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San Francisco 49ers: Early Team-Award Predictions for 2016 Season

By Chandler Wright

Feb 6, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers Anquan Boldin poses with the Walter Payton Man of the Year award at the NFL Honors press room at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers Anquan Boldin poses with the Walter Payton Man of the Year award at the NFL Honors press room at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Each year, the San Francisco 49ers give team awards, voted on by a mix of players and coaches, to the players who’ve best brought the team’s legacy from its past, to its present. Who will those players be in 2016? Let’s take an interesting look into what makes a 49er stand out from the rest.

Bowman and Staley are having fun
January 29, 2016; Kahuku, HI, USA; Hawaiian hostesses Chelsea Hardin (far left) and Mahina Garcia (far right) pose with Team Rice tackle Joe Staley of the San Francisco 49ers (74) and Team Irvin linebacker Navorro Bowman of the San Francisco 49ers (53) during 2016 Pro Bowl photo day at Turtle Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

The San Francisco 49ers may have had a disastrous 2015 season, but in every bad season their are still bright spots. Their team awards were handed out on Thursday, January 7th, according to 49ers.com, and they were given to some veteran players as well as younger players. It’s always good to see veterans leading their teams in the right way, but it’s also great to see younger players becoming those same leaders.

Most notable of these awards are the Bill Walsh Award (named after the great 1980s coach and given to the team MVP), the Bobb McKittrick Award (for the best offensive lineman), the Ed Block Courage Award (given for being the best sport and most courageous), the Len Eshmont Award (given to the player who best exemplifies the “inspirational and courageous play” of Len Eshmont) and, finally, the Thomas Herrion Award (given to a rookie or first-year player who best represents the Dream of Thomas Herrion).

First, let’s take a look at 2015s awards to understand the past a little better. Then let’s dive in and find out what may come in 2016. Here is a link to all 49ers awards from year’s past.

Next: 2015 Awards