2024 NFL Honors: Who Is Aaron Schatz, the Journalist Who Didn’t Vote for Lamar Jackson and Got Slammed by Stephen A. Smith?

Lamar Jackson received one snub from Aaron Schatz and as such, the NFL journalist is the talk of the town now. Jackson, the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, became the Most Valuable Player for the second time after also winning the award previously in 2019. The 27-year-old received over 49 of the 50 votes, with the 1 vote going to Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. Moreover, if it weren’t for Schatz’s 1 vote against Jackson, he could’ve gone on to win the award by a unanimous vote, which has made the fans more upset than ever.

Jackson has had an impressive season this past year. He threw out over 3,678 passing yards, completed 24 touchdowns, and rushed for 821 yards. But even with such phenomenal numbers to his name, he couldn’t save the Ravens during Sunday’s Super Bowl as Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs beat them in the AFC Championship game. At least he’ll be able to look back at this season with the MVP title to his name. However, things aren’t as positive for Aaron Schatz, who is facing the music for his controversial vote.

Aaron Schatz gets called out by Stephen A. Smith for not voting for Jackson as the MVP

The world of the NFL got taken by storm when Lamar Jackson wasn’t the obvious vote for the MVP according to Aaron Schatz. The fans and prominent members of the sport took several shots at the journalist, including Stephen A. Smith. While the situation did not remain of much concern anymore, as Jackson gained the title of the 2023 season MVP, the controversial journalist still did not fail to grab the attention of the audience and analysts alike.

Aaron Schatz is the Editor-in-Chief for Football Outsiders, a website started in July 2003 that focused on an evolved form of statistical analysis of the NFL. More so than that, he’s a name that is quite prominent in the sports journalism industry but has been on the receiving end of severe backlash since holding out on the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. He was the sole voter who ended up snubbing Lamar Jackson and is now paying the price for it.

In response to his controversial vote, Stephen A. Smith took to the mic and said, “That was a stupid homer vote by that individual, probably scared to go back in the locker room if he had voted against Josh Allen. That compromises everything. You have to be objective of who you vote and that right there, is an embarrassment.” 

With more controversy arising against his name, Aaron Schatz had a response to all the storms of hate against his name as well.

Aaron Schatz explains his controversial vote and justifies picking Josh Allen

The name of Aaron Schatz is etched on every Lamar Jackson fan at the moment. With such an exceptional season, the fans can’t seem to fathom why Schatz would pick Allen over Jackson. But in an attempt to present his defense, Schatz came out with his own set of reasons for picking Allen and why.

Schatz issued a statement that said, “There’s no question, Lamar Jackson’s season was impressive. I trust the film study people who believe he has never been better as a passer, even if his numbers were better in 2019. He’s processing better. He’s throwing the ball better. He’s hitting those tough throws outside the numbers better. Lamar Jackson passes the eye test.”

He further continued and added, “But Josh Allen and Dak Prescott pass the eye test as well. These are all talented quarterbacks. I’m a stat guy. I’m going to look at stats. There’s no question that by nearly every advanced metric you could look at, Josh Allen and Dak Prescott had better seasons than Lamar Jackson.” Thus, even though he is being criticized for his vote, he presented quite a valid argument despite the tide turning against him.

Read more: “People Think I am Slow”: Patrick Mahomes Shuts Down Running Game Issue, Reveals “Secrets” Before Super Bowl

What did you think about Schatz’s comments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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