All New Orleans Saints fans had their eyes glued to the TV on Thursday night to make sure Drew Brees wasn’t inexplicably left out of the Hall of Fame inductees and to see if Tyler Shough won the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Shough didn't get the nod, but hopefully Saints fans have a better end to the night.
If there was one thing that would work against Shough, it would be the number of games played. Shough started just 9 games. Had he started the entire season and played this way, the idea of whether or not he deserved Rookie of the Year would have been a moot talking point.
Even without those extra games, fans saw the truth. Early Thursday morning, Shough was named the Pepsi Zero Sugar Offensive Rookie of the Year. Just like the Pepsi Zero, the award isn't the real thing. The Saints social media page labeled Shough as "The People's Rookie of the Year" after this. Unfortunately, the people aren't the voice of the voters.
The Rookie of the Year voters missed the most obvious criteria for Tyler Shough
Shough’s biggest competition was always seen as Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. As it turned out, it was never truly a competition. Shough finished in second place, but McMillan won by a landslide. It would be one thing if it were close, but McMillan received 41 of the first place votes.
The two NFC South rookies have different criteria that give them a natural advantage, but the results prove what metric was weighed more in the mind of the voters. Shough is a quarterback, and most times they get the benefit of the positional value when compared to other positions. McMillan was on a playoff team. Not only were the Panthers a playoff team, they were a good story on top of that.
Both of these players had strong seasons. The Saints rise with Shough was obvious. He came in in the middle of the season and everything just looked different. The passing attack found greater success in longer distances. Even when the odds were stacked against him, Shough still played well. The team actually won with him in the lineup. With that clear and drastic of shift, the voting results are pretty surprising.
The voters clearly prioritized a playoff appearance over Shough's closing stretch to the season. Maybe it was the fact that Shough didn't play an entire season. Maybe it was the Panthers making the playoffs. Typically, the quarterback gets the nod for being more a more impactful decision. This wasn't one of those cases.