NFL Alumni vote Stafford QB of the Year (?)
Posted 02-26-2012 at 11:44 AM by SloMotion
..... now that I have your attention, hehehe ..... this isn't an attempt to flame the board or dis Drew Brees, I just felt like blogging about the NFL Alumni Awards in general and needed an eye-catching, flashy title to get my creative juices flowing and a shameless attempt to drive traffic to my blog ...
The NFL Alumni Awards, why haven't I really noticed them before? Maybe because they're held during SuperBowl week and there's too much else going on? Maybe because you don't often see players from my hometown team nominated for any of them? Because they're held in secret, deep within the bowels of a hidden bunker, somewhere under the brick and steel of a nondescript building located within the limits of the SuperBowl host city? Maybe because with it's multitude of similiar awards, you need a program just to keep track? Yeah, all of the above, and probably a few more. I really don't know, when I finally looked them up three weeks later, they actually looked somewhat interesting. Alec Baldwin hosted, I like Alec Baldwin.
Ok, so some where in the mix, they slighted Drew Brees, I see that ... but no more so then how the NFL slighted Stafford by sending Cam Newton to the Pro Bowl. Upon accepting the award, Matthew Stafford humbly admitted, "There are a lot of great quarterbacks that could have won this award and definitely deserved it as well", alluding to my underlying point. If you compare Stafford's year to Brees', you see Drew bested Matt head-to-head and in pretty much every category but yards-per-catch ... "thank-you" Megatron. How does Stafford walk out with this award?
But I'm not here to dis Stafford either, I'm glad he got a little recognition for the season he had. Heck, he 'restored the roar' for the Lions, he's Detroit's 'Drew Brees', 'the franchise', the guy who's taking 'em to the promised land. Matt threw for a team record 5038yds and became only one of 4 NFL quarterbacks to ever throw for more then 5,000yds in a season ... unfortunately, in the same season two of the other three to ever have done it, did it ... Brady for 5,235 and Brees for the second time and setting a new NFL record at 5,476yds. Stafford took his team to the playoffs for the first time in 10yrs, only to be beat by Brees again and to watch Brady in the SuperBowl ... statistically and achievement-wise, Brady or Brees deserved the award. Why not give it to either one of them?
Because it's a dog & pony show? Because you can't give all the awards to the same two or three guys year after year and you have to promote parity among the awards? Because you want to encourage debate on the various message boards around the league and give the fans something to talk about in the offseason? Because by spreading awards around you promote a larger, more diverse fan base? IDK, all of the above and probably a few more.
And then I see another list of awards by the NFL Alumni, the 'Player of the Year' awards, which listed Philip Rivers, (SD) as 'Player of the Year, Quarterback' recipient which is entirely different (?) then the 'Quarterback of the Year' award presented to Matthew Stafford and of which both could have arguably been awarded to Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning ..... yeah, wrap your head around that one and tell me it doesn't make you want a drink ..... if it doesn't, looking at the complete list of award winners might ... no Graham, Gronkowski, Nicks, Ngata, Seymour, Johnson (Calvin) ... it goes on and on.
NFL Alumni Player of the Year Awards
•Quarterback – Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
•Running back – Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
•Wide Receiver – Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
•Tight End – Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
•Offensive Lineman – Josh Sitton, Green Bay Packers
•Defensive Lineman – Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions
•Linebacker – Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49’ers
•Defensive Back – Aqib Talib, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
•Special Teams – Devin Hester, Chicago Bears
•Spirit Award – Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys
•Coach of the Year – Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs
•Player of the Year – Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers
... which, I guess, brings me to my point, what awards do you take seriously? It's become so confusing, I wasn't even sure if I was looking at or referencing the correct awards after awhile, it just becomes a blur ... <sigh> ... as if free agency and the draft didn't confuse me enough already, now this ... man I hate the offseason.
The NFL Alumni Awards, why haven't I really noticed them before? Maybe because they're held during SuperBowl week and there's too much else going on? Maybe because you don't often see players from my hometown team nominated for any of them? Because they're held in secret, deep within the bowels of a hidden bunker, somewhere under the brick and steel of a nondescript building located within the limits of the SuperBowl host city? Maybe because with it's multitude of similiar awards, you need a program just to keep track? Yeah, all of the above, and probably a few more. I really don't know, when I finally looked them up three weeks later, they actually looked somewhat interesting. Alec Baldwin hosted, I like Alec Baldwin.
Ok, so some where in the mix, they slighted Drew Brees, I see that ... but no more so then how the NFL slighted Stafford by sending Cam Newton to the Pro Bowl. Upon accepting the award, Matthew Stafford humbly admitted, "There are a lot of great quarterbacks that could have won this award and definitely deserved it as well", alluding to my underlying point. If you compare Stafford's year to Brees', you see Drew bested Matt head-to-head and in pretty much every category but yards-per-catch ... "thank-you" Megatron. How does Stafford walk out with this award?
But I'm not here to dis Stafford either, I'm glad he got a little recognition for the season he had. Heck, he 'restored the roar' for the Lions, he's Detroit's 'Drew Brees', 'the franchise', the guy who's taking 'em to the promised land. Matt threw for a team record 5038yds and became only one of 4 NFL quarterbacks to ever throw for more then 5,000yds in a season ... unfortunately, in the same season two of the other three to ever have done it, did it ... Brady for 5,235 and Brees for the second time and setting a new NFL record at 5,476yds. Stafford took his team to the playoffs for the first time in 10yrs, only to be beat by Brees again and to watch Brady in the SuperBowl ... statistically and achievement-wise, Brady or Brees deserved the award. Why not give it to either one of them?
Because it's a dog & pony show? Because you can't give all the awards to the same two or three guys year after year and you have to promote parity among the awards? Because you want to encourage debate on the various message boards around the league and give the fans something to talk about in the offseason? Because by spreading awards around you promote a larger, more diverse fan base? IDK, all of the above and probably a few more.
And then I see another list of awards by the NFL Alumni, the 'Player of the Year' awards, which listed Philip Rivers, (SD) as 'Player of the Year, Quarterback' recipient which is entirely different (?) then the 'Quarterback of the Year' award presented to Matthew Stafford and of which both could have arguably been awarded to Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning ..... yeah, wrap your head around that one and tell me it doesn't make you want a drink ..... if it doesn't, looking at the complete list of award winners might ... no Graham, Gronkowski, Nicks, Ngata, Seymour, Johnson (Calvin) ... it goes on and on.
NFL Alumni Player of the Year Awards
•Quarterback – Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
•Running back – Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
•Wide Receiver – Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
•Tight End – Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
•Offensive Lineman – Josh Sitton, Green Bay Packers
•Defensive Lineman – Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions
•Linebacker – Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49’ers
•Defensive Back – Aqib Talib, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
•Special Teams – Devin Hester, Chicago Bears
•Spirit Award – Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys
•Coach of the Year – Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs
•Player of the Year – Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers
... which, I guess, brings me to my point, what awards do you take seriously? It's become so confusing, I wasn't even sure if I was looking at or referencing the correct awards after awhile, it just becomes a blur ... <sigh> ... as if free agency and the draft didn't confuse me enough already, now this ... man I hate the offseason.
Total Comments 6
Comments
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That is a heck of a list...can't see anything wrong with it (rolling my eyes in the back of my head at this very moment)
and think they are all well deserving of the award they received.Posted 02-27-2012 at 07:39 PM by Byubengal
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Yeah, when I see a list of awards like this it makes me think of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) where everyone gets a trophy. That's good for the kids, but these guys are million dollar athletes, does everyone need a trophy in the NFL?Posted 02-28-2012 at 06:17 AM by SloMotion
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Weird list. Good read, Slomo.
The coach of the year was fired. I think that says everything about these "awards". Stafford should not have won QB of the year, and Suh should not have won DL of the year.
WOW.Posted 03-08-2012 at 01:49 PM by jokeray
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Thanks. I think it was unfortunate for Stafford that the year he has a genuine "QB of the Year" season, two of the league's elite had a slightly better one. But he's young, so "It's Always Sunny in Detroit". I'm gonna' love hanging out at Eastern Market tailgating next season, thanks to Matt & Co.Posted 03-09-2012 at 10:10 AM by SloMotion
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You gonna break down and get season tix? I still want to make it up to FF for a game. I will in all likelihood be going to the Lions @ Titans game, as it's much closer to me. Should be fun to see Schwartz return to Tennessee to take on his old team.Posted 03-09-2012 at 10:53 AM by jokeray
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IDK, I'm on the list but I think I'm going to pass until next season, not real excited about their non-conference opponents at home for 2012, even though Houston would probably be a good game to watch.
That will be a good game @ Tennessee. You know Schwartz is going to have some fun in the interviews when asked about playing his old team,
.Posted 03-10-2012 at 07:09 AM by SloMotion
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