Dealing out the prizes: The 49ers end of season awards

The 49ers 2013 season was all about a group of players overcoming adversity and displaying great resiliency to once again go deep into the play-offs, but it wasn't without its share of great individual efforts.

Of course, the official team awards were handed out before the play-offs, with wide receiver Anquan Boldin collecting the Bill Walsh MVP award.

Here I give my own run down of the players I believe are most deserving of praise following another fine season for San Francisco.

Offensive Player of the Year - Anquan Boldin: What better place to start than with the man who clinched the team MVP award for a superb debut year in the Bay Area.

It remains unclear whether Boldin - who arrived in San Francisco in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens for the paltry price of a sixth-round pick - will extend his deal with the Niners or be allowed to test free agency.

However, what is plain for all to see is the role that Boldin played in sparking an offense that was depleted by injuries for much of year.

Boldin made 85 receptions for 1,179 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season, before gaining 227 yards on 16 receptions in the postseason and making a spectacular grab for a TD from Colin Kaepernick's jump pass in the NFC Championship game defeat at the Seattle Seahawks.

Defensive Player of the Year - NaVorro Bowman: I contemplated giving this award, as ESPN did, to Ahmad Brooks, who admittedly enjoyed a stellar year at the outside linebacker spot.

Yet it is difficult to look past Bowman, the inside backer who surpassed partner in crime Patrick Willis with his performances this campaign.

Willis - along with Frank Gore - remains the heart and soul of the 49ers, but it was Bowman who delivered in the key moments in 2013, and that is why he is thoroughly deserving of both this award and another - more prestigious - honour, which I will get to in a moment.

Special Teams Player of the Year - Phil Dawson: Another player the 49ers must re-sign in the off-season, Phil Dawson had a near-perfect year.

Almost every aspect of the 49ers' Special Teams, kick and punt returning aside, was superb in the 2013 season, with Dawson proving to be a significant upgrade on predecessor David Akers.

The former Cleveland Browns kicker made 32 of 36 field goals in the regular season, did not miss an extra point and kicked game-winning threes against Seattle in week 14, Arizona in week 17 and Green Bay in the first round of the playoffs.

Rookie of the Year - Eric Reid: Okay, so rookie free safety Eric Reid did not have much competition for this award.

Tight end Vance McDonald, receiver Quinton Patton and linebacker Corey Lemoiner were the only other rookies to see significant action away from special teams and, although the latter duo displayed signs of promise, none of that group came close to matching the season first-round pick Reid enjoyed.

Reid, who was named as a Consensus All-American with LSU in 2012, made two interceptions in his first two games.

Concussions against Seattle and the Carolina Panthers threatened to derail his rookie year, but Reid did not miss a start and displayed remarkable intelligence, poise and awareness in his debut campaign, which he finished with 77 tackles and four interceptions.

Game of the Year - Atlanta Falcons 24 San Francisco 49ers 34: There are a few games worthy of honorable mentions for this award, the season-opening and wildcard wins over Green Bay were thrilling affairs, as was the 19-17 week 14 triumph over Seattle.

The 23-10 NFC Divisional playoff win at Carolina was arguably one of the Niners' best performances of the season, but it is the final game at Candlestick Park, which ended with Bowman's game-sealing 89-yard interception return for a touchdown just moments after the linebacker had allowed the Falcons to recover an onside kick, that gets the vote.

There have been many magnificent games at Candlestick, but this truly was a dramatic and emotional finale worthy of the famous old stadium.

MVP - NaVorro Bowman: Rarely has a player been more deserving of the title of team MVP.

I have no qualms with the 49ers' official selection of Anquan Boldin as the team's best player, but the prize seems more befitting of Bowman for a season that established the former Penn State man as one of the outstanding linebackers in the NFL.

Finishing the regular season with 145 tackles, five sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions, Bowman was the undoubted star of the Niners' defence. However, it was the play he made in the season-ending loss at Seattle that epitomised his performance in the 2013 campaign.

Bowman stripped the ball from Seahawks receiver Jermaine Kearse close to the goal-line with 8:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, gaining possession only for the referees to rule that Seattle had recovered the fumble.

It was an incorrect call as Bowman did actually hold on to the ball, despite suffering a torn ACL and MCL in the collision.

Still, although the decision proved to be a horrendous injustice in a losing cause, it was a play encapsulated his magnificent year.

Bowman's terrific campaign was perfectly summed up after the loss to Seattle by Willis, who tipped his teammate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Willis said: "If he doesn’t get Defensive Player of the Year, I don’t know what they go by."

A review of 2013 San Francisco 49ers season

It ended, as it has for the last three seasons, in crushing disappointment.

However, for the third straight year the San Francisco 49ers provided their fans with plenty of excitement along the way.

San Francisco, coming off a heartbreaking 34-31 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, headed into the new campaign as one of the favourites to return to the big game.

From the start it was clear that the 49ers' potential success would depend on quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the exciting dual threat signal caller that took the league by storm in leading San Francisco to the Super Bowl after taking over from Alex Smith.

The early signs were good, the 49ers dismantled the Green Bay Packers in a 34-28 season-opening win in which Kaepernick threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns.

Some 208 of those yards went to Anquan Boldin, who also scored a TD in a showing that appeared to ally fears over the absence of injured receivers Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham.

First-round draft pick Eric Reid also grabbed an interception in his first game of what would prove to be an impressive rookie season for the free safety.

Things quickly took a turn for the worse, though, as the 49ers slumped to two straight heavy defeats. The first to the fierce division rival Seattle Seahawks and the second to the Indianapolis Colts, a setback that was precluded by the news that star pass rusher Aldon Smith was likely to face a suspension following a DUI arrest days before the game.

Kaepernick and the Niners failed to find any kind of offensive impetus during that two-game spell, raising questions about the ex-Nevada man's ability to inspire San Francisco to another successful season.

The offensive struggles continued, but the 49ers quickly returned to winning ways, riding the running game and their magnificent defence to five straight victories, which included a 42-10 blowout of the Jacksonville Jaguars across the pond at Wembley.

That streak abruptly came to an end after the bye week with a dismal 10-9 home loss to the Carolina Panthers, a defeat that marked Kaepernick's worst performance of his career as he totalled just 91 passing yards and threw an interception on the final drive that sealed the win for the Panthers.

Misfortune defined the Niners' next loss, as a ridiculous personal foul call against NaVorro Bowman negated a sack and forced fumble - recovered by Patrick Willis - and handed a 23-20 win to the New Orleans Saints.

Yet resiliency and spirit were key features of the 49ers' 2013 campaign, and Harbaugh's troops quickly recovered, Kaepernick displaying renewed poise in emphatic wins over the Washington Redskins and the St. Louis Rams.

Key to the Niners' form in the latter half of the season was the return of both Aldon Smith and Crabtree, the former combining with namesake defensive lineman Justin Smith - and Ahmad Brooks - to boost a pass rush that had laboured for much of season.

Meanwhile, Crabtree - although far from his best - provided Kaepernick with a legitimate target to trust away from the dependable hands of Boldin and tight end Vernon Davis.

Both Smith and Crabtree contributed as the Niners got revenge on the Seahawks with a dramatic 19-17 home win that featured fine performances from running back Frank Gore and the defensive unit.

A dominant triumph at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers soon followed, but it was the next home game that perhaps marked the zenith of the 49ers' season.

Candlestick Park delivered an array of magnificent moments during its 42-year history as home of the 49ers, and on December 23, 2013, on Monday Night Football - in the final regular season game to be held at the famous venue - 'The Stick' said goodbye in perfect, awe-inspiring fashion.

The 49ers led 27-17 with three minutes and 30 seconds left in the 4th quarter against the Atlanta Falcons, however, when Tony Gonzalez caught a 2yd touchdown pass from Matt Ryan and Bowman failed to recover an onside kick, what would prove to be the final game at Candlestick appeared set to end in defeat.

But then came a glorious, stunning twist of fate as Bowman turned from villain to hero, intercepting a Ryan pass tipped in the air by Tramaine Brock and taking it back 89 yards the other way for one final Candlestick touchdown, sealing the game and sparking jubilant and emotional scenes among both players and fans alike.

From that point it seemed as if the 49ers were on their way to something special, ending the regular season with a closely fought overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals, before Kaepernick furthered his reputation with play-off victories against the Green Bay Packers - in near arctic conditions at Lambeau Field - and the Carolina Panthers.

Those successes set up a third consecutive NFC Championship game for Harbaugh and the Niners and yet another fierce battle with Seattle.

Still, the 49ers live and die with Kaepernick, who through three quarters produced another composed performance, the highlight of which was an extraordinary jump pass to Boldin to put San Francisco on top 17-10.

However, despite an excellent team effort - particularly from Bowman prior to his horrendous knee injury sustained in a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter - Kaepernick could not get the job done.

Kaepernick turned the ball over three times in the final period, including a devastating interception on the final drive that handed Seattle a 23-17 win and a trip to New York for the Super Bowl.

It is a loss that will haunt 49ers fans and players alike throughout the off-season but, although debate over Kaepernick's development and the Niners' deficiencies will rage over the coming months, there can be little doubt that San Francisco can be proud of another enthralling campaign.

Here's to a successful quest for six next season!