Tyler Eifert Wins John Mackey Award Over Ertz, ASJ

I touched on this yesterday evening when I got a bit annoyed about CBS naming Tyler Eifert the second team All-American tight end over ASJ, but now that Notre Dame’s Eifert has been awarded the John Mackey Award for the best tight end in the nation, I’m honestly a bit shocked. There is simply no statistical argument to be made for Eifert over Stanford’s Zach Ertz or even Washington’s Austin Seferian-Jenkins. How can you name a guy the best tight end in the country when both Ertz and ASJ had more catches, more yards, and more touchdowns? You can’t, unless you are willing to admit that you really just care about the fact that Notre Dame went undefeated and will play for the national title.

Nov 10, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (88) points to the fans after getting a 1st down against the Utah Utes during the 2nd half at CenturyLink Field. Washington defeated Utah 34-15. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

I’m fairly confident that next year, with another season of experience and development, ASJ will be ready to put up the best statistical season for a tight end, but with this news, that apparently still wouldn’t necessarily be enough to earn him the John Mackey Award. It’s simply outrageous, and it strips the award of any honest value when it’s plain to see that it is not an objective look at which player succeeded the most or even was most valuable for his team.