All-Pro Team announced

[nextsuperstar]

I have absolutely no idea why there needs to be three defensive backs beyond two corners and two safeties. Seven defensive backs then? Really makes no sense at all. Put in a third CB or even put in a Nickel Back. This is like saying, okay, now after we have our two tackles, two guards, and a center, let’s vote for three offensive linemen!

Yes, it seems like “Defensive Back” designation is reserved for those who the voters think won’t make the first team (so in other words, a Second Teamer). That is really, really dumb and makes no sense at all. I think Sherman was the consensus third best corner but he was passed over for first team by Humphrey and Peters, who made first team because voters thought they weren’t good enough to be First Team. Only the NFL can make this big of a mess out of an All-Pro team.

Meanwhile, the two voters who were stupid/homer-ish enough to vote for Peters and Lattimore over White and Sherman get to select the second team corners. The two most incompetent voters have the most power.

it’s supposed to represent how the league actually plays. Teams in the modern NFL generally spend less than fifty percent of the time in the base defense, accordingly more defensive backs should make team. Probably, instead of using the vague category of “defensive back” the AP should have used the category of nickel-back or had the writers vote for three CBs.

Flex might be a receiving back or third down running back. One might argue that McCaffrey was both the best running back this year and the best receiving back, so he probably deserved both slots. Though Henry got both the second team RB slot and the second team Flex slot and he wasn’t a great receiver. Probably Henry should be the first team RB, while McCaffrey should probably be first team flex.

 

[Sciz]

It really needs to be a four step process. Vote for the first team excluding flex, and then vote for the best remaining flex that didn’t already make the team. Repeat for second team, excluding anybody who made the first team. That would mean no flex overlap and no edge/LB overlap.

Of course, it also means the first team would leak pretty much immediately because the people voting are also the ones that break news stories.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

It really needs to be a four step process. Vote for the first team excluding flex, and then vote for the best remaining flex that didn’t already make the team. Repeat for second team, excluding anybody who made the first team. That would mean no flex overlap and no edge/LB overlap.

Of course, it also means the first team would leak pretty much immediately because the people voting are also the ones that break news stories.

A ranked voting system would make sense. You could give a first, second, and third place vote.

The person with the most first place votes is first; then the person with the most first+second place votes is second, and so on. Key is that it's not a point system but counts up the players with the highest tiered votes, so that leaving someone off (snub) can't ruin their chances with a zero. This would solve the problem that's been brought up about Sherman being second team when he should have been first team; the defensive backs is just a dumb workaround that doesn't work. This would also prevent guys for voting for Russell Wilson over Lamar Jackson; they knew Jackson would win and wanted Wilson to get second team. The year Brady won unanimously there was no second team QB; that's super lame.

 

[primetime]

it’s supposed to represent how the league actually plays. Teams in the modern NFL generally spend less than fifty percent of the time in the base defense, accordingly more defensive backs should make team. Probably, instead of using the vague category of “defensive back” the AP should have used the category of nickel-back or had the writers vote for three CBs.

Flex might be a receiving back or third down running back. One might argue that McCaffrey was both the best running back this year and the best receiving back, so he probably deserved both slots. Though Henry got both the second team RB slot and the second team Flex slot and he wasn’t a great receiver. Probably Henry should be the first team RB, while McCaffrey should probably be first team flex.

Flex is also supposed to account for the fact that teams use multiple receivers. The flex voting makes it pretty clear nobody knew what to do with it - some people voted McCaffrey and then Henry for RB (receiving back), some people voted Henry or Kelce (best player left off their ballots), some people voted Cooper Kupp (best slot receiver).

 

[nextsuperstar]

Flex is also supposed to account for the fact that teams use multiple receivers. The flex voting makes it pretty clear nobody knew what to do with it - some people voted McCaffrey and then Henry for RB (receiving back), some people voted Henry or Kelce (best player left off their ballots), some people voted Cooper Kupp (best slot receiver).

The more I look at the voting, the more I think the spot is clearly too vague. The winners since the spot was introduced:

2016 David Johnson (Bell 2nd team)
2017 Bell (Kamara 2nd team)
2018 Tyreek Hill (McCaffrey 2nd team)
2019 McCaffrey (Henry 2nd team)

None of those guys are bad all pro picks. In 2016/2017 the voters clearly favored receiving backs. In it was a receiver with a receiving back as the second most vote getter. In 2019 the best receiving back got it again, but some voters also cast ballots for a purer running back, who is not really a receiver.

the AP should have three WR slots, a running back slot and a third down back slot. If McCaffrey gets both the RB slot and the third down back slot, ok. he’s arguably the best at both positions.

With DB, I think two safeties, two corner backs, and a nickel-back. I suppose, you could also just have three CB slots.