CHARLOTTE, NC – JANUARY 03: Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers takes the field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium on January 3, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

It was a great night for Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. Both players picked up the big awards at the 2016 NFL Honors with Watt picking up AP Defensive Player of the Year and Newton winning AP Offensive Player of the Year as well as AP Most Valuable Player.

As Cam Newton enters his first Super Bowl tonight and J.J. Watt wins his third Defensive Player of the Year, these are two players who have quickly come on as recognizable names and faces in the National Football League. As already established legends like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are getting close to retirement and Manning possibly retiring tonight, it’ll leave a void that’ll no doubt be filled by guys like Newton and Watt.

While some people would be against the idea, Cam Newton is quickly becoming a face of the NFL and a win tonight at Super Bowl 50 will no doubt seal that. Yeah, the man can celebrate too much at times and the dabbing thing has gotten a bit out of control, but that doesn’t deserve some of the hate he gets. It’s not as if he’s the only player who celebrates and everyone else in the NFL is as stoic as Johnny Unitas was or just hands the ball off like Barry Sanders did after they score a touchdown. And Newton gives his touchdown footballs to the kids, much to the chagrin of the NFL, so he can’t be all that bad of a person.

Watt, on the other hand, doesn’t get as much criticism as Newton but provides just as interesting of a case. Watt is interesting because he is a defensive player and specifically, a defensive end. Usually quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers get all the attention from the majority of NFL fans. If you are going to be a household name as a defensive end, you better be a special player, especially when you are on a team who is a few steps away from being in a Super Bowl. Watt’s ability and play ticks all of those boxes and the Texans have themselves a special player.

What Newton and Watt show is that the new faces of the NFL are going to be more than a non celebratory quarterback. These people are doing great things in different positions and are going to celebrate when they feel like it. And you know what? It’s entertaining and many fans like it. Celebrating may get overboard when someone celebrates a two-yard run on 1st and 10 or a touchdown when their team is down by four touchdowns, but it’s harmless fun for the most part. These two players would be great representatives of the National Football League for years to come.

You can check out more winners at the NFL Honors, including Anquan Boldin winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year and Eric Berry winning AP Comeback Player of the Year here.

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @phillipbupp