Poll: Who is the Cardinals Defensive Player of 2014?

The Offensive Player of the Year award was a close race. Unlike the MVP race where Jared Veldheer blew everyone out of the water, the OPOY award was separated by five points. I removed Veldheer from the list, just so we could get a bit of variety, but of course if you felt he warranted both, he was available as the 'Other' option. So without further ado, the Cardinals 2014 OPOY award goes to... Chandler Catanzaro!

The Catman edged out Carson Palmer by five points, to win the award with 41% of the votes.

So who is our Defensive POY? Here are five names to consider, and of course, if I miss anyone, feel free to share in the comments and put your vote down for 'Other'.

Antonio Cromartie:

Cromartie was another late free agent pick up from Steve Keim, and another who contributed in a big fashion. Cromartie was seeking top dollar early during the period, but after team after team passed on him for his injury and the money he was asking for, Keim swooped in and signed him.

Cromartie proved his doubters wrong, having outplayed counterpart Patrick Peterson for much of the season. He intercepted three passes, and was the shutdown corner the team needed opposite of Peterson, but Peterson was beat far too often, going for big plays. Cromartie finished the season with 48 tackles, and several near TD's where he was caught at the last second by the offensive players.

Larry Foote:

Foote was a guy the Cardinals wanted to sign dating back to Ken Whisenhunt. He never came close to signing under the Whisenhunt era. Arians finally lured the 34 year old inside backer to Arizona as an emergency signing after the Daryl Washington suspension.

Foote repaid him with 84 tackles, a pick, and two sacks. His leadership on the field covered up for the mediocrity of Kevin Minter. He was a key piece to the Cardinals defensive success for much of the year, before the meltdown in the final three games.

Calais Campbell:

Campbell was his usual monstrous self. He finished the 2014 season with 58 tackles, seven sacks, and a pick that should have been returned for a score, but was stopped short by Peyton Manning. That was also the game in which Julius Thomas illegally chop blocked Campbell, forcing him to miss two games, and receive a mere tap on the wrist for the infraction.

Campbell was finally awarded with a trip to the Pro Bowl, which has alluded him for all of his career.

Alex Okafor:

A dark horse for the award, Okafor rebounded nicely from being plagued by injuries his first year and a half of his career. In his first official game, Okafor racked up four tackles, two of which were sacks. He would finish the season with eight sacks to lead the team, one interception, and 30 tackles.

The stats do not do his season justice however. Okafor has a knack for the football, and was in on every play in some sort of fashion. Whether it was pursuing a player into the teeth of the defense, or slowing a player down just enough to get assistance from the rest of the defense.

Rashad Johnson:

In his second season getting nearly all the snaps at safety, Johnson continued to amaze. Johnson recorded four interceptions, returning two for touchdowns in spectacular fashion. He was all over the field all season, and was a surefire tackle until the defensive meltdown in the final three weeks.

In his first four seasons he was sitting behind Kerry Rhodes and Antrel Rolle, two excellent players to backup. In those four seasons he recorded 133 tackles, three interceptions and one score.

In the two seasons he's had a chance to start, he's recorded seven interceptions,151 tackles, and two scores. Mind you, hed did lose the tip of his left middle finger in 2013.

So who's your pick? Explain your selection in the comments below.