Tag: MVP

Joe Burrow gets an MVP nod from NFL expert

Joe Burrow…the next NFL MVP?

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow missed half of the season last year due to a wrist injury after not even being at full strength for most of the time he actually was on the field, dealing with a calf strain that had been nagging since the preseason.

However, now he enters the 2024 season seemingly with no issues and should be back to his old self. Sports Illustrated NFL reporter Albert Breer recognizes that Burrow is back, and he has some high expectations for the signal-caller.

In a tweet that linked to an article he headlined, “Bengals QB Joe Burrow Is Back and Better Than Ever,” Breer predicted that Burrow would win the MVP award this season.

“Joe Burrow’s been through a lot the last year,” the tweet read. “But he never wasted a minute trying to get back to being himself. And now, he’s on the doorstep of it.”

In the article, Breer predicted that not only would Burrow win MVP, but he would also take Cincinnati back to the Super Bowl. He believes that Burrow was at his best after he had healed from his calf strain and before he injured his wrist, and due to his drive to improve, he will be even better when he gets back on the field for a full season.

While it will be a while before anyone can see whether Breer’s prediction comes true, the journey for Burrow to try to get there begins on Sunday against the New England Patriots, and he is ready to get back out on the field.

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Ravens MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson ‘wants to be labeled a champion’

Baltimore Ravens MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson says he wants to be labeled a champion

Through seven seasons as an NFL quarterback, Lamar Jackson has accomplished almost everything possible with the Baltimore Ravens, including two MVP awards and multiple All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. However, one major milestone remains for Jackson: winning a Super Bowl.

Jackson was asked if a Super Bowl was the last box he needed to check.

“That’s been the first checkbox for me since 2018,” Jackson said. “I said that [on] April 26 – whenever I was drafted – I said that, and I meant that. This is the highest level of the game we play. You’ve got to go out a champion, and that’s what I want to be labeled as – a champion. [I don’t] just want to be labeled as MVP [Most Valuable Player] here and there; I want to be a champion.”

The Ravens fell just one game short of making the Super Bowl last season, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, after finishing with a league-best 13-4 record and Jackson taking home his second MVP. Jackson and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are both two-time MVPs, but the main thing separating the two is that Mahomes has also won three Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVP awards, while Jackson had only two playoff wins.

To be champions, Jackson and Baltimore will likely have to overcome the Kansas City-sized obstacle that has been blocking the rest of the AFC for years now.

 

Saints one of the few teams without a league MVP in team history

No Saints player has ever won the NFL MVP award. History and current roster construction tell you the drought likely won’t end soon:

The New Orleans Saints are one of seven teams in the NFL to never have a regular season Most Valuable Player. That drought likely won’t end any time soon. Drew Brees has a Super Bowl MVP and a couple of snubs for the regular season award, but he was never named league MVP.

This is a quarterback award. Ironically, the last non-quarterback to win this award was LaDainian Tomlinson who won it in Brees’ only first-team All-Pro season in 2006. If any player on the current Saints team would win it, it would have to be Derek Carr.

Derek Carr turned 33 this offseason, and it’s unlikely he has an MVP season left in him. Klint Kubiak’s system is quarterback-friendly, and the hope is he will improve from last year. Being the best quarterback in the league is just a longshot.

History just doesn’t suggest a 33-year-old quarterback will turn into a MVP candidate at that age. There’s been very few players to win the award at that age, let alone win the first ever of their career.

Positional value means the Saints likely won’t have an MVP until they get a young quarterback in the building. Of the seven teams looking for their first winner, four of them have a young quarterback currently on the roster.

The New York Jets have Aaron Rodgers, so they feel that MVP window is still open. That leaves the Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the two teams who don’t feel like they have a quarterback who could win an MVP in 2024 or grow into an MVP candidate.

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Frankie Luvu predicted to be Commanders’ non-QB MVP for 2024 season

Everyone believes Frankie Luvu will have a big season in 2024.

The Washington Commanders signed several players in free agency this offseason. General manager Adam Peters had a tall task in front of him: upgrading a 4-13 roster. He used free agency to raise Washington’s floor without sacrificing any future long-term flexibility.

Peters handed out mostly one-year contracts this offseason. A select few did receive multi-year deals, including linebacker Frankie Luvu.

Luvu, 27, is coming off back-to-back impressive seasons for the Carolina Panthers, where he recorded a combined 12.5 sacks. In addition to being an every-down linebacker, Luvu also served in a pass-rushing role for the Panthers, which is similar to how he’ll be used by Washington head coach Dan Quinn.

Expectations are high for Luvu, with some predicting he’ll make his first Pro Bowl in 2024.

Ben Standig of The Athletic believes Luvu will have a big season, too. The Athletic recently named one non-quarterback MVP for all 32 NFL teams, and Standig chose Luvu for Washington.

Micah Parsons wasn’t one of the several familiar faces head coach Dan Quinn brought over from his three-year stint with the Cowboys. Bummer. However, the three-time All-Pro is mentioned frequently in Washington because his linebacker/edge rusher role did travel with Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. Luvu, one of the Commanders’ primary free-agent signings this offseason, arrived with the versatility required to play multiple spots. At 27, Luvu is an ascending talent coming off back-to-back 100-tackle seasons with 12 1/2 combined sacks. He will play every down, and the defensive personnel will shift depending on where the coaches deploy this aggressive playmaker.

While Parsons didn’t follow Quinn to Washington, the head coach and defensive coordinator, Joe Whitt Jr., have an idea of how they want to use Luvu. With Bobby Wagner signed to play middle linebacker, that frees up Luvu to be in a more playmaking role for Washington’s defense in 2024.

If Luvu plays in every game, he could put up the best numbers of his career, which would make him a reasonable choice for non-QB MVP.

Could Jayson Tatum win MVP with the Boston Celtics next season?

Tatum became the target of heavy criticism over the course of the 2024 NBA playoffs.

Could superstar forward Jayson Tatum win MVP with the Boston Celtics next season? Tatum became the target of heavy criticism over the course of the 2024 NBA playoffs. With his partner in crime Jaylen Brown winning Eastern Conference MVP and Finals MVP, Tatum sacrificed so much of his offense to be the playmaker this Boston team needed him to be to put together their championship run.

Now, with an offseason where Tatum will see little to no rest with the Olympics quickly approaching, can the superstar elevate his game and reach a new level next season? Championship repeat talks have already begun and with this roster looking to make zero changes and Tatum in Brown in their primes, can he deliver more rings to Boston?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Cedric Maxwell” podcast, the eponymous Cedric Maxwell and his co-host Josue Pavon, weighed in on a recent episode. Check it out below!

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Derek Carr projected as Saints’ team MVP by NFL.com analyst

Chris Olave, Demario Davis, and Tyrann Mathieu were options but this NFL.com writer predicts Derek Carr will be the Saints’ team MVP in 2024:

NFL.com lead draft writer Eric Edholm recently predicted each team’s Most Valuable Player for the 2024 season, and he’s a believer in Derek Carr. Edholm selected Carr to take a step up in his second year with the New Orleans Saints and earn recognition as the team’s MVP.

Edholm expressed his hesitance to lean too heavily into quarterbacks when making these selections around the league. Positional value plays a part in this award yearly, as was the case for Edholm with the Saints, but Carr was the beset choice for what he was looking for:

I sat and stared at the Saints’ roster for longer than I want to admit, trying to figure out if Carr was indeed the right choice. I couldn’t quite pick Demario Davis or Tyrann Mathieu, two guys heading into the gloaming of their careers, terrific as both might have been last year. Chris Olave was naturally an option, but I couldn’t forget how he and Carr struggled to get on the same page at times last season, unsure how to weigh that. And in the positional hierarchy of things, quarterback trumps receiver every time. 

Quarterback does trump receiver nine times out of ten. If Olave has a great season, it would just likely be a part of a great Derek Carr season. When you look at receivers who won Offensive Player of the Year recently, they were the the only true receiving option on their teams. They also had at least 1.700 yards. Neither of those things are likely in Olave’s 2024 future with guys like Rashid Shaheed, Alvin Kamara, and Juwan Johnson drawing targets.

Carr is the best option when looking at all the factors. Mathieu and, specifically, Davis feel like more sure things, but they aren’t at positions of “high value.” Carr is looking for a bounce-back season after an uneven 2023 campaign in New Orleans.

If he can achieve success in Klint Kubiak’s offense, Carr will earn the team’s MVP award, and the Saints will end the season in a better place because of it.

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Why Falcons RB Bijan Robinson could be dark horse MVP candidate

Don’t be surprised if Falcons RB Bijan Robinson finds himself in the MVP discussion this season…

The NFL loves to celebrate quarterbacks, but occasionally players at other positions get the recognition they deserve. While we don’t anticipate an offensive lineman winning MVP anytime soon, sometimes running backs give those quarterbacks a run for their money during awards season.

Since 2000, only four NFL running backs — Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander and Marshall Faulk — have won the league MVP award. Peterson was the last player to accomplish this feat back in 2012.

As unlikely as it may seem, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has the right mix of physical tools and surrounding talent to be the league’s next non-QB MVP.

Robinson is essentially the perfect modern NFL running back. He has elite speed, size, vision, elusiveness, route-running ability and hands (see below):

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cL8ZPs2fWu8

Robinson rushed for 976 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie, adding 58 catches for 487 yards and four receiving touchdowns. I realize these aren’t quite MVP-level numbers, but the totals were deflated by the team’s abysmal quarterback play last season.

With Kirk Cousins stepping in, the Falcons finally have someone who can help their offense reach its full potential. And unlike former head coach Arthur Smith, Raheem Morris is ready to unleash Robinson this season.

“Get the ball to Bijan as much as you can in as many ideal situations as you possibly can,” said Morris on how he plans to feature Robinson.

While statistics play a major part in determining the league MVP, the story behind those stats is arguably just as important. The Falcons have missed the playoffs for six straight seasons. If Bijan leads them to an NFC South crown, it would carry more weight than some of the other candidates.

Cousins is sure to receive his share of praise if the team is successful, but he’s rarely been in the MVP discussion throughout his career. Robinson has an elite run-blocking offensive line and enough complementary weapons to prevent opposing defenses from stacking the box.

Assuming he’s the focal point of Atlanta’s offense, Robinson’s ability as a dual-threat could help him top 2,000 all-purpose yards in 2024.

What type of numbers would Robinson need to win MVP?

As mentioned earlier, only four running backs have won the award since the 2000 NFL season. Here’s a look at the stats for all four players the year they won MVP.

  • Adrian Peterson (2012): 2,097 rushing yards, 12 TDs, 40 catches, 217 rec. yards, 1 rec. TD
  • LaDainian Tomlinson (2006): 1,815 rushing yards, 28 TDs, 56 catches, 508 rec. yards, 3 rec. TDs
  • Shaun Alexander (2005): 1,880 rushing yards, 27 TDs, 15 catches, 78 rec. yards, 1 rec. TD
  • Marshall Faulk (2000): 1,359 rushing yards, 18 TDs, 81 catches, 830 rec. yards, 8 rec. TDs

Draft Kings lists Robinson’s odds to win the 2024 MVP award at +25000, but crazier things have happened in this league. Why not Bijan?

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Ashton Wilson named regional MVP, 5 Gators named to All-Tournament

Florida is leaving Stillwater as regional champions, so it’s no surprise to see a handful of Gators on the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team.

Florida’s championship run at the Stillwater Regional has five Gators on the All-Tournament Team, including outfielder [autotag]Ashton Wilson[/autotag] who took home MVP honors.

He hit .429 (9-for-21) in Stillwater after riding the bench for most of the season. Injuries to junior [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] and freshman [autotag]Hayden Yost[/autotag] propelled Wilson into the starting lineup during the team’s final regular-season series against Georgia.

Wilson’s breakout game came in the opener against Nebraska. He had a homer and three doubles, driving in three of his six RBIs on the weekend.

Joining Wilson on the All-Tournament Team are Florida first baseman [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], third baseman [autotag]Dale Thomas[/autotag], shortstop [autotag]Colby Shelton[/autotag] and pitcher [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag].

Neely was dominant in relief in first regional championship game against Oklahoma State. He struck out 11 and allowed just one hit after taking over in the fourth inning.

Caglianone went 6-for-17 (.353) with a pair of home runs and five runs batted in. Shelton also blasted a pair of homers en route to seven RBI, and Thomas had a three-hit game facing elimination against Nebraska.

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NBA media: Who are the biggest fans of each superstar?

This is how media members have voted for NBA stars in the last decade.

Since the NBA started making media members’ award votes public in 2015, there have been far fewer outlier ballots, which makes a lot of sense since vote-shaming is a real phenomenon. However, there are still somewhat significant discrepancies between the votes of each media personality, and we delved deep into that. We looked into the voters who had a say in each of the seasons in which Player X received MVP votes, then ranked them by the points they awarded to said player.

Here are the results for the biggest superstars in the last decade.

Here’s who voted for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as their 2023-24 MVP winner

Here’s who voted for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as their 2023-24 MVP winner.

The NBA released its voting ballots on Thursday, which means all 99 voters had their results turned over to the public.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished runner-up for the 2023-24 MVP award. Nikola Jokic won the prestigious award for the third time this season.

Jokic won the trophy by a landslide, totaling 926 total voting points. Gilgeous-Alexander had a distant second-place finish with 640 total voting points.

The 25-year-old had 15 first-place votes, 40 second-place votes, 40 third-place votes, three fourth-place votes and one fifth-place votes. Here’s who voted for Gilgeous-Alexander as their MVP winner:

Greg Anthony, Rod Boone, Shams Charania, James Edwards III, Michael Grange, Kelly Iko, Richard Jefferson, Adam Lefkoe, Chris Mannix, Steve McGehee, Kendrick Perkins, Doug Smith, Stephen A. Smith, Ryan Wolstat and Jeff Zillgitt.

Gilgeous-Alexander had a stellar season and completed back-to-back campaigns of top-five MVP finishes and All-NBA First Team honors. He headlined the first-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder this season.

In 75 games, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.1 points on 53.5% shooting, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds. He shot 35.3% shooting on 3.6 attempts. He led the league in steals at two per game.

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