Redskins running back Alfred Morris finishes an electric rookie season as a nominee for the FedEx Ground Player of the Year for the NFL.
Morris finished the season with a franchise-best 1,613 yards rushing on 335 attempts. His 13 rushing touchdowns led the NFC and were the second-most in the NFL.
He eclipsed the 100 yard mark seven times and reached 200 yards in a Week 17 win over the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC East title.
Morris averaged 100.8 yards per game which was second overall in the NFL. The rookie stand-out was nominated and won FedEx Ground Player of the Week one time.
He is competing against two renowned veterans in Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch, and needs your support to bring hom victory.
Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx until Friday, January 25 at 9 pm ET to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year.
Here are more notes on Morris's season:
- (Week 4) With Morris and Griffin III each reaching four touchdowns in the first four weeks, the Redskins have two players with four rushing touchdowns through the first four games of the season for the first time since the 1970 merger.
- (Week 4) Morris and Griffin III are the first pair of rookie teammates in NFL history to each rush for four touchdowns over their team's first four games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
- (Week 6) With touchdowns by Griffin III and Morris, the Redskins became the first team in NFL history to have two rookies each rush for five touchdowns in the first six games of a season.
- (Week 9) Griffin III and rookie running back Morris became the first rookie quarterback-running back tandem in NFL history to each amass 500 rushing yards in a season.
- (Week 13) Morris broke the Redskins' record for rushing yards by a rookie with a 16-yard gain in the third quarter that pushed him past Reggie Brooks' former rookie record of 1,063 rushing yards for the Redskins during the 1993 season.
- (Week 14) Morris (1,228) and Griffin III (748) have combined for 1,976 rushing yards, the most by rookies on any team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
- (Week 15) Morris rushed for two touchdowns, giving him nine on the season, surpassing Skip Hicks (eight in 1998) to set the Redskins' record for rushing touchdowns in a rookie season.
- (Week 16) Morris (1,413) and Griffin III (752) have combined for 2,165 rushing yards this season, the most by a pair of teammates in a season in Redskins history.
- (Week 16) With his third quarter touchdown, Morris tied Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Taylor for the Redskins' rookie record for total touchdowns in a season (10, 1964). Morris already held the team rookie record for rushing touchdowns.
- (Week 17) Running back Alfred Morris rushed 33 times for 200 rushing yards with three touchdowns, all career highs. With the 200 yards on Sunday, Morris finished the season with 1,613 yards, breaking Clinton Portis' team record for rushing yards in a season (1,516 in 2005).
- (Week 17) Morris's three rushing touchdowns tied a Redskins' team record, marking the 22nd time a Redskin has rushed for three touchdowns in a game.
- (Week 17) The 200-yard rushing performance by Morris is a Redskins rookie record and is the first by a Redskin of any experience level since Gerald Riggs' team-record 221 yards on Sept. 17, 1989, vs. Philadelphia.
- (Week 17) The 33 carries were a Redskins rookie record and the most since Portis had 36 rushing attempts on Nov. 4, 2007.
- (Week 17) The Redskins finished with 2,709 rushing yards for the season, breaking the team record for rushing yards in a season (formerly 2,625 in 1983).
- (Week 17) Washington broke the 200-yard rushing mark for the fourth time this season, giving the Redskins' four games of 200-plus rushing yards this season, tied for the team's most since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger (four in 1985).
- (Week 17) With 13 touchdowns, Morris broke the Redskins' rookie record for total touchdowns in a season previously held by Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Taylor (10 in 1964).
During the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVII, FedEx plans to announce the 2012 FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year in New Orleans, as well as make a $25,000 donation in each winning player's name to Junior Achievement offices in the their city.
The funding is used to help U.S. small business development, by educating the next generation of entrepreneurs on how to start and grow their own businesses.
This season, fans voted for more than their favorite player. As part of the Air & Ground program and its commitment to small business owners, FedEx supported education efforts at Junior Achievement by making weekly $2,000 donations in each of the winning players' names.
As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, FedEx is proud to sponsor the 10th annual Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week program.
The awards highlight superior on-field performance among the league's top-performing quarterbacks and running backs, while supporting small business efforts and providing business solutions that matter to fans and customers alike.
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