Category: Ivonid Portfolio

Causal Rewrite – ivonid12

Credit where Credit is Due

The MVP trophy in any sport always goes to who is considered the best player in the league that year, and on their team. It is a measure of the players great accomplishments in comparison to the rest of the best in their league. The competition is always fierce, but every year a player is voted by the Associated Press and is deemed the best, In the NFL, the league is disgustingly biased towards quarterbacks in their voting, as in the league’s history, exactly one defensive player player won the MVP award, with a few cases of running backs able to win the award as well. The absolute dismissal of the defensive player in recognition is disrespectful, and must end as soon as possible. Without a defense with great players, the quarterback wouldn’t nearly have the same success as he would with a bad defense. A great defensive player creates opportunities for that great quarterback and team, as without those opportunities by that great defensive player, the  quarterback cannot make his great plays possible.

The objective of any defense in the NFL is easy in concept. Get the opposing team’s offense off the field so the offense go and put points on the board. The best way to do that is to force a turnover. Whether it is a sack, fumble recovery, interception, or touchdown, the defense forcing turnovers is what provides an offense with the best chance to succeed. According to past history, a majority of MVP quarterbacks are those with defenses that force a good amount of turnovers. For example, in 2010, Tom Brady was the  first unanimously voted MVP in NFL history, and had an amazing year leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl. Brady was undoubtedly great, but his defense gave him plenty of opportunities, as the 2010 New England Patriots were second in turnovers on defense. The 2010 New England Patriots had many great defensive players that season, however as with most great defenses, the defensive got a significant boost from their best player. According to Pro Football Reference, Devin McCourty, a defensive back, on his own forced nine of the 38 turnovers the Patriots forced as a team, as he had seven interceptions, and two forced fumbles. McCourty forced just a hair under a quarter of his team’s turnovers by himself, yet he wasn’t even considered as an MVP candidate as opposed to his quarterback teammate. Another prime example of a quarterback’s great offensive season overshadowing an even better and more valuable performance by a defensive player is the 2011 Green Bay Packers, and their MVP winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The great defensive performance that season was by future hall of fame defensive back Charles Woodson who, in comparison to McCourty mentioned before, had an even better year. In 2011, Woodson led the league in interceptions with seven, had two sacks, forced a fumble, and even scored a touchdown on defense, all at the age of 35. Woodson had an absolutely outstanding season at the very old age of 35 as a defensive back, yet he received no consideration for MVP. Also, due to the performance of the defense and Woodson, the Packers were also third in starting field position as a team, undeniably caused by the defensive contributions of Woodson. Woodson undeniably impacted his team the most that year, and was easily the best and most valuable player on the filed for his team. Yet despite his efforts, was never considered for MVP as his teammate took home the award.

Turnovers are crucial to winning a football game. It is also crucial to win MVP for a quarterback. In fact, for 75% of the teams in which the NFL MVP came from since the 2000 to 2017 seasons, the team was in the upper half of the league for turnovers. The NFL MVP must’ve had a defense providing plenty of opportunities for the offense, further cementing the fact that defenses and its stars deserve more credit, and are more valuable. If the defense provides more opportunities for the offense, the offense succeeds as a whole. Along with turnovers comes the field position that they provide. Usually when defenses give up points, the kickoff sets the offense on the 25 yard-line to start their next drive due to a touchback, unless the returner decides to make a return in which it could be more or less field position. However, if a turnover is made, a majority of the time the offense gets great field position. With great field position, not only can the defense demoralize the opponent after a turnover, the ability to score is so much easier.  The less field you have to drive down, the easier it is to score, all caused by a great play made in the defense. Turnovers also negatively impact the opposing team’s defense as well. We’re all humans playing in the NFL, and we only have a certain amount of energy before we need a break to refresh and maintain our abilities. Whenever defenses force a turnover, that break the defense could so desperately need is cut short, and now they’re back on the field to try and stop that offense. With less time for a break however, their chances of stopping that offense diminish further. The quarterback cannot make plays and put up stats if never given enough opportunities. Additionally the quarterback can make more plays and given a better chance to put up numbers if given great field position. Lastly, opposing defenses cannot make plays if the great defenses always bring them back on the field.

However, undoubtedly the most biased and disrespectful case for a defensive player not winning MVP was for J.J Watt of the Houston Texans in 2014. J.J Watt accounted for a majority of the Houston Texan’s production in 2014, and was easily the main cause for their winning record. Watt had an unbelievable season in 2014, as he notched twenty and a half sacks, four forced fumbles, recovered five fumbles, lead the league in tackles for a loss with 29, scored a touchdown with an interception as a defensive lineman, and to top it all off, scored three more touchdowns playing offense. When has a NFL quarterback produced on both sides of the ball, dominating on one, and being quite productive on the other? J.J Watt was easily the most valuable player on any field in 2014,  and while he did receive votes for MVP, he still ultimately lost out to Aaron Rodgers in 2014. Watt’s season was greater than Lawrence Taylor’s MVP season, in an era of more productive offenses, yet he still didn’t receive the credit he deserved.

Defensive stars are undoubtedly the best players on the field, and deserve more recognition for MVP. Not only due their defensive efforts cause more opportunities for the offense, defenses have the ability to score and put up points as well. It is time we recognize those truly great defensive seasons for what they are, a representation of the most valuable player on the field that season.

 

References

“2010 New England Patriots Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2010.htm.

“2011 Green Bay Packers Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/awards/ap-nfl-mvp-award.htm

“J.J. Watt Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WattJ.00.htm.

Rebuttal Rewrite – ivonid12

Quarterbacks easily get the most attention, in the national football league, and it’s understandable why. The camera is mostly on them, they touch the ball the most out of all players, and they make offensive plays happen. Almost every year they win MVP, even though a quarterback has more time and knowledge, in comparison to defense, in the aspects of strategy, time, and execution. Even though quarterbacks make the most plays with their relationship with the football, they have the easiest, and most prepared job on the field.

With so much value, stats, and versatility from defensive stars, voters still gravitate towards quarterbacks every year. Even though defensive stars are much more valuable in many factors, it is easy to see why quarterbacks get so much recognition. Former quarterback Steve Young, now an NFL Analyst, shares the same opinion with a lot a fans and those who have the opinion on why quarterbacks are the most valuable.  Young states, “The great quarterbacks get everyone together, when it’s third and 10 in the fourth quarter, down by four on the road in the drizzling rain in 33 degrees. You have to be a guy that people will respond to.” While it is true that the quarterback is unquestionably the leader of the offense, the defensive captain does the same as well. A defensive captain is more of a team leader than a quarterback as their play has more of an impact to both sides of the ball. Young also states, “I’ve gone to law school, and the intellectual challenge of honing all of the data in a way that you can have immediate, you can have reflexive recall — not taking a couple seconds to think about it. But that’s five, 10, 30 times more time than you get in football. And you have to do it from the time you step on the field until you step off of it.” Once again, Young’s argument on quarterbacks having to make decisions in a extremely small amount of time isn’t wrong and is certainly difficult, however, quarterbacks get the whole play clock to diagnose the field ahead of them, while defensive players get mere micro-seconds. Many great quarterbacks such as Brady, Brees, and Manning are great because of their pre-snap diagnosis of the defense and are able to find the weak spots in the defense. Defensive players do not get the same ability to study what their opponent is doing pre-play, and mostly have to react to what happens before their eyes. Every play the defense is at an immediate disadvantage in comparison to the offense, because their diagnosis is more of an educated guess. Quarterbacks are also given designated reads as well, as the NFL is more coach driven than ever. Before every pass play the quarterback has his “go to read” as his main option, designed by the coaching and system the quarterback has in place for him. If the quarterback doesn’t like his first read, there’s always his second or third, and if the pass play doesn’t seem like the best option, he can always switch it to the run. In addition,  quarterbacks in the league are more system driven than ever before. The NFL is filled with plenty of young, strategic, and brilliant offensive minds in the league right now, and it is undeniable what their impact is on young quarterbacks in the league right now. A great example of how much a new offensive system can benefit a quarterback is two of the better young quarterbacks in the league in Jared Goff, and Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky and Goff were number two, and number one picks respectively, had different coaches their rookie seasons, and are now much more successful after struggling their rookie seasons. Jared Goff came in the league with the now unemployed Jeff Fisher as his head coach, and struggled mightily in his rookie season, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. Ever since Sean McVay was hired in 2017, Goff has performed as one of the best quarterbacks in the league, as he is now a MVP candidate with his team having one of the best records in the league. The same could be said for Mitchell Trubisky, as the hiring of now head coach Matt Nagy has kick-started his career after the bad struggles with former head coach John Fox. Trubisky has performed like one of the better quarterbacks in the league, since the hiring of Coach Nagy, and his career is for sure on the upswing. In contrast, defensive players do not have this same luxury as quarterbacks, mainly because their performance is much more predicated on their talent. Defensive systems do not nearly affect defensive stars in comparison to offensive systems, as great defensive players stay great on different teams. Deion Sanders played at a high level for three different teams, and is arguably the greatest all time at his position. There’s a reason most franchise quarterbacks stay with teams and coaches for most their career, as the offensive systems the quarterbacks are given is a major reason for their success. Plenty of defensive players have switched teams and have remained just as great.

Lastly, quarterbacks by far touch the ball the most out of any position on the field, as unless it is a direct snap to a different position, the whole offense runs through the quarterback. With the league becoming more pass heavy by the season, quarterbacks now throw the ball more than ever, leading to an inflation in stats and attention. If you compare the pass attempts per game for every team in the NFL in 2018 to 2008, there are a few teams that pass 40+ times a game, and rarely any that pass under thirty. In 2008, no team passed over 40 times a game, and the average pass attempts per game for every team was about 32.35 attempts per game. In 2018, that average has increased to 34.89, and could become higher as the season progresses. With the increase of screen passes and check downs, in recent years, quarterbacks get rewarded more than ever with a pass that barely travels five yards. In comparison to defenses, there are no easy plays to be made, and require the fast thinking and talent of making an interception or forcing a fumble.  Quarterbacks have to have some semblance of knowledge and ability, but with constantly evolving offensive systems, and more time than any other position, they receive much more credit than they really do deserve.

References

“Jared Goff Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GoffJa00.htm.

 “Mitchell Trubisky Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TrubMi00.htm.

28, January. “Steve Young: Quarterback Is the Most Important Position in Football.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2012, articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/28/sports/la-sp-steve-young-20120129.

“NFL Team Pass Attempts per Game.” NFL Football Stats – NFL Team Points per Game on TeamRankings.com, http://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/pass-attempts-per-game?date=2018-12-06.

Reflective Statement – Ivonid12

 

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

I would say the work that demonstrates the most discovery, exploration, conceptualization and development would be my research paper along with  my annotated bibliography. My research paper’s topic ins’t one with a ton of research already done about it, so most of the points I make throughout my research paper are discovered through analysis of stats and my understanding of football.

https://counterintuitivefa18.com/2018/12/03/research-paper-ivonid12/

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

I would say my best example of this core value assignment was very early in the semester when our class was tasked with the “Stone Money” assignment. Our task was to analyze the stone money article and radio podcast provided to us, and interpret what we value as wealth, as well as what the natives of Yap valued as wealth. The task was a great practice and introduction to analyzing text and information from sources, and really laid the groundwork for how the rest of the class and semester would shape out to be. While it may not be my best work for synthesizing ideas, it is the assignment I value most in understanding how to do so.

https://counterintuitivefa18.com/2018/09/24/stone-money-ivonid12/

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

I would say my best representation of this core value would be my rebuttal rewrite. The point of a rebuttal is to analyze the best opposing argument to your argument and explain why that argument is wrong, and the rebuttal argument rewrite is the best assignment to develop the core values of purpose, audience, and and context of your own writing. Sometimes, to fully understand your own argument is to see the best opposition for it, which only goes to show you the purpose and audience of your own argument. Also, of course, this assignment helps you with the purpose, audience, and context for other visual arguments as well. The rebuttal argument assignment is easily the best example of this core value.

https://counterintuitivefa18.com/2018/12/05/rebuttal-rewrite-ivonid12/

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

I would say my best example for this core value is my Visual Rhetoric Assignment. The whole assignment for the visual rhetoric is to evaluate, analyze, and provide your own interpretation to a thirty second video without sound to help guide you. My analysis of the video I chose helped myself illustrate what the video was about, what the people in the video were doing, and why they were doing it. In the end, I was able to predict what the video was actually about due to my evaluations of what my eyes were seeing. The visual rhetoric assignment was easily the best assignment to show the core value of evaluation, location, and evidence to support my own interpretation of what the video was about.

https://counterintuitivefa18.com/2018/11/19/visual-rhetoric-rewrite-ivonid12/

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

The best representation of this core value would be my annotated bibliography and research paper. My annotated bibliography represents all my sources in the correct citation, and my research paper cites my sources  in its text fairly and correctly. However, most of my research and examples used throughout my research paper are from statistical websites and my own interpretations from those statistics, so my research paper does not contains few citations from other texts.

https://counterintuitivefa18.com/2018/12/03/research-paper-ivonid12/

https://counterintuitivefa18.com/2018/12/03/annotated-bibliography-ivonid12/

Research Paper – Ivonid12

We Should get Defensive

Why does the NFL always disrespect defensive players in the MVP voting?  Elite defensive players are in many ways more valuable than a good quarterback and should be considered every season for MVP. What will it take for another defensive player to win MVP? It is becoming more of a proven fact that as the seasons through the NFL progress, quarterback after quarterback, and sometimes a running-back, is named MVP with defensive players never even getting consideration. Alan Page won the MVP award in 1971, and Lawrence Taylor in 1986, and not another defensive player before or since, in 52 years of MVP awards! While the NFL gets more offensive by the year, and defensive players have to adjust constantly to produce results, defensive players fall further, and further out of the public eye. Every season, rules are changed to favor the offense: casual touches by defenders are called “pass interference”; accidentally grazing the quarterback is called “roughing the passer.” Fans love scoring, long drives, marching down the field to sticking the game-winner in the back of the end zone, and the NFL knows it. Year after year, offense is valued more, and defense gets disrespected. Sadly, the economic model of the NFL means this probably won’t change.

One of the central questions posed recently by those who debate sports, is whether or not defensive players should be valued more since offense is easier than ever to come by. Since we are in the 2018 season currently, offense is as common as ever, as of before  week 7’s games, there are three teams averaging 30+ points per game, and another ten average 25+ points per game. Compare that to last season, and offense has clearly increased, as not a single team averaged over thirty points, and only eight averaged 25+ points per game. While the season is still young currently, and averages are likely to go up and down, the recent increase is undeniable, and more sustainable compared to last year. Mark Maske of The Washington Post states in his article “For the NFL there is no such thing as too much scoring” how offense through week 6 is at an all time high, and offense is at its easiest to come by. He states “The 4,489 points, 504 touchdowns and 328 touchdown passes recorded league wide thus far are the most ever, in each case, through six weeks of an NFL season”, concluding that these changes are certainly the new league wide trend. It has also shown no signs of slowing down as of now, but many believe, such as the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, Troy Vincent that defense might adjust stating, “They will adjust. I think as we start getting into that real playoff run, we’ll start seeing the points normalize itself.” With all  these stats, opinions, and records in mind, the value of great defensive players should increase.

First of all, defense players have a harder job than ever in the game today. With a new catch rule, constant pass interference calls, and  a now more strict roughing the passer penalty, no wonder so many more points are being scored, as even the best defensive players are having a hard time. With all the new additions of these rules, however, a player that still performs despite all these limitations,  surely must get some consideration for Most Valuable Player Honors. With the current modern offensive system in place, guys that are great now, are really great compared to a lot of great players before their time, yet they still get little to no consideration for MVP.

Second of all, that one, great, future hall of fame defensive player can not only change the outlook of an entire defense,  but help the whole team as well. When you have a player that is that dominant at that position he plays on defense, he helps the rest of the entire defense play better meaning he’s most valuable. A great linebacker who plays the middle, can command the defense, cover receivers, and help tackle the quarterback or running back. A great defensive back can lock down parts of the field single handedly, forcing opposing offense to play around them and target another part of the field. Let’s not forget a dominant edge rusher, who can set the edge in the run game, as well as sack the quarterback and apply pressure leading to more turnovers and more opportunities for the offense. There have been great examples of players like this in the history of the NFL, and yet they never even sniff the opportunity to win that most valuable player trophy.  For example, a corner like Deion Sanders, is considered by many to be the greatest ever, as he always locked down the opponent’s best receiver when asked to, and even provided value in the return game, as he held the record for most kickoff and punt return touchdowns in NFL history, until it was recently broken by Devin Hester. Deion Sanders never even won an MVP award even though you could tell, he was the best player on the field. Another great example would be Ray Lewis, who is also considered the greatest at his position and has never won an  MVP even though he essentially ran the whole defense. As the middle guy, you tell your teammates to adjust, what the play is, and what they need to do to succeed, and while he was the first defensive player on the cover of madden, he never won an MVP award. As for an edge rusher, an amazing example is one that is occurring this season with Khalil Mack of the Chicago Bears. The Raiders foolishly traded their best player in Khalil Mack off their team, and are now the worst team in the league. The Bears on the other hand, now have one of the league’s best defenses, and are at the top of their division likely to head to the playoffs. With Mack’s  presence, the  whole defense has performed better, going from a good defense last season, to an elite defense this year. This is a great example of how a defensive player  can shape the whole outlook of a team, and the previous examples are guys in the hall of fame such as Ray Lewis, and Deion Sanders, who won super bowls because of their play. Yet continuously year in and year out, an offensive player wins the MVP award.

The MVP trophy in any sport always goes to who is considered the best player in the league that year, and on their team. It is a measure of the players great accomplishments in comparison to the rest of the best in their league. The competition is always fierce, but every year a player is voted by the Associated Press and is deemed the best, In the NFL, the league is disgustingly biased towards quarterbacks in their voting, as in the league’s history, exactly one defensive player player won the MVP award, with a few cases of running backs able to win the award as well. The absolute dismissal of the defensive player in recognition is disrespectful, and must end as soon as possible. Without a defense with great players, the quarterback wouldn’t nearly have the same success as he would with a bad defense. A great defensive player creates opportunities for that great quarterback and team, as without those opportunities by that great defensive player, the  quarterback cannot make his great plays possible.

The objective of any defense in the NFL is easy in concept. Get the opposing team’s offense off the field so the offense go and put points on the board. The best way to do that is to force a turnover. Whether it is a sack, fumble recovery, interception, or touchdown, the defense forcing turnovers is what provides an offense with the best chance to succeed. According to past history, a majority of MVP quarterbacks are those with defenses that force a good amount of turnovers. For example, in 2010, Tom Brady was the  first unanimously voted MVP in NFL history, and had an amazing year leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl. Brady was undoubtedly great, but his defense gave him plenty of opportunities, as the 2010 New England Patriots were second in turnovers on defense. The 2010 New England Patriots had many great defensive players that season, however as with most great defenses, the defensive got a significant boost from their best player. According to Pro Football Reference, Devin McCourty, a defensive back, on his own forced nine of the 38 turnovers the Patriots forced as a team, as he had seven interceptions, and two forced fumbles. McCourty forced just a hair under a quarter of his team’s turnovers by himself, yet he wasn’t even considered as an MVP candidate as opposed to his quarterback teammate. Another prime example of a quarterback’s great offensive season overshadowing an even better and more valuable performance by a defensive player is the 2011 Green Bay Packers, and their MVP winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The great defensive performance that season was by future hall of fame defensive back Charles Woodson who, in comparison to McCourty mentioned before, had an even better year. In 2011, Woodson led the league in interceptions with seven, had two sacks, forced a fumble, and even scored a touchdown on defense, all at the age of 35. Woodson had an absolutely outstanding season at the very old age of 35 as a defensive back, yet he received no consideration for MVP. Also, due to the performance of the defense and Woodson, the Packers were also third in starting field position as a team, undeniably caused by the defensive contributions of Woodson. Woodson undeniably impacted his team the most that year, and was easily the best and most valuable player on the filed for his team. Yet despite his efforts, was never considered for MVP as his teammate took home the award.

Turnovers are crucial to winning a football game. It is also crucial to win MVP for a quarterback. In fact, for 75% of the teams in which the NFL MVP came from since the 2000 to 2017 seasons, the team was in the upper half of the league for turnovers. The NFL MVP must’ve had a defense providing plenty of opportunities for the offense, further cementing the fact that defenses and its stars deserve more credit, and are more valuable. If the defense provides more opportunities for the offense, the offense succeeds as a whole. Along with turnovers comes the field position that they provide. Usually when defenses give up points, the kickoff sets the offense on the 25 yard-line to start their next drive due to a touchback, unless the returner decides to make a return in which it could be more or less field position. However, if a turnover is made, a majority of the time the offense gets great field position. With great field position, not only can the defense demoralize the opponent after a turnover, the ability to score is so much easier.  The less field you have to drive down, the easier it is to score, all caused by a great play made in the defense. Turnovers also negatively impact the opposing team’s defense as well. We’re all humans playing in the NFL, and we only have a certain amount of energy before we need a break to refresh and maintain our abilities. Whenever defenses force a turnover, that break the defense could so desperately need is cut short, and now they’re back on the field to try and stop that offense. With less time for a break however, their chances of stopping that offense diminish further. The quarterback cannot make plays and put up stats if never given enough opportunities. Additionally the quarterback can make more plays and given a better chance to put up numbers if given great field position. Lastly, opposing defenses cannot make plays if the great defenses always bring them back on the field.

However, undoubtedly the most biased and disrespectful case for a defensive player not winning MVP was for J.J Watt of the Houston Texans in 2014. J.J Watt accounted for a majority of the Houston Texan’s production in 2014, and was easily the main cause for their winning record. Watt had an unbelievable season in 2014, as he notched twenty and a half sacks, four forced fumbles, recovered five fumbles, lead the league in tackles for a loss with 29, scored a touchdown with an interception as a defensive lineman, and to top it all off, scored three more touchdowns playing offense. When has a NFL quarterback produced on both sides of the ball, dominating on one, and being quite productive on the other? J.J Watt was easily the most valuable player on any field in 2014,  and while he did receive votes for MVP, he still ultimately lost out to Aaron Rodgers in 2014. Watt’s season was greater than Lawrence Taylor’s MVP season, in an era of more productive offenses, yet he still didn’t receive the credit he deserved.

Defensive stars are undoubtedly the best players on the field, and deserve more recognition for MVP. Not only due their defensive efforts cause more opportunities for the offense, defenses have the ability to score and put up points as well. It is time we recognize those truly great defensive seasons for what they are, a representation of the most valuable player on the field that season.

With so much value, stats, and versatility from defensive stars, voters still gravitate towards quarterbacks every year. Even though defensive stars are much more valuable in many factors, it is easy to see why quarterbacks get so much recognition. Former quarterback Steve Young, now an NFL Analyst, shares the same opinion with a lot a fans and those who have the opinion on why quarterbacks are the most valuable.  Young states, “The great quarterbacks get everyone together, when it’s third and 10 in the fourth quarter, down by four on the road in the drizzling rain in 33 degrees. You have to be a guy that people will respond to.” While it is true that the quarterback is unquestionably the leader of the offense, the defensive captain does the same as well. A defensive captain is more of a team leader than a quarterback as their play has more of an impact to both sides of the ball. Young also states, “I’ve gone to law school, and the intellectual challenge of honing all of the data in a way that you can have immediate, you can have reflexive recall — not taking a couple seconds to think about it. But that’s five, 10, 30 times more time than you get in football. And you have to do it from the time you step on the field until you step off of it.” Once again, Young’s argument on quarterbacks having to make decisions in a extremely small amount of time isn’t wrong and is certainly difficult, however, quarterbacks get the whole play clock to diagnose the field ahead of them, while defensive players get mere micro-seconds. Many great quarterbacks such as Brady, Brees, and Manning are great because of their pre-snap diagnosis of the defense and are able to find the weak spots in the defense. Defensive players do not get the same ability to study what their opponent is doing pre-play, and mostly have to react to what happens before their eyes. Every play the defense is at an immediate disadvantage in comparison to the offense, because their diagnosis is more of an educated guess. Quarterbacks are also given designated reads as well, as the NFL is more coach driven than ever. Before every pass play the quarterback has his “go to read” as his main option, designed by the coaching and system the quarterback has in place for him. If the quarterback doesn’t like his first read, there’s always his second or third, and if the pass play doesn’t seem like the best option, he can always switch it to the run. In addition,  quarterbacks in the league are more system driven than ever before. The NFL is filled with plenty of young, strategic, and brilliant offensive minds in the league right now, and it is undeniable what their impact is on young quarterbacks in the league right now. A great example of how much a new offensive system can benefit a quarterback is two of the better young quarterbacks in the league in Jared Goff, and Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky and Goff were number two, and number one picks respectively, had different coaches their rookie seasons, and are now much more successful after struggling their rookie seasons. Jared Goff came in the league with the now unemployed Jeff Fisher as his head coach, and struggled mightily in his rookie season, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. Ever since Sean McVay was hired in 2017, Goff has performed as one of the best quarterbacks in the league, as he is now a MVP candidate with his team having one of the best records in the league. The same could be said for Mitchell Trubisky, as the hiring of now head coach Matt Nagy has kick-started his career after the bad struggles with former head coach John Fox. Trubisky has performed like one of the better quarterbacks in the league, since the hiring of Coach Nagy, and his career is for sure on the upswing. In contrast, defensive players do not have this same luxury as quarterbacks, mainly because their performance is much more predicated on their talent. Defensive systems do not nearly affect defensive stars in comparison to offensive systems, as great defensive players stay great on different teams. Deion Sanders played at a high level for three different teams, and is arguably the greatest all time at his position. There’s a reason most franchise quarterbacks stay with teams and coaches for most their career, as the offensive systems the quarterbacks are given is a major reason for their success. Plenty of defensive players have switched teams and have remained just as great.

Lastly, quarterbacks by far touch the ball the most out of any position on the field, as unless it is a direct snap to a different position, the whole offense runs through the quarterback. With the league becoming more pass heavy by the season, quarterbacks now throw the ball more than ever, leading to an inflation in stats and attention. If you compare the pass attempts per game for every team in the NFL in 2018 to 2008, there are a few teams that pass 40+ times a game, and rarely any that pass under thirty. In 2008, no team passed over 40 times a game, and the average pass attempts per game for every team was about 32.35 attempts per game. In 2018, that average has increased to 34.89, and could become higher as the season progresses. With the increase of screen passes and check downs, in recent years, quarterbacks get rewarded more than ever with a pass that barely travels five yards. In comparison to defenses, there are no easy plays to be made, and require the fast thinking and talent of making an interception or forcing a fumble.  Quarterbacks have to have some semblance of knowledge and ability, but with constantly evolving offensive systems, and more time than any other position, they receive much more credit than they really do deserve.

Defensive stars are undoubtedly the best players on the field, and deserve more recognition for MVP. Not only due their defensive efforts cause more opportunities for the offense, defenses have the ability to score and put up points as well. It is time we recognize those truly great defensive seasons for what they are, a representation of the most valuable player on the field that season.

References

  1. “2010 New England Patriots Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2010.htm.

2. “2011 Green Bay Packers Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/awards/ap-nfl-mvp-award.htm

4. “J.J. Watt Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WattJ.00.htm.

5. “NFL Team Points per Game.” NFL Football Stats – NFL Team Points per Game on TeamRankings.com, http://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/points-per-game?date=2018-02-05

6. Maske, Mark. “For the NFL, There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Scoring.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 17 Oct. 2018, http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/17/nfl-there-is-no-such-thing-too-much-scoring/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b3be62c525fc.

7. “2000 Baltimore Ravens Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rav/2000.htm.

8. 28, January. “Steve Young: Quarterback Is the Most Important Position in Football.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2012, articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/28/sports/la-sp-steve-young-20120129.

9. “Mitchell Trubisky Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TrubMi00.htm.

10. “Jared Goff Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GoffJa00.htm.

 

 

Annotated Bibliography – Ivonid12

  1. “2010 New England Patriots Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2010.htm.

Background: This website shows the full offensive and defensive stats for the 2010 New England Patriots. This article show full team stats and rankings that season, as well as individual player stats and their rewards. It also show any stats accumulated in the post season.

How I used it: I used theses stats to further explain my argument for why quarterbacks receive tremendous help from the defense. This helped show the full metrics on how defenses provide a ton of opportunities for offenses.

2. “2011 Green Bay Packers Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm.

Background: This website shows the full offensive and defensive stats for the 2011 Green Bay Packers. This article show full team stats and rankings that season, as well as individual player stats and their rewards. It also show any stats accumulated in the post season.

How I used it: I used this website to provide an argument on how most MVP quarterbacks have a defense that creates turnovers providing more opportunity.

3.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/awards/ap-nfl-mvp-award.htm

Background: This link shows a full list of every single AP NFL MVP in the history of the sport.

How I used it: I referenced this article many times to show how quarterback dominant the MVP award really is. Also to show that sometimes running-backs win and the fact that there was only one defensive MVP in the history of the NFL.

4. “J.J. Watt Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WattJ.00.htm.

Background: This shows the full stats of NFL player J.J Watt during his whole career.

How I used it: J.J Watt’s 2014 season is easily the most recent and best case for a defensive player deserving the MVP award. His season in 2014 was more than deserving of the MVP award in 2014 but lost to Aaron Rodgers in 2014. He did receive votes though at least.

5. “NFL Team Points per Game.” NFL Football Stats – NFL Team Points per Game on TeamRankings.com, http://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/points-per-game?date=2018-02-05

Background: This source shows the rankings of offensive Points Per Game for every NFL in NFL History.

How I used it: I used this source to show how in this current NFL season how points are easier than ever to come by. When you compare the current NFL season to last season, you have multiple teams averaging over 30+ points per game. I used this for my argument for defensive players, as since offense is as easy as ever great defense is as valuable as ever.

6. Maske, Mark. “For the NFL, There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Scoring.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 17 Oct. 2018, http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/17/nfl-there-is-no-such-thing-too-much-scoring/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b3be62c525fc.

Background: This article explains the recent boom in offensive productivity in 2018, and a possible explanation on why it is happening. The article also discusses current rule changes for why it could be happening.

How I used it: I used this article for further explanation on why offenses around the NFL have it easier than its ever been. I used this for my argument on how defensive stars are more valuable than ever considering how easy offense is.

7. “2000 Baltimore Ravens Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rav/2000.htm.

Background: This website shows the full offensive and defensive stats for the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. This article show full team stats and rankings that season, as well as individual player stats and their rewards. It also show any stats accumulated in the post season.

How I used it: The 2000 Baltimore Ravens had the worst quarterback situation for a team to win the Super Bowl. The Ravens started two different quarterbacks for each half of the season and both quarterbacks were bad. The defense was dominant in an era with great offenses, and I used my this for my argument to show how great defenses can propel  teams to  championships with bad quarterbacks.

8. 28, January. “Steve Young: Quarterback Is the Most Important Position in Football.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2012, articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/28/sports/la-sp-steve-young-20120129.

Background: This source is an opinionated piece by former quarterback Steve Young explaining why he believes the quarterback is the most important position in football.

How I used it: I used this source in my rebuttal to explain why Steve Young is hypocritical in his argument as well as why some of his points can be applied to defensive players as well.

9. “Mitchell Trubisky Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TrubMi00.htm.

Background: This  source shows the stats that quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has accumulated over his short career.

How I used it: I used this source in my rebuttal to show how Trubisky’s career has taken  a turn for the better after having new head coach Matt Nagy buildt an offense for him. It helps my rebuttal explain how much coaching has an impact on a quarterback’s play.

10. “Jared Goff Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GoffJa00.htm.

Background: This source shows the stats that quarterback Jared Goff has accumulated over his short career.

How I used it: I used this source in my rebuttal to show how Goff’s career has taken  a turn for the better after having new head coach Sean McVay buildt an offense for him. It helps my rebuttal explain how much coaching has an impact on a quarterback’s play, as now Goff is one of the better quarterbacks in the league.

Causal Argument – Ivonid12

Credit where Credit is Due

The MVP trophy in any sport always goes to who is considered the best player in the league that year, and on their team. It is a measure of the players great accomplishments in comparison to the rest of the best in their league as well, as every year a player is voted who is the best. In the NFL, the league is disgustingly biased towards quarterbacks in their voting, as in the league’s history, exactly one defensive player player won the MVP award, with a few cases of running backs able to win the award as well. The absolute dismissal of the defensive player in recognition is disrespectful, and must end as soon as possible. Without a defense with great players, the quarterback wouldn’t nearly have the same success as he would with a bad defense. A great defensive player creates opportunities for that great quarterback and team, as without those opportunities by that great defensive player, the  quarterback cannot make his great plays possible.

The objective of any defense in the NFL is easy in concept. Get the opposing team’s offense off the field so the offense go and put points on the board. The best way to do that is to force a turnover. Whether it is a sack, fumble recovery, interception, or touchdown, the defense forcing turnovers is what provides an offense with the best chance to succeed. If we look at past history, a majority of MVP quarterbacks are those with defenses that force a good amount of turnovers. For example, in 2010, Tom Brady was the  first unanimously voted MVP in NFL history, and had an amazing season leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl. Brady was undoubtedly great, but his defense gave him plenty of opportunities, as the 2010 New England Patriots were second in turnovers on defense that year. The 2010 New England Patriots had many great defensive players on that team, however as with most great defenses, the defensive got a significant boost from their best player that season. That year, Devin McCourty, a defensive back, on his own forced nine of the 38 turnovers the Patriots forced as a team, as he had seven interceptions, and two forced fumbles. McCourty forced just a hair under a quarter of his team’s turnovers by himself, yet he wasn’t even considered as an MVP candidate that season.

Another prime example of a quarterback’s great offensive production overshadowing an even better and more valuable performance by a defensive player is the 2011 Green Bay Packers, and their MVP winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The great defensive performance that season was by future hall of fame defensive back Charles Woodson who, in comparison to McCourty mentioned before, had an even better year. In 2011, Woodson led the league in interceptions with seven, had two sacks, forced a fumble, and even scored a touchdown for the defense, all at the age of 35. Woodson had an absolutely outstanding season at the very old age of 35 as a defensive back, yet he received no consideration for MVP that year. Also, due to the performance of the defense and Woodson the Packers were also third in starting field position as a team. Woodson undeniably impacted his team the most that year, and was easily the best and most valuable player on the filed for his team that season. Yet despite his efforts, was never considered for MVP. In correlation with MVP awards is also the amount of turnovers the defenses force for a team. In fact, for 75% of the teams in which the NFL MVP came from since the 2000 season, the team was in the upper half of the league for turnovers.

Undeniably, in a majority of cases, the NFL MVP must’ve had a defense providing plenty of opportunities for his offense, further cementing the fact that defenses and its stars deserve more credit, and are more valuable. If the defense provides more opportunities for the offense, the offense succeeds as a whole. Along with turnovers comes the field position that they provide. Usually when defenses give up points, the kickoff sets the offense on the 25 yard-line to start their next drive due to a touchback, unless the returner decides to make a return in which it could be more or less field position. However, if a turnover is made, a majority of the time you get great field position. With great field position, not only can you demoralize your opponent after a turnover, your ability to score is so much easier. The less field you have to drive down, the easier it is to score, all caused by a great play made in the defense. The quarterback cannot make plays and put up stats if never given enough opportunities. Additionally the quarterback can make more plays and given a better chance to put up numbers if given great field position.

However, undoubtedly the most biased and disrespectful case for a defensive player not winning MVP was for J.J Watt of the Houston Texans in 2014. J.J Watt was literally the whole Houston Texan’s team in 2014, and was easily the main cause for their winning record. Watt had an unbelievable season in 2014, as he notched twenty and a half sacks, four forced fumbles, recovered five fumbles, lead the league in tackles for a loss with 29, scored a touchdown with an interception as a defensive lineman, and to top it all off, scored three more touchdowns playing offense. When do you ever see an NFL quarterback produce on both sides of the ball, dominating on one, and being quite productive on the other? J.J Watt was easily the most valuable player on any field in 2014,  and while he did receive votes for MVP, he still ultimately lost out to Aaron Rodgers in 2014.

Defensive stars are undoubtedly the best players on the field, and deserve more recognition for MVP. Not only due their defensive efforts cause more opportunities for the offense, defenses have the ability to score and put up points as well. It is time we recognize those truly great defensive seasons for what they are, a representation of the most valuable player on the field that season.

References

“2010 New England Patriots Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2010.htm.

“2011 Green Bay Packers Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2011.htm.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/awards/ap-nfl-mvp-award.htm

“J.J. Watt Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WattJ.00.htm.

 

Visual Rhetoric Rewrite – Ivonid12

VIDEO USED

0:00 – The video starts with a completely dark room along with a plain black canvas. A single spotlight shines on the canvas as the only light on the room. Surely somebody will come to write on the canvas, but why is the room dark and why is the canvas black? Possibly to set a dark tone or talk about a dark subject.

0:02 – A woman with blonde hair approaches the canvas with a marker as more spotlights are illuminated. She is clearly going to write on the canvas but what is she going to write, or draw, and why?

0:03 – The video cuts to other participants drawing on the canvas as well. What is noticeable is that each person has a different color. This obviously is intentional and probably signifies different writes so it’s safe to assume that the previous writers’ work will remain.

0:06 – The writers are now gone and only the black canvas with now writing remains. The writing is a variety of colors signifying different writers and includes some insulting language such as weirdo, lame, and gross.

0:08 – 0:28 – The video cuts to those who have previously written on the canvas, as they seem to be expressing their opinion on a topic or preaching a message. Their expressions look serious but also supportive and judging by the insulting language written on the canvas, I assume the video is about preventing bullying or harassment.

0:29 – The video ends with #BeMore and a Twitter handle to follow or search. My assumption on the topic of bullying seems to be correct judging by the handle, which is @ISeeBullying.

Rebuttal Argument -Ivonid12

It’s not Just the Quarterback Y’Know

 

In America today, the most watched sport is easily football. Millions tune in every week to watch some of the greatest athletes in the world battle it out to win the game and ultimately, the Lombardi trophy. The players that get the most press, attention, and credit is easily the quarterbacks, as most ignore the other ten positions on the offensive side of the ball, and eleven on the defensive side of the ball. For many, the quarterback is a must have to win in the NFL, and if you don’t have a franchise guy elite guy, don’t even think about winning. After all, they control the offense, who the ball goes to, and how a play is made. The position is easily the most debated in talks of football, and will continue to be so. Analysts continue to argue the notion that franchise quarterbacks are the reason teams win football games, since the great ones are the reason their teams win football games.

Even though many say a great quarterback is important for a team’s success, it is most definitely not the end  all be all for a football team. So much goes into a football team, that it is foolish to say that the only reason people win is because of the quarterback. Football is regarded as the most team oriented sport, as single players cannot win you football games in contrast to the MLB, NBA, and to some extent the NHL. There have been plenty of teams in the past that have won, or appeared in Super Bowls, and have not had a franchise guy. For example, the 2015 Denver Broncos’ quarterback was a washed up, 39 year old Peyton Manning, who only threw 9 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. To make matters worse for Manning, he was benched midway through the season for his back up, Brock Osweiler, and yet Manning returned for the playoffs and “led” his team to a Super Bowl. Most who watched the game praised Manning as he retired weeks after, but ultimately knew it was the defense that carried the football team. The Denver defense was ranked first that season, and earned a first round bye for the playoffs, cruising their way to a championship. Another great example of a team lacking a quarterback but ultimately winning the Super Bowl would be the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, would also had a liability at quarterback. Trent Dilfer split time with other quarterbacks throughout the reason before starting the playoffs, yet the Ravens still reached the Super Bowl and ended up winning it in 2000.

When it comes to football teams, coaching is just as important as your players. Whether it is the head coach, offensive coordinator, or defensive coordinator coaching can be more important than the players actually playing the game. Even the special teams coach can help win football games. Great coaching can really elevate a quarterback, and over the many seasons played, has proven to be true time and time again. For example, recently drafted quarterback Jared Goff was terrible his rookie season under then head coach, Jeff Fisher. After Fisher was fired, and the Los Angeles Rams then hired Sean McVay, Goff has produced as one of the best quarterbacks in league last season, and this season as well, as the Rams are currently 8 – 0. In this case, surely the coach should recieve more credit, as without him, the Rams most likely wouldn’t be in the position they are in today. Even though McVay’s amazing contributions are on offense, defensive coaches elevate a team just as much. Another example of this would be Vic Fangio, current defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. Before coaching for the Bears, Fangio was on the 49ers, and elevated the team’s defense to a Super Bowl appearence during the 2012 season. Although they lost that Super Bowl, without Fangio the 49ers probably don’t appear in that Super Bowl, considering their quarterback situation was great with then starter Colin Kaepernick. Now with Fangio on the Bears, they are also a top defense in the NFL. The Bears are currently 4 – 3, fighting for a division title versus the Minnesota Vikings, and are once again somewhat weak at the quarterback position. Coaching is extremely important in the NFL, and with offenses producing more than ever, having a great coach is very important.

When it comes to a quarterback’s needs, besides coaching, their most important need is the offensive line, easily the most underrated position in all of football. The quarterback definitely needs good receivers to throw to, and a running back to run the ball for him, but the offensive line can make or break a quarterback. The quarterback needs time to throw the football and a bad offensive line will not provide that. A great example would be the Giants of recent seasons, who have given up the most sacks in the league at times. Their team is undoubtedly great in terms of talent, but their offensive line is terrible, and the whole team has suffered because of it. They are currently 1 – 6, and their season is currently done for.

The NFL is easily the most team oriented major sport in the world.  Teams in the NFL require so much from coaching, to defense, to offense, and  even managing to be great, while no other sport can say that. Ever player has their job to do, and the teams that do their jobs the best, are the ones that win the most. A great quarterback can make your team better, but if the rest of the team isn’t good then the team will suffer. Whether it’s the MLB, NHL, NBA, or soccer, no other sport requires every aspect of the the team to be great to be successful. The NFL can.

References

 “2000 Baltimore Ravens Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rav/2000.htm.

“Jared Goff Stats.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GoffJa00.htm.

“2015 Denver Broncos Statistics & Players.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/den/2015.htm.