Should the Offensive Player of the Year Award be renamed?

[BayRaider]

Personally I think it should be renamed to “Skill Position Player of the Year”. 
 

Positions Eligible: RB, WR, TE, CB, S

Reasons: 

- MVP and Offensive Player of the Year are gonna be the same person very often. 
 

- The criteria is extremely confusing when it comes to QB’s. Aaron Rodgers should be OPOY if Mahomes was OPOY in 2018 and Ryan in 2016. It’s a better QB season than Ryan, and at least on par with 2018 Mahomes (in my opinion, better than 2018 Mahomes). 
 

- This is the only sport that has an Offensive Player of the Year Award. Other sports don’t have it because it gets confusing with MVP. 

- The reason CB’s and S’s are included is because they are technically skill positions, and a Pass Rusher will win DPOY about 85% of the time. Although I do think Xavien Howard will win this year, and Stephon Gilmore won last year. However, that is a rarity. 
 

- This makes the award much more CLEAR on what the criteria actually is. Because personally I think Rodgers had the best “offensive season”, not just an MVP season, but many people don’t like to give this award to QB’s. Although, sometimes, it still goes to QB’s. It doesn’t really make much sense IMO. 

So if we renamed it to: “Skill Position Player of the Year” then my rankings for it would be this:

Winner: RB Derrick Henry

Runner Ups: 

2) CB Xavien Howard

3) WR Davante Adams

4) TE Travis Kelce

5) WR Tyreek Hill

Edited January 5, 2021 by BayRaider

[DannyB]

no way because then it would ruin my dream of one day having a center win the award

[BayRaider]

Just now, DannyB said:

no way because then it would ruin my dream of one day having a center win the award

There should be an Offensive Line Unit Award as well. I have no idea why there isn’t one. 
 

Probably would be the Packers, maybe the Saints. 

[Hunter2_1]

I've often wondered how they can have MVP and OPOY when it's usually always the same person (but they don't tend to award it to the same person, right?)

I think if the MVP is an offensive player (which it always is) then scrap the OPOY award for that year. How is it not the same person?

[Nightime]

Henry will get OPOTY because he had a 2000 yard season with 17 touchdowns 

Mahomes won OPOTY because he not only had 50 passing touchdowns, he also had a 5000 yard passing season.

[BayRaider]

4 hours ago, Nightime said:

Henry will get OPOTY because he had a 2000 yard season with 17 touchdowns 

Mahomes won OPOTY because he not only had 50 passing touchdowns, he also had a 5000 yard passing season.

That doesn’t make any sense. Is there a 2000 yard or 50 TD criteria I’m not reading...? Because Rodgers in 2020 is arguably a better offensive season than both. Not just an “MVP” season. Will go down no doubt is a Top 5-10 QB season ever. It’s right there with 2018 Mahomes. 

 

5 hours ago, Hunter2_1 said:

I've often wondered how they can have MVP and OPOY when it's usually always the same person (but they don't tend to award it to the same person, right?)

I think if the MVP is an offensive player (which it always is) then scrap the OPOY award for that year. How is it not the same person?

Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. There’s no consistency and it makes zero sense. 2018 went to both to Mahomes. 2016 went both to Ryan. 2015 went both to Cam. 2010 both went to Brady, which was largely an efficient style season. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by BayRaider

[Nightime]

50 minutes ago, BayRaider said:

That doesn’t make any sense. Is there a 2000 yard or 50 TD criteria I’m not reading...? Because Rodgers in 2020 is arguably a better offensive season than both. Not just an “MVP” season. Will go down no doubt is a Top 5-10 QB season ever. It’s right there with 2018 Mahomes. 

 

Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. There’s no consistency and it makes zero sense. 2018 went to both to Mahomes. 2016 went both to Ryan. 2015 went both to Cam. 2010 both went to Brady, which was largely an efficient style season. 

I don’t see them denying a 2000 yard rusher OPOTY

The only 2000 yard rusher to not win that award was 1984 Dickerson, who lost it to Dan Marino. Marino’s 48 touchdowns and first 5,000 yard season in NFL history were both unprecedented achievements

Rodgers has had a great year but 48 touchdown passes has been done a few times before. I am predicting that Henry will take home OPOTY honors.

The only thing that gives me pause is Rodgers going over the 50 total touchdown mark. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by Nightime

[TitanSlim]

It usually goes like this. OPOY goes to the MVP QB unless a skill position has an outstanding year (see Michael Thomas last year, CJ2k in 09, ect.) or another (non MVP) QB has an historic year (Drew Brees in 08 and 2011).

So with that said, I expect Derrick Henry to win it this year

[BayRaider]

34 minutes ago, Nightime said:

I don’t see them denying a 2000 yard rusher OPOTY

The only 2000 yard rusher to not win that award was 1984 Dickerson, who lost it to Dan Marino. Marino’s 48 touchdowns and first 5,000 yard season in NFL history were both unprecedented achievements

Rodgers has had a great year but 48 touchdown passes has been done a few times before. I am predicting that Henry will take home OPOTY honors.

The only thing that gives me pause is Rodgers going over the 50 total touchdown mark. 

You have to look at Rodgers entire season. Not just 48 TD’s. He had a 48-5 TD-INT Ratio, unheard of, 8.2 YPA, 70% COMP as well. It was arguably a Top 5 QB season in the history of this sport. Better than other QB’s who have won OPOY like 2016 Ryan, 2015 Cam, and IMO better than 2018 Mahomes, even though Mahomes threw 50 TD’s. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by BayRaider

[BayRaider]

30 minutes ago, TitanSlim said:

It usually goes like this. OPOY goes to the MVP QB unless a skill position has an outstanding year (see Michael Thomas last year, CJ2k in 09, ect.) or another (non MVP) QB has an historic year (Drew Brees in 08 and 2011).

So with that said, I expect Derrick Henry to win it this year

I understand Henry had 2K. However, are you saying Rodgers didn’t have a historic year? It’s going to go down as a bare minimum Top 10 QB season in the history of the sport. 48-5, best ratio ever, 8.2 YPA, and an astounding 70% Comp. 

[Coffee & Contemplation]

Usually if a QB wins OPOY, they also win MVP. The last time that didn't happen was 2011, when Brees won OPOY and Rodgers won MVP. The general feeling that year was that Brees was getting a conciliation prize, essentially that award being his prize for being MVP Runner-Up.

Other than that, in most recent years if the OPOY award goes to a QB, then that QB was also the MVP. If the OPOY award goes to a non-QB, it's usually a RB or WR who had an otherwise historic season, but a season that was overshadowed by otherwise stellar QB play from someone else.

So if there's no particular standout seasons from RBs or WRs, then it seemingly defaults to a QB winning the MVP/OPOY in unison.

I would prefer a system where we had a "Top QB award" and then a "Top Non-QB Offensive Player Award" but I also wouldn't want to disrupt the history of the MVP trophy.

[TitanSlim]

3 minutes ago, BayRaider said:

I understand Henry had 2K. However, are you saying Rodgers didn’t have a historic year? It’s going to go down as a bare minimum Top 10 QB season in the history of the sport. 48-5, best ratio ever, 8.2 YPA, and an astounding 70% Comp. 

And Henry arguably had a top 10 RB season of all time. Since the MVP has pretty much become a defacto QB award, the OPOY has become by default the best skill player award. Unless there is no standout year by a skill position player, which then leads to the MVP being both that and OPOY.

There was clearly a standout year by a skill player in Henry (Adams and Kelce too), which is why I think Henry will win, even with Rodgers outstanding year.

[BayRaider]

2 minutes ago, Coffee & Contemplation said:

Usually if a QB wins OPOY, they also win MVP. The last time that didn't happen was 2011, when Brees won OPOY and Rodgers won MVP. The general feeling that year was that Brees was getting a conciliation prize, essentially that award being his prize for being MVP Runner-Up.

Other than that, in most recent years if the OPOY award goes to a QB, then that QB was also the MVP. If the OPOY award goes to a non-QB, it's usually a RB or WR who had an otherwise historic season, but a season that was overshadowed by otherwise stellar QB play from someone else.

So if there's no particular standout seasons from RBs or WRs, then it seemingly defaults to a QB winning the MVP/OPOY in unison.

I would prefer a system where we had a "Top QB award" and then a "Top Non-QB Offensive Player Award" but I also wouldn't want to disrupt the history of the MVP trophy.

I agree this is the current system and it’s a joke. Just rename the award to Best Skill Position so it’s clear. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by BayRaider

[minutemancl]

1 hour ago, Nightime said:

I don’t see them denying a 2000 yard rusher OPOTY

The only 2000 yard rusher to not win that award was 1984 Dickerson, who lost it to Dan Marino. Marino’s 48 touchdowns and first 5,000 yard season in NFL history were both unprecedented achievements

Rodgers has had a great year but 48 touchdown passes has been done a few times before. I am predicting that Henry will take home OPOTY honors.

The only thing that gives me pause is Rodgers going over the 50 total touchdown mark. 

This post made me wonder if any of the previous 2000 yard rushers were ever denied OPOTY and/or MVP. All of them at least were named OPOTY... except for Eric Dickerson, who still holds the record for most rushing yards in a season. The reason? That was also the year Dan Marino passed for over 5000 yards and 48 touchdowns. That's a pretty good reason, but damn, not getting any accolades for the 2105 season is pretty crazy.

[Billy86]

They'd be better off renaming MVP before opoy in my opinion.