Hutch loses NFL DROY to Sauce Gardner
After Hutch took home the Pepsi fan vote, the NFL handed out the real awards last night, and Aidan Hutchinson finished a DISTANT second to Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets. (Garrett Wilson of the Jets also won OROY.)
I have to say I'm surprised with the results, especially since Gardner took home 36 of the 40 first-place votes and Aidan only grabbed three. The hilarious part is that Hutch actually had more INTs than Gardner. A little NY media bias?
February 10th, 2023 at 10:04 AM ^
I think it's incorrect to say Aidan Hutchinson lost the award and more appropriate to say that Sauce Gardner won the award. Both had great seasons and were worthy, but even this Lions blog made the argument that Sauce was the better choice.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:10 AM ^
Thank you. You've highlighted an MGoBlog tendency. A nickel for every recruiting post talking about how UM "lost" a guy that had never committed to them.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:48 AM ^
According to Merriam Webster, we're technically correct on this blog.
Lose (transitive verb) (5): to fail to win, gain, or obtain
Considering we're going to lose, more than we win, when it comes to awards and recruiting, it's healthier to focus on the wins.
February 10th, 2023 at 12:18 PM ^
"If you ain't first, you're last."
--Reese Bobby
February 10th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
Yup, I got downvoted yesterday by the echo chamber in the Pepsi fan vote thread b/c I dared suggest that Gardner should win the official award and that Hutch should be a clear #2.
February 10th, 2023 at 12:17 PM ^
Agreed. Hutch had a really nice rookie year but Sauce put guys in a lock box. Looking forward to watching them both play for the next 10 years hopefully.
February 10th, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^
Well put. He really stood out in the few Jets games I was able to catch this year. Seems like a legitimately great player. Glad they drafted him.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:05 AM ^
Gardner rightly won. He’s a stud. Who cares about int numbers
February 10th, 2023 at 10:13 AM ^
That avatar gif (is that what they're called these days?) is hilarious.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:17 AM ^
I think the word you meant to use was "infuriating." :P
February 10th, 2023 at 10:22 AM ^
I was real close to swatting at my monitor
February 10th, 2023 at 12:57 PM ^
How many have busted their monitors smacking that avatar. It's awesome. I remember seeing it for the first time and I fell for it initially but didn't bust my monitor
February 10th, 2023 at 10:22 AM ^
I used that some years ago and was absolutely torched for it.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:51 AM ^
It reminds me of this jerkface.
February 10th, 2023 at 12:38 PM ^
You can play him now on chess.com as one of the AI opponents, and his commentary is just as annoying as it was back in the day...
February 11th, 2023 at 5:32 AM ^
Clippy motivated me to get a lot of term papers done just so I could stop seeing him.
RIP to a legend
February 10th, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
Don't you hate people with moving avatars?
February 10th, 2023 at 12:03 PM ^
THERES A BUG ON MY FUCKING SCREEN
February 10th, 2023 at 12:38 PM ^
Agreed - Can't get an INT if the QBs are scared to throw the ball your way
February 10th, 2023 at 10:05 AM ^
The hilarious part is that Hutch actually had more INTs than Gardner. A little NY media bias?
If there's one team that can't claim NY media bias, it's the Jets. Hutch had a fantastic season, but let's be real: Sauce was a First Team All Pro and was one of, if not the, best corner in the league by some metrics. Hutch would've won DROY most years, but he was up against one of the few rookies ever to be First Team All Pro
February 10th, 2023 at 10:05 AM ^
RCMB told me that he is a bust.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:25 AM ^
It was entertaining watching those apes try to justify those steaming takes late in the season when Hutch was crushing teams.
February 10th, 2023 at 11:13 AM ^
Well, don't worry. The majority of comments here are measured and basically acknowledging Gardner is a stud who won it fairly, but because the OP and a couple others expressed the usual "Rigged!" sentiment that a small minority always will, I'm sure there will be a whole thread there devoted to MGoBlog having a "meltdown" over Hutch not winning it.
February 10th, 2023 at 11:27 AM ^
If this was the worst thing you've been told by RCMB then consider yourself lucky.
That place makes Mos Eisley look like St. Barts
February 10th, 2023 at 10:06 AM ^
I'm not surprised at all.
Sauce was a Top 3 CB in the entire league, rookie or not. Completely deserved DROY over Hutch
Hutch was great, Sauce was even better
February 10th, 2023 at 10:06 AM ^
I love the media… yes, completely sarcastic intent.
February 10th, 2023 at 11:15 AM ^
Same, they got this award 100% correct. Sauce is him
February 10th, 2023 at 10:07 AM ^
The interceptions were great but they were kind of a fluke. He could go the rest of his career and not have any more.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:09 AM ^
One of his interceptions was schemed up where he was hiding along the sideline, but I'm not sure I'd call the others flukes. He had a few almost interceptions of the same variety in college. Dude just has freak instincts, timing, and athleticism
February 10th, 2023 at 10:13 AM ^
You proved my point. He was just as freaky in college but had zero interceptions. They are somewhat random for a defensive lineman is all I'm saying.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:20 AM ^
I mean, you either make the plays or you don't. How many times do you see defensive players, mainly DLs, DEs and LBs get the ball right in their hands only to bumble a would-be INT into an incomplete pass. Like all the time, right?
So... For someone to not do that is pretty cool. I'd also say his INTs weren't of the gimmie, bread-basket variety. He extended and anticipated the throw on at least a couple of them.
Anyway Sauce deserved the award. By mid to late season, QBs weren't even targeting his side of the field.
February 10th, 2023 at 11:03 AM ^
You proved my point.
Not really. It shows that he has the athleticism and anticipation to do it. He may not have 3 every year, but he has demonstrated the skills to do it
February 10th, 2023 at 10:18 AM ^
Weren’t flukes. Read the play and jumped the routes. Not sure what you’re seeing on those clips.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:24 AM ^
I'm seeing him dropping into zones where the qb didn't see him and him using good hands to grab the interception. Jumping routes? Definitely didn't see that.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:36 AM ^
It can be fairly argued that dropping into a zone, in a good enough position to catch a ball thrown at a receiver, in a manner that the QB doesn't notice, is indeed 'jumping a route'. It's no different that what Rod Moore did as a safety on several occasions, except that Hutch is a little bit bigger and not quite as fast.
Why you gotta take away fantastic plays from the guy instead of just giving him the credit he deserves for making them?
February 10th, 2023 at 11:01 AM ^
I love Hutch and wouldn't take Gardner over him if we drafted again. As I said, the interceptions were great, but Gardner is a top 5 corner in the league. People shouldn't use those 3 interceptions as a reason why Hutch had a better year than him.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:11 AM ^
Hutchinson had a great rookie year, but I don't think you can say this was an east coast media bias thing, what Gardner did as a rookie at CB is phenomenal earning first team all pro honors, plus
"...the Cincinnati product led the NFL with 20 passes defensed, generated two interceptions and compiled 75 tackles. Sauce allowed just two TDs, per Next Gen Stats, and earned a -28.8 target EPA, second-best among all corners in 2022. The rookie allowed a 48.1 completion percentage and a -8.4 completion percentage over expected, per NGS, best among rookie corners."
February 10th, 2023 at 10:13 AM ^
Good showing for Detroit area HS football. Gardner is a beast. He only allowed one touchdown all year. Hutch is very good. Gardner is probably a top 5 corner in the league already, if not the best. He also led the league in passes defended.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:14 AM ^
BUST!
/spartania
February 10th, 2023 at 10:14 AM ^
Sauce is a great player too, but I have a theory. If his name were Bill Gardner, I doubt he gets 36 of 40 first place votes.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:35 AM ^
i thought i was the only one that thought that!
February 10th, 2023 at 10:40 AM ^
Technically, his given name is Ahmad LOL. Great nickname. He loved dipping sauces as a kid - who doesn’t - so his nickname is Sauce.
February 10th, 2023 at 12:27 PM ^
So you're saying that Sauce Hutchinson would have won the award outright?
February 10th, 2023 at 10:16 AM ^
He had more picks…as a DE.
February 10th, 2023 at 10:20 AM ^
Picks are very misleading. Amani Oruwariye was at or near the top of the league in picks last season and he might get cut this off-season. You're cherry picking (pun not intended) a stat that supports your biased stance.
February 10th, 2023 at 11:00 AM ^
And Gardner had more solo tackles (51 to 34) than Hutchinson despite Hutchinson being a lineman. I can't play this game as well.
February 10th, 2023 at 12:01 PM ^
How many sacks did he have? Seems like that’s more of an apples to apples thing considering tackles is anyone on the defense.
February 10th, 2023 at 1:12 PM ^
How many PBUs did Hutchinson have then? I think it was 3, while Gardner had 20. And while it's impressive Hutchinson had those picks, there was a fair bit of randomness in them. One was an end-of-half awful throw by Fields to end the half, another was an underthrown ball by Rodgers than any of 3-4 Lions players could have picked off, and the third was a great play by Hutchinson to read the QB and pick the ball off in the flat.
Hutchinson had a great year but Gardner also had a great year and is arguably one of the best defenders in the league as a rookie. Both are great players but the only people I see really mad about Hutchinson not winning are those basing it mostly on vibes and homerism and not an objective discussion of who was the more impactful defender. The Jets went from giving up 30 ppg in 2021 to 19 in 2022, and 4400 yards passing and 28 TDs vs. 7 picks in 2021 to 3200 yards and 15 Tds vs. 12 picks in 2022. Gardner was a big part of that and rightfully was recognized for that impact.