Five reasons Austin Collie is Rookie of the Year.

The seasonal awards cycle is in full swing. Much has been made about Michael Oher, Percy Harvin, even Knowshon Moreno. All of these guys have had solid rookie seasons, and you can make a case that any of them should be Offensive Rookie of the Year. But only one guy has really made a difference as a rookie, and that's our own #17, Austin Collie.

After the jump, we break down why Collie deserves the award more than anyone else, and why he won't get it.

1. Collie leads all rookie receivers with 59 catches and a 69 percent catch rate. He has 661 yards on those catches and SEVEN count em SEVEN touchdowns, which leads all rookie receivers (and a hell of a lot of veterans). On stats alone, Collie makes a strong case.

2. Collie has been a true impact player in his rookie season. Michael Oher slotted into a top five offensive line and kept his end of the bargain but was not a catalyst for a turnaround. Percy Harvin has been a good receiver but the Vikings offense has seen breakout years from Shiancoe and Rice; again, he's played a role but not had a huge impact. Knowshon Moreno has basically been a warm body on a good rushing team; he's a good back, but I'm not sure what he's been doing is irreplaceable.

Collie was basically thrown into one of the most complicated offenses in the league and has produced in a way that no one but NO ONE expected. If you like FO's measure of receiver effectiveness, Collie has been a top 20 receiver. He's posted numbers that would be great for any reciever; for a rookie in an offense that eats rookies for breakfast, it's nothing short of spectacular.

3. All the other Rookie of the Year candidates were first-rounders. They were always predicted to perform well, and they have exceptional physical skill and measurables. They were marquee picks. Collie, on the other hand, dropped to the 4th round and was never predicted to do anything, and certainly not this year. That's not to say he doesn't have the skills, but he's not a physical freak. His performance is a reflection of his tremendous intelligence and work ethic; he's earned every start, every catch and every touchdown with the sweat on his brow. With nothing more than his effort, he went from a receiver on the bubble of getting cut to a key contributor and starter.

4. It's easy to say that Peyton is making him look good, but actually, Collie has made Manning look great. They have a rapport that takes years to develop, and when Manning's #2 went down, his #4 stepped right in and caught everything thrown at him. Collie has been an absolutely integral part of Manning's historic MVP season (catching 20 percent of his touchdowns doesn't hurt). Getting to that point with Manning isn't easy, and Collie has done it at lightspeed.

5. Does winning 14 games in a row not count just because Caldwell made a tough call? Collie is the best rookie on a team stacked with great rookies that also happens to be the best team in football.

So Collie has to be at least a top-3 candidate for the honor. Has to be. His numbers, his development, his maturity and hard work have to put him in the conversation. But he won't win it, for a couple reasons. First, Colts rookies never get love. Peyton lost out to Randy Moss (a tough call but who is the better overall player?), Dwight Freeney lost out to Julius Peppers (still trying to figure out that one), Joseph Addai's phenomenal rookie year was blacked out by the Vince Young hype machine. Even Marvin Harrison didn't get the nod his rookie year.  Long story short, the best rookie rarely actually wins ROTY, and that's even more true if that rookie is a Colt. But more than that, the award is about media attention, and Collie has been getting it done under the radar all year. It's a great trait for a football player but it's a terrible way to win awards.

So let's just hope that Collie comes away from this year with a more desirable piece of hardware instead. Something you can wear on your ring finger.