Colts RB Taylor Wins NFL Top Player Award; Bengals Coach Taylor Wins Top Coach Award

February 2, 2022 by Staff

Note: CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a voting member of the Bert Bell Award and the Greasy Neale Award.

Maxwell Football Club Director, Mark Wolpert, announced that Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has been selected as the winner of the 63rd Bert Bell Professional Player of the Year Award, and that Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has been chosen as the winner of the 33rd Greasy Neale Professional Coach of the Year Award.

In only his second NFL season, Jonathan Taylor exploded into one of the league’s most dangerous offensive weapons as he finished the regular season with 1,811 rushing yards, and 18 touchdowns and added 360 yards receiving and 2 scores through the air. The New Jersey native also became the Indianapolis Colts new single-season rushing record holder, surpassing Edgerrin James’ record that had stood for more than two decades. Taylor became the youngest player in NFL history to record 2,000 scrimmage yards (2,171) and to score 20 touchdowns. In addition to his Bert Bell honor, he was named to the Pro Bowl and also selected as a 1st team All-Pro by the Associated Press.

Taylor joins Hall of Fame RB Earl Campbell (1979), Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz (2017); Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (2018) and Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (2019) as the only players to have won the Bert Bell Award in their second NFL season.

In his 3rd season as head coach, Zac Taylor led the Bengals to a 13-7 record and an AFC Championship, punctuated by a stunning 27-24 overtime win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. The Bengals were 2-14 in 2019, Taylor's first season in Cincinnati then followed up with a 4-11-1 in 2020 after quarterback Joe Burrow missed the season's final six games after suffering a major knee injury. The Bengals join the 1981 49ers and 2003 Panthers as the only teams in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl two years after having the NFL's worst record. Their remarkable run will culminate with an appearance in Super Bowl LVI when the face off with the Los Angeles Rams on February 13th.

Jonathan Taylor and Zac Taylor will be honored Friday, March 18, 2022 at the 85th Maxwell Football Club National Awards Gala which will be held at the Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. Also receiving awards at this event will be Bryce Young - Alabama (Maxwell Award), Jordan Davis - Georgia (Chuck Bednarik Award), Pat Narduzzi – University of Pittsburgh (Andy Talley Regional Coach of the Year Award), Kenny Pickett (University of Pittsburgh – FBS) and Forrest Rhyne (Villanova – FCS) (The Brian Westbrook Regional Player of the Year Award), and Brock Bowers –Georgia (Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award), Dave Aranda –Baylor University (George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award) Nicholas Singleton (Governor Mifflin HS – Penn State) and Mykel Williams (Hardaway HS – University of Georgia) as the MFC/ADIDAS National High School Players of the Year. The Club will be announcing additional winners of professional awards and special awards this week.