Lots of NFL stuff this week...

[purplefaithful]

3rd NFL MVP award for Aaron Rodgers, announces engagement

Notable award winners included Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who won the Associated Press NFL MVP award for the third time in his career.

Rodgers winning this award wasn't surprising. The shock, however, came as he low-key announced in his acceptance speech that he got engaged.

But to who? He didn't reveal

Alex Smith wins comeback player of the year
Additionally, Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith, who needed 17 surgeries after suffering a life-threatening leg injury, won AP comeback player of the year honors.

"From obviously a lot of anxiety and potential doubt about obviously how my leg is going to hold up, to an amazing rush of thrill, excitement, that feeling of going out there again and playing, I never thought I'd get that back," Smith said.

Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and Calvin Johnson first-ballot Hall of Famers 
Peyton Manning is the only starting quarterback to have won Super Bowls with two different franchises -- though he might gain some company as soon as Sunday if Tom Brady and the Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV.
Manning has now done something else that Brady likely will do one day: He's been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Also getting in their first year on the ballot are cornerback/safety Charles Woodson and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The rest of the class of 2021 is safety John Lynch, offensive lineman Alan Faneca, wide receiver Drew Pearson, coach Tom Flores and contributor Bill Nunn


NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Winner: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles ChargersAfter a season filled with phenomenal rookie performances, Justin Herbert has been named the 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
This was one of the awards that most people saw coming. While Minnesota Vikings’ rookie WR Justin Jefferson made it a race near the end of the year, ultimately, Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert took home the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
After being selected as the third quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft, Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert finished better than everyone else. While how he got his start was unconventional, once he took the driver’s seat, he never gave it up. Due to the injury to Joe Burrow, he took complete control of the 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year race.
Herbert set rookie records for total touchdowns (36), passing touchdowns (31), completions (396), multi-passing touchdown games (10), games with 300 yards passing (8), and 3-touchdown passing games (6). He was just 38 yards short of Andrew Luck’s rookie record of 4,374 yards passing.
In 15 games, Herbert completed 66.6% of his passes for 4,336 yards with 31 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. He also added 234 yards rushing with 5 rushing touchdowns.
In winning, Herbert joins a select group of QBs who have also won this award. Though this award has been presented for a while, it was dominated by RBs and WRs. Thanks to the change in the game, quarterbacks have seen an uptick in the 2010s. Of the last 11 winners of the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, six have been quarterbacks. This includes Herbert joining Kyler Murray as back-to-back winners.

[Guest]

Five modern-era players named to NFL Hall of Fame class; former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen falls well short

Jared Allen, who became a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist in his first year of eligibility, was eliminated in the first round of cuts when the 48-member selection committee met virtually on Jan. 19 to choose the Class of 2021.
The former Vikings defensive end, a four-time first-team All-Pro whose 136 sacks rank 12th on the NFL career list, joined linebacker Sam Mills, cornerback Ronde Barber and receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne among the cuts from 15 to 10.
The committee, which includes this reporter, met for 8 hours, 42 minutes. The discussion on Allen lasted only 8 minutes, 2 seconds — the second-shortest of 18 discussions behind only Peyton Manning, the record five-time MVP whose obvious first-ballot, slam-dunk case needed only 21 seconds to essentially present the legendary quarterback's name.
The modern-era players joining Manning in the Class of 2021 are defensive back and fellow first-ballot no-brainer Charles Woodson; receiver and another first-ballot selection Calvin Johnson; guard Alan Faneca; and safety John Lynch. Also selected were seniors candidate Drew Pearson, the former Cowboys receiver; contributors candidate Bill Nunn, a pioneering Black scout who helped build the Steelers' dynasty of the 1970s; and coaches candidate Tom Flores, the two-time Super Bowl winner with the Raiders.
Rounding out the final 10 of the modern-era candidates were safety LeRoy Butler, offensive tackle Tony Boselli, defensive lineman Richard Seymour and linebackers Clay Matthews Jr. and Zach Thomas.
The selectors trimmed the list from 10 to five but weren't told who the final five were. Normally, the selectors are told who the final five are before voting yes or no on each of the five. It takes 80% yes votes to get in.
This year, the selectors were told to vote yes or no on each of the final 10 as if each of them had made the final five. The change in protocol was done to prevent selectors from leaking news of the final five three weeks ahead of the announcement during the NFL Honors telecast in Tampa on Saturday night, the eve of Super Bowl LV. Normally, the committee meets in person the day of the announcement.
Selectors aren't permitted to reveal specifics on the discussions that take place, but in general terms, here were the key obstacles Allen faced in advancing beyond the first cut:
• There were strong, lengthy discussions about whether the committee has selected too many first-ballot Hall of Famers in recent years. With Manning and Woodson as first-ballot locks this year and Johnson having strong backing as a third first-ballot selection, Allen essentially was dismissed out of hand by a majority of selectors. Only two selectors spoke during Allen's discussion. This reporter gave the opening presentation, which is limited to five minutes. The selector from Kansas City also spoke briefly. No other selectors requested to speak either for or against Allen.
• Matthews, who was in his 20th year of eligibility, got a surprising burst in his first year as a finalist in part because this was his last shot before moving into the seniors category. Other candidates who gained extra attention because they've been waiting a long time were Butler, who is the only modern-era member of the all-decade teams of the '70s, '80s and '90s not in the Hall; Lynch, who was in his eighth straight year as a finalist; and Faneca, a six-time All-Pro guard in his sixth year as a finalist.
• There were strong discussions on how to judge great but short careers in general, and Boselli in particular. Boselli, who was in his fifth year as a finalist, was a three-time first-team All-Pro but played only 97 games, including playoffs, in a career cut short by a botched shoulder surgery. The sense is more selectors are opening up to selecting more great players with short careers.
Here are the lengths of each discussion:
Johnson (39:16), Lynch (37:14), Boselli (32:00), Nunn (31:02), Pearson (28:46), Flores (27:59), Wayne (25:30), Mills (20:57), Matthews (20:24), Butler (18:02), Woodson (16:50), Thomas (16:03), Faneca (13:08), Seymour (12:43), Holt (11:17), Barber (8:22), Allen (8:02), Manning (21 seconds).
Allen's path could get even more crowded in 2022. Among the list of first-year candidates for next year is DeMarcus Ware, whose 138½ sacks rank three spots ahead of Allen on the NFL's career list.
Speaking to the Star Tribune before the vote, Allen said, "It would be ridiculous of me to be ticked off and complain if five of the guys on this list get in ahead of me.
"The committee has the hardest job in the world because it's trying to compare the 1 percent with the 1 percent in NFL history," Allen said. "I'll never be that guy whose feelings get all hurt. I look at that list and I get it.
"If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. There's always next year. Now that I'm in the finals, I think it'll happen eventually. And that's OK."




https://www.startribune.com/five-modern-era-players-named-to-nfl-hall-of-fame-class-former-vikings-defensive-end-jared-allen-fal/600020106/

[Guest]

..and don't forget Aaron Donald winning his 3rd DPOY. 

Oh...and Pearson pushed off. 

[Guest]

@"MaroonBells" said:
..and don't forget Aaron Donald winning his 3rd DPOY. 

Oh...and Pearson pushed off. 

That one scarred me for my fan life...That was 45 years ago now?

The first of my many scars rooting for this franchise...

 

[Guest]

justin jefferson much more worthy

[Guest]

41-9

That was the vote on OROTY.

41-9, smh.

[Guest]

@"BarrNone55" said:
41-9

That was the vote on OROTY.

41-9, smh.

QBs get the chicks.....& the votes.

[Guest]

@"Viking1987" said:
justin jefferson much more worthy

Why?

[Guest]

@"MaroonBells" said:
..and don't forget Aaron Donald winning his 3rd DPOY. 

Oh...and Pearson pushed off. 

This Aaron Donald guy is pretty good...

https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1362930222065147906?s=20