With six All-Pro first team finishes between them, Nightcap hosts Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson know how prestigious the annual honors are for players in the league.
And while many of the usual suspects were named to this year’s All-Pro rosters, including likely top MVP finishers Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye, one storyline caught the pair’s attention more than any other.
Arizona star tight end Trey McBride, who finished the season with an impressive 126 catches for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, fell one vote shy (out of 50) of a unanimous appearance on the first team. The one other vote went to McBride’s NFC West rival, George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers, who ultimately didn’t even make the second team.
Sharpe and Johnson took time on Saturday night’s episode of Nightcap to call out the voter who kept McBride from unanimous status, ripping the media member for attention-seeking and poor analysis.
“There’s always someone who wants to be different,” Johnson said. “Because they like being different.”
Kittle played in just 11 games for the No. 5 seed 49ers, catching 57 passes for 628 yards and seven touchdowns.
“The All-Pro matters because … we’re saying you’re one of the best players regardless of conference,” Sharpe said. “It’s got to matter. Guys missing 11 games … what are we doing? It’s gotta mean something to you.”
While Sharpe highlighted that McBride had more than twice as many catches as Kittle, Johnson argued that awards voters simply want the attention or pride of standing out from the pack.
The two compared the situation to the fact that neither Shaquille O’Neal or LeBron James ever won an MVP unanimously, either, while Steph Curry did in 2016.
“I’m in a position of power, I like George Kittle,” Johnson said. “I’m really not too fond of Trey McBride no matter what his numbers may be. No matter what his stat line is, you know what? I’m going to vote for George Kittle anyway, despite, just because. So I’m the only odd-ball.”
The voter has so far seemingly not identified themselves. Of course, McBride still finished All-Pro first team, a huge achievement even if it was not unanimous.
“I feel bad,” Sharpe said, “but you are still first team All-Pro, Trey. Unanimous would have been great. You’re very deserving of that, even though that’s not what it’s going to say.”
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.