NFL: No QB Who Deserves The MVP Over Cooper Kupp
Enough is enough. The NFL should not be based on one position, yet it is. The QB will always be the heart of the team. Why does that mean QB’s are the only acceptable (in the eyes of voters) choices to be league MVP? I’m not discounting the seasons Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady have had this year. What I’m questioning is how Cooper Kupp, who’s having arguably the greatest statistical season of all time for a WR, isn’t even allowed to be on the waiting list at the MVP dinner table.
Since the year 2000, there have only been four occurrences of a player other than a QB winning the MVP. All of these players were RB’s and none were WR’s. Since 1957 (the first MVP award), there have been 0 WR’s to win MVP. Kupp is widely considered as being the best offensive player in football this season, however, how does him being a WR disqualify him in the eyes of the voters? There really is no basis on what an MVP season from a wideout is. Could that be why nobody cares to give him the MVP praise he has earned? Do you give the award to a QB because you’re afraid to give it to the WR? Quite frankly, I’m not sure what cause you have.
It’s not just Kupp who needs to feel left out. Johnathan Taylor also has a case to be the 5th RB to win the MVP since 2000. I think the issue at hand, whether or not Kupp or Taylor deserves the MVP or not based on his position’s track record, is that QB’s are put on a pedestal. Yes, they put up the most yards and the most touchdowns. However, does that make them the best player? That’s a myth some fans choose to believe. Look at Kupp’s current QB, Matt Stafford as an example of how sometimes it is not always the QB who should be deemed most valuable.
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Stafford struggled during his tenure in Detroit. Outside of Calvin Johnson, he never had this much success with a WR. Even in Megatron’s case, Kupp is having a superior season. Has Stafford always been this good? His only really good years came with the benefit of a HOF WR. Stafford wasn’t making his other WR’s better. Kupp has seemingly been the missing piece to Stafford’s success. Why is it that certain betting odds have Stafford with better odds to take MVP than Kupp? (Rhetorical Question, we know it’s because he’s a QB). The key is valuable. How much more valuable has Kupp made a player like Stafford. Likewise, how much more valuable has Johnathan Taylor made Carson Wentz?
While Kupp might not beat or tie any single season records (which he’s gone on saying that if he does, an asterisk should be placed). However, just the fact that in 1 more game (as opposed to the former 17 game schedule), Kupp could become the NFL’s 4th triple crown WR winner (leader in rec yards, receptions, TD’s)that’s an incredible accomplishment in its own right. However, in the process of that, he could indeed break two of those single-season records (receiving yards, receptions). How is that not worthy of an NFL MVP? Only 3 WR’s have ever gone 1,500 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 100 receptions, and 2 records weren’t broken in the process. In those seasons, a QB won the MVP.
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We all want to praise the QB. It’s obvious that they are the backbone of an NFL teams’ success. There is no other sport where one position dominates the MVP voting. It’s almost an unfair advantage. Think about it, the QB is the only player who touches the ball on every offensive play the team has. Don’t you think that NBA stars such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, would be putting up more than god-like numbers had they had that luxury of having the ball in their hands on every offensive play the team ran? In baseball, the pitcher has that same luxury. And, they are given their own separate award. If they are indeed truly dominant, they can also qualify for league MVP.
Think about how the NFL gives the QB’s all the attention. You choose to portay them as Gods’or immortals. In reality, Kupp has made Stafford look like one of the league’s best players. He wasn’t a QB who made everyone better. In theory, Kupp is the God, Stafford is the King who follows his ideals. The normal folk (NFL fans) look to the King as the leader, yet, that King looks to the god to guide him.
The truly great QB’s like Rodgers and Brady, sure they have deserved MVPs before. However, when a player like Kupp has the season he did, why are going to give it to the QB just because he’s the QB? That’s just what makes the NFL so fun and unpredictable (sarcasm).
Image Source: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
