Addressing the Snubs with NFL's Awards

There were some questionable decisions in the league's voting process, including rookie of the year, offensive rookie, and comeback player

The National Football League handed out its awards for the 2019 season on Saturday night, and let’s just say there’s plenty to take umbrage with.

Start with the Comeback Player of the Year Ryan Tannehill.

Really? What exactly did the Tennessee Titans quarterback come back from?

A capsule injury in his shoulder sidelined him for a few games at the end of the 2018 regular season, but that was an injury reportedly due to repetitive motion and all he need was a rest. 

Tannehill was traded ftom Miami in the offseason and began the year on the bench. Six games in, he was inserted into Tennessee's starting lineup not so much for anything he did but what Marcus Mariota wasn’t able to do and that was simply be good.

Tannehill played well once he got his chance, but his “comeback” was nothing compared to that of Eagles right guard Brandon Brooks.

Brooks tore his Achilles in mid-January 2018, spent the next seven months rehabbing and was back in the lineup on opening day of 2019. The math said he made that return in less than eight months, which is otherworldy for anyone with that type of injury let alone for someone who is 6-5, 335 pounds.

Brooks suffered a shoulder injury in the season finale against the New York Giants, so he faces another offseason of rehab. Chances of him coming back yet again and winning the award in 2020?

Slim.

The only reason I can think that he wasn’t this year's comeback player is because Brooks doesn’t play the marquee position of quarterback.

More evidence of the quarterback being more important when it comes to these matters is that Tannehill picked up 16 of the 50 first-place votes which was only one more than another quarterback, San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo.

At least Garoppolo had a significant injury to come back from, which was a torn ACL early in the 2018 season.

And that brings me to umbrage number two: quarterback Kyler Murray being named offensive rookie of the year.

Again, really?

Murray’s numbers weren’t even that much better that Jacksonville rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew, if at all.

Murray went 5-10-1 with the Arizona Cardinals, competing 64.4 percent of his throw for 3,722 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Minshew played in 14 games with 12 starts and went 6-6 with a 60.6 completion percentage, 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

The voting wasn’t even close. Murray picked up 26.5 first-place votes, winning in a landslide over Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (13) and Titans receiver AJ. Brown (9.5). Eagles running back Miles Sanders, despite leading all rookies with 1,641 all-purpose yards.

Maybe Sanders didn’t deserve to win, but he certainly deserved more than one vote. I would have gone with Brown, but, again, not a quarterback.

Sanders getting only one vote is the sort of snub experienced by Eagles head coach Doug Pederson two years ago when he nabbed only one vote to leave coach of the year honors to Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay.

Pederson and the Eagles beat McVay and the Rams late in that 2017 season to wrap up the NFC East and, of course, Pederson and the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl.

One vote. One big joke.

Finally, I have a problem with the defensive player of the year being New England’s Stephon Gilmore. It should have gone to T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Gilmore, with his six interceptions, which was tied for most in the league, and 20 passes defended, was good, but Watt was better.

Watt did just about everything from his linebacker spot, racking up 14.5 sacks, which was tied for fourth in the league, he forced eight fumbles and recovered four fumbles, which was second best among defenders in the NFL.

In case you missed it, here are the rest of the awards:

Walter Payton Man of the Year: Jacksonville defensive end Calais Campbell

Most Valuable Player: Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson

FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Year: Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson and Tennessee’s Derrick Henry

Anything But Ordinary Player of the Year: Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald