And the biggest surprise is that it was actually no surprise at all. Alvin Kamara was up against a first year player that won the league rushing title, and somehow the kid whose emergence made a sure-to-be first ballot HOFer immediately expendable still made Kareem Hunt seem overmatched with the Gale Sayers-esque variety of ways in which he became an unstoppable lynchpin to one of the most versatile offenses in the NFL. Marshon Lattimore was put in the unenviable position of securing a secondary that had long been a league-wide laughing stock, and he had such a game-altering impact on it from one of the least forgiving positions in the sport that it felt like they could have shipped him the trophy by the end of November. Becoming the first pair of teammates to sweep the 'Rookie Of The Year' awards (there's no way a palindromic duo of Mel & Lem existed anywhere but a children's cartoon) is special regardless, but being so favored that any other outcome would have felt like a grave injustice is a credit to just how spectacular both their seasons were. The Saints got back to the playoffs because of how they drafted, and who they drafted (amongst multiple other starters) were two players who can easily already be slotted in the Top 5 in terms of their importance to the team. It was awesome to see them get rewarded for their individual accomplishments not only because they deserve them, but because it's only right that the 'Rookies Of The Year' highlight what will be fondly looked back on as the year of the rookies if New Orleans continues its upward trajectory. -------- And the award for 'Best Bromance' goes to.... — Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) February 4, 2018
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