4 Takeaways From Thursday's NFL Honors

[ad_1] The NFL received all dressed up on Thursday night time for its model of the soccer promenade — an opportunity to stroll the crimson carpet, have just a little enjoyable, and have a good time itself by doing all the things however formally crowning a king.

Hopefully, once they do crown that king on Sunday night time in Tremendous Bowl LX, it’ll have just a little bit extra drama than the NFL awards present had. Many of the winners have been the apparent, chalk decisions. The one large shocker, actually, was the Corridor of Fame announcement — although even a part of that had been identified for days.

There have been nonetheless a number of awards price discussing, although. So listed here are my 4 takeaways from the NFL Honors present:

1. A detailed name? Come on, Matthew Stafford ought to have been the best MVP alternative in years How on this planet was this the closest MVP vote since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair have been co-winners in 2003?

I believed Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was going to run away with this award, and actually, he in all probability ought to have. He threw for 4,707 yards — practically 1,000 greater than he had a yr in the past. He had a career-high 46 landing passes (up from 20 one yr in the past) with simply eight interceptions. He was sensible from begin to end and no person was actually shut.

But Stafford solely edged Patriots quarterback Drake Maye 366 factors to 361, and 24 first-place votes to 23. That’s stunning, actually. Much more stunning, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert received one first-place vote — a vote that will’ve put Maye excessive if it had gone to him as a substitute.

After I noticed that, by the best way, I assumed there needed to be one other Justin Herbert within the league. Or that perhaps the voter simply misspelled "Josh Allen." I truthfully can’t consider a cause why Herbert would get even a top-five vote for MVP.

Anyway, don’t get me incorrect. Maye was nice too, throwing for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. However he was a transparent runner-up to Stafford. I can solely assume that voters appeared on the surrounding solid and determined that Maye had so much much less assist round him. Possibly that’s true, and it will’ve mattered much more if the numbers have been shut. However they actually weren’t.

Stafford’s season, truthfully, was a miracle — particularly when you think about it started with him having a mysterious again damage throughout coaching camp, and the truth that he’s 37 years outdated. Maye was nice. He was a deserving runner-up. He in all probability earned himself a number of first-place votes, too.

However this vote simply shouldn’t have been that shut.

2. The Coach of the 12 months poll was stacked, but it surely was additionally incomplete. Mike Vrabel — or Mike "Verbal", as presenter Tiffany Haddish saved calling him — took over a New England Patriots staff that went 4-13 a yr in the past and he turned them right into a 14-3 juggernaut that can play in Tremendous Bowl LX on Sunday night time. By no means thoughts that they'd a cartoonishly smooth schedule this season and received each break possible. The turnaround was nonetheless exceptional, and he was a deserving Coach of the 12 months.

However wow, did he have competitors. Two different first-year coaches engineered exceptional turnarounds, too. Liam Coen had the Jaguars at 13-4, one yr after going 3-14. And Ben Johnson revived the Bears with an 11-6 document, one yr after they went 5-12. Mike Maccdonald didn’t have the identical type of turnaround in Seattle, however he masterfully led the Seahawks to a 14-3 document and the No. 1 seed within the NFC. And Kyle Shanahan held the 49ers along with string and duct tape they usually nonetheless went 12-6.

The poll was so loaded that there was a obvious omission. How may Sean Payton, who led the Broncos to a 14-3 document and the No. 1 seed within the AFC, not make the highest 5? Contemplating they went 12-3 in one-score video games (together with the playoffs), you higher consider teaching had so much to do with their run, which in all probability would’ve ended within the Tremendous Bowl if quarterback Bo Nix hadn’t fractured his ankle and missed the AFC Championship Recreation.

3. If the MVP goes to maintain going to QBs, they shouldn’t be candidates for Offensive Participant of the 12 months Fortunately, a non-quarterback gained this award — Seattle WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. And he was properly deserved of the award. However Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was a finalist and received 5 first-place votes. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the NFL MVP, received three first-place votes. And Payments QB Josh Allen received one.

It’s fairly ridiculous double-dipping, when you consider it. Quarterbacks have an absolute monopoly on the MVP award. They’ve now gained it 13 straight occasions and 18 occasions within the final 19 years. Quarterbacks have been 4 of the 5 finalists this yr, which is just about the norm. Christian McCaffrey was only a token non-passer.

I get it. It’s comprehensible. Quarterback is the toughest place to play in all of sports activities and crucial. It's just about inconceivable for an NFL staff to win today and not using a quarterback taking part in at an elite degree. So simply make the MVP a quarterback award and let everybody battle it out for the OPOY.

Many of the voters appear to get that different offensive gamers ought to have an opportunity to take residence a trophy. This was the seventh straight yr {that a} non-quarterback gained this award. However it’s time the NFL took the quarterbacks out of the equation completely, particularly if the voters are going to maintain giving them MVPs.

4. Invoice Belichick broke the Corridor of Fame OK, it wasn’t his fault. It was his presence. And we could by no means know precisely why, however the truth that the choose and secret voters committee omitted him is a stain on the Class of 2026. And it’s particularly unhealthy now that we all know it wasn’t as a lot in regards to the course of as many citizens led us to consider.

The prevailing concept — and rationalization by some — was that Belichick was caught in a damaged system, the place he was lumped in with three "senior" candidates and one "contributor" and voters may solely choose three from that five-man group. Nevertheless it seems the voters solely chosen one from that group — senior candidate (and former 49ers working again) Roger Craig.

So there was loads of room for them to vote for Belichick. However apparently at the very least 11 of them simply didn’t.

No matter their causes — Spygate, his gruff demeanor, his tough relationship with native New England media — is simply an excuse for an inexcusable omission. The person gained six Tremendous Bowls, 333 complete video games, and constructed a franchise that dominated for practically twenty years.

With all due respect to the chosen 5 — Craig, Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri — that’s the story. Belichick needs to be on the stage with them. The truth that he’s not is a humiliation that can overshadow all of them, all the best way to Canton this summer season.