AP Assistant Coach of the Year
- AP Offensive Player of the Year
- AP Defensive Player of the Year
- AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
- AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
- AP Comeback Player of the Year
- NFL Sportsmanship Award
- NFL.com Fantasy Player of the Year
- Don Shula High School Coach of the Year
- Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
- Built Ford Tough Offensive Line of the Year
- FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Year
- Castrol Edge Clutch Performer of the Year
- Bridgestone Performance Play of the Year
- Courtyard’s Greatness on the Road Award
- Art Rooney Award
- Deacon Jones Award
- Salute to Service Award