The NFL held its annual Awards Ceremony on Thursday night, with the league’s best performers from this past regular season earning recognition for their achievements. However, despite plenty of the NFL’s premium talent earning praise, one former NFL coach is outraged with some of the voters. Per his Twitter page, Jay Gruden, the Washington Redskins head coach from 2014 to 2019, called out some voters for not recognizing Cleveland Browns bench boss Kevin Stefanski and Houston Texans frontman DeMeco Ryans on their ballots.
Stefanski received 21 first-place votes, 18 second-place votes and six third-place votes. Ryans received 20 first-place votes, 21 second-place votes and two third-place votes.
There were 50 voters. 7 didn’t put Ryans in top 3. 5 didn’t put Kevin in top 3. Fire the voters.— Jay Gruden (@Coach_JayGruden) February 9, 2024
Jay Gruden: Angry Over Kevin Stefanski, DeMeco Ryans Ommissions
On Friday, Gruden took to social media, saying, “Stefanski received 21 first-place votes, 18 second-place votes, and six third-place votes. Ryans received 20 first-place votes, 21 second-place votes, and two third-place votes.
There were 50 voters. Seven didn’t put Ryan in the top 3. 5 didn’t put Kevin in the top 3. Fire the voters.”
Stefanski and Ryans did not receive all 50 possible votes despite the ballot carrying a first, second, and third-place vote. Stefanski led the Cleveland Browns to an 11-win season despite using five different signal-callers. Franchise cornerstone Deshaun Watson played just six games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. However, he struggled when on the field, throwing for seven touchdowns against four picks. Meanwhile, journeyman P.J. Walker and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson combined for two touchdowns and nine picks. However, the late-season signing of Joe Flacco saved their season, with the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback throwing for 1,510 yards and 13 touchdowns in five games.
Conversely, Ryans improved the Houston Texans by seven wins in his first season as an NFL head coach. Houston went 10-7, winning the AFC South while getting a stellar season from C.J. Stroud. The Ohio State product threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions. The defense also vastly improved, allowing 20.8 points per game compared to the 24.7 they allowed the year prior.
Jay Gruden: Entering the World of Media
Jay Gruden, the younger brother of former Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden, spent 18 seasons coaching in the NFL, most notably six years leading the then-Washington Redskins. They were 35-49-1 during his tenure, making the playoff just once. He last coached with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 as an offensive consultant.
He has since transitioned to media, hosting Taking The Points Show with JJ Gruden and Grant Puskar. He has also made his presence known on social media. Gruden went viral last month for getting into a heated argument with former quarterback Robert Griffin III.
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