Justin Jefferson, welcome to the Land of No Respect

[J. Kapp 11]

So, let me get this straight.

Justin Jefferson is a Pro Bowler. The other Justin is not.

Justin Jefferson is a 2nd-team All Pro. The other Justin is not.

Justin Jefferson set the all-time record for receiving yards for a rookie.

Justin Jefferson had seven 100-yard games, which I would argue is harder to achieve than a QB throwing for 300. The other Justin had eight 300-yard games.

The Vikings were 7-7 in games that Justin Jefferson started. The other Justin was 6-9.

Yet the other Justin has been named OROY.

Justin Jefferson, welcome to the Land of No Respect. You got jobbed.

[YikesVikes]

So, let me get this straight.

Justin Jefferson is a Pro Bowler. The other Justin is not.

Justin Jefferson is a 2nd-team All Pro. The other Justin is not.

Justin Jefferson set the all-time record for receiving yards for a rookie.

Justin Jefferson had seven 100-yard games, which I would argue is harder to achieve than a QB throwing for 300. The other Justin had eight 300-yard games.

The Vikings were 7-7 in games that Justin Jefferson started. The other Justin was 6-9.

Yet the other Justin has been named OROY.

Justin Jefferson, welcome to the Land of No Respect. You got jobbed.

Nah. The other Justin had as good a season. What JJ did was amazing but throwing for 4300 31 tds and 10 ints while adding 250 rushing and 5 more tds is quiet a feat. He did it in approx 14.5 games too. Both deserving and I can see why the league leans to the QB.

[S197]

I think it was close. Herbert broke a ton of rookie records including 31 TD passes, completions, yards, etc. It’s also a much tougher transition for a QB. In another year JJ probably wins it, unfortunately for him he had a rookie QB have an incredible year (statistically) and that’s almost always going to get the nod.

[CharVike]

Herbert had to get it. QB is a much more difficult position than all of them.

[J. Kapp 11]

I'm gonna disagree with all of you.

The other Justin is the best rookie quarterback.

Justin Jefferson isn't just the best rookie receiver in the league. He's among the top 3 or 4 receivers in the league, period. That's what All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors mean. If you finish your rookie year at the top of your position rankings, you probably deserve OROY.

If you can't tell, I loathe quarterback bias.

[J. Kapp 11]

Herbert had to get it. QB is a much more difficult position than all of them.

Is it?

Here's what Brian Billick has to say about the subject.

Wide receiver has become one of the toughest positions for rookies to adapt to in the pros. There are a lot of challenges that factor into this: eluding press coverage, getting separations on a break, running disciplined routes (both in terms of positioning and timing) and mastering the myriad sight adjustments and choice routes that are a big part of the modern pro game. Those are all very difficult aspects of the process. So is gaining the trust of your quarterback. If you're a veteran, like Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers, you don't want to throw to someone you hope is going to be in the right place, or someone you think is going to run the correct route. You want the receiver you know is going to make the right sight adjustment. You want the guy who will make the out-cut at exactly 7 yards -- not 6 or 8 -- and who'll tap his toes inside the boundary to complete the catch.

That's not to say WR is harder than QB to learn. But it's not like WRs can just show up and catch 1,400 yards worth of passes. Most rookie WRs barely crack the starting lineup, let alone do what JJ did. Any rookie WR who puts himself in the top 3 or 4 in the entire NFL deserves more than 9 out of 50 first-place votes.

[VikingLord]

Any rookie WR who puts himself in the top 3 or 4 in the entire NFL deserves more than 9 out of 50 first-place votes.

My guess is the award is more subjective than objective, at least when it comes down to the final ballot, and all things being equal, QB touches the ball on every offensive snap and is going to get more attention during the regular season.

Had the Vikings made the playoffs and Justin Jefferson made some noise in the playoffs, he probably would have gotten the extra attention necessary to win it.

[StumpHunter]

There is an argument to be made that both JJ and Herbert had the greatest rookie seasons statistically at their positions, all time.

Neither made the playoffs, neither was able to get their team a winning record.

Herbert plays a position so difficult there aren't enough great players at his position for half the teams in the NFL to have one. JJ plays at a position where a number of teams have two great players at that position.

[J. Kapp 11]

Any rookie WR who puts himself in the top 3 or 4 in the entire NFL deserves more than 9 out of 50 first-place votes.

My guess is the award is more subjective than objective, at least when it comes down to the final ballot, and all things being equal, QB touches the ball on every offensive snap and is going to get more attention during the regular season.

Had the Vikings made the playoffs and Justin Jefferson made some noise in the playoffs, he probably would have gotten the extra attention necessary to win it.

Don't disagree with the notion that if we'd have won more, JJ might have gotten more votes.. I'm just tired of the quarterback bias. I mean, Herbert got 41 out of 50 first-place votes. 82% is a landslide, and this was no landslide.

Yes, quarterbacks touch the ball on every play, which is exactly why it's harder for a WR to make the kind of impact that JJ did.

Don't worry about me. I'll get over it. But I have to ask ... where are all the Vikings fans on this board who were so adamant during the season that JJ was OROY? Why am I the only one making this argument?

[S197]

Honestly if anyone is getting the shaft, it's RBs like Henry and Cook (if he ever plays 16 games). Not a lot has changed for RBs over the years, meanwhile rule changes have greatly favored the passing game which helps both Herbert and JJ.

[VikingLord]

Don't worry about me. I'll get over it. But I have to ask ... where are all the Vikings fans on this board who were so adamant during the season that JJ was OROY? Why am I the only one making this argument?

While Herbert won it in a landslide, JJ did get the vote of almost 1 in 5 of the voters. You're far from alone in your belief that JJ deserved it, even among non-Vikings fans.

Now the real question is, where do JJ and the Vikings go from here?

IIRC, JJ was pretty unhappy he slid in the draft (ala Randy Moss) and used that perceived disrespect to fuel his big season. Maybe he'll view losing out on OROY in a similar way and resolve to put up even bigger numbers next year and rise to become the undisputed best WR in the NFL. I could see him doing that. He seems like the kind of competitor that doesn't take perceived slights like this laying down.

One other thing I think we can all agree on regardless of whether JJ got the recognition he deserved - the Vikings got a steal when they drafted him where they did. He managed to stand out in a standout rookie WR class, and that also was no small feat. For what it is worth, I think every fan on this board can agree that JJ was not only the biggest pleasant surprise of this last season, but he's also a big reason for optimism that the Vikings offense can become even better heading into next season.

If only the Vikings can fix their OL issues...

[VikingPaul73]

He was completely robbed.

No disrespect to Herbert at all. But Herbert had a great rookie season. Jefferson had a historic rookie season and a great overall season. Herbert is a great rookie. Jefferson is already a great player.

To be honest I am shocked Jefferson didn't win in a landslide. Hopefully he uses this as motivation and comes back even better next year!!

[StumpHunter]

He was completely robbed.

No disrespect to Herbert at all. But Herbert had a great rookie season. Jefferson had a historic rookie season and a great overall season. Herbert is a great rookie. Jefferson is already a great player.

To be honest I am shocked Jefferson didn't win in a landslide. Hopefully he uses this as motivation and comes back even better next year!!

But the thing is, Herbert had a historic rookie season too.