Count Booger McFarland among the people who think Josh Allen did not deserve to win NFL MVP.
The longtime ESPN football analyst joined The Dan Patrick Show on Friday following Allen’s win over Lamar Jackson at the NFL Honors ceremony. He claimed Allen’s win shows how “feelings” take over when voters hand out awards year by year.
“I thought it was wrong. I think you can make a case that Josh Allen did more with less … but if Lamar Jackson won the MVP last year, this year he’s been probably 1-and-a-half times better than last year,” McFarland said. “When you have humans voting on this award, we’re subjected to feelings. And those feelings are, (Jackson) has won two, we’ve gotta give Josh one.”
McFarland cited Jackson’s improvements compared to last season and his efficiency in turning the ball over as the reason the Baltimore Ravens star should win. Explaining Allen’s win, McFarland credited the Buffalo Bills quarterback with compensating for the team’s lack of receiving threats and defensive talent to stay atop the AFC East.
But it’s undeniable that narratives became an even bigger part of the MVP conversation than usual this season. Beyond any sympathy voters might have for Allen, there was also an idea that Jackson was undeserving of his third trophy after consistently underperforming in the postseason.
Add in a dose of skepticism around Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, how non-quarterbacks are ignored in the race, and voters’ devaluation of players like Joe Burrow, whose teams missed the playoffs — and Allen had the easiest story.
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“It just goes to show you how us as humans, and I get it, when we vote on awards, our feelings get involved,” McFarland said.
Beneath the surface, McFarland is criticizing voters for ignoring the facts and following their hearts—a no-no for sports analysts. Although McFarland does not have an MVP vote, many of his ESPN colleagues do.
Of the voting contingent at the Worldwide Leader, it appears only Tedy Bruschi and Mina Kimes agree with McFarland that Jackson was the MVP this season.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.