Any player who has won a Super Bowl will more than likely tell you that they don’t care about how well they played, or what the score of the game was. All they care about is winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
After all, that’s what professional football is all about. Every player to ever make a roster has dreamed of winning a championship.
That being said, the Lombardi isn’t the only trophy that’s handed out on Super Bowl Sunday. The Pete Rozelle Trophy will be awarded to the game’s most valuable player. Technically, the Pete Rozelle Trophy wasn’t awarded until Super Bowl XXV, but the NFL always recognized a Super Bowl MVP (even though the award was presented by SPORT magazine).
Until Super Bowl 50, the winner of the award was given a new car from General Motors, which is a pretty great perk on top of winning the most coveted prize in American sports.
But who selects that player and what does the process look like?
Who Votes for the Super Bowl MVP?
The NFL selects a panel of 16 writers and broadcasters who are covering the game to vote on Super Bowl MVP.
Beginning in 2001, the NFL began allowing fans to also vote for the game’s MVP, but the fan vote only counts for 20%, with the media panel making up 80%.
How the Voting System Works
The members of the 16-person panel are asked to submit their ballots around the time of the two-minute warning. Members can write down one name for each team, leaving a note to select the player from the winning team. Members are also free to quickly change their selection if the final two minutes of the game feature something particularly noteworthy or game-changing.
Voters cannot select multiple players from the same team and are instructed to make their selection from the winning team’s roster.
Criteria for Selection
More often than not (about 57% of the time), a quarterback is selected as the Super Bowl MVP. It’s hard to argue that, considering the quarterback is the only player who touches the ball on every play and is tasked with leading the team.
The real disparity comes between offensive and defensive players. On top of the 33 quarterbacks to win Super Bowl MVP, eight wide receivers and seven running backs have won the award.
Defensively, only 10 players have won the award and one special teams ace has won it.
If you’re doing some quick arithmetic in your head and thinking something doesn’t add up, you aren’t wrong. At the time of this writing, 58 Super Bowls have been played, but 59 players have won the award.
That’s because two players were named MVP of Super Bowl XII. Defensive tackle Randy White and defensive end Harvey Martin led a dominant Dallas Cowboys defense in 1978. It is the only time in history that two players were named co-MVP.
Historical Trends in MVP Voting
Over the last 20 years, offensive players have dominated the award scene. Just two defenders (two linebackers) won Super Bowl MVP, with Malcolm Smith winning in 2014 and Von Miller in 2016.
The NFL has spent most of the last two decades tweaking the rules to increase scoring and take some leverage away from defenses. But, somewhat surprisingly, not a single running back has won Super Bowl MVP in the last 20 years. Only quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Beginning in 1973 with Super Bowl VII and ending with Super Bowl XII in 1978, six-straight non-quarterbacks won the Super Bowl MVP, the longest stretch in history.
Controversies and Criticisms: Biggest Super Bowl MVP Snubs
Most of the time, the voters get it right. These are people who love and understand football on a deep level. They’re not looking to make a statement, they’re looking to reward the most deserving individual.
But sometimes it doesn’t quite hold up longterm. The following are all considered by fans to be Super Bowl MVP snubs.
Kam Chancellor (Super Bowl XLVIII): Smith was named MVP after recovering a fumble and returning an interception for a 69-yard touchdown. However, Chancellor was considered the leader of the “Legion of Boom” defense, intercepted a pass and was in on 10 tackles.
Brett Favre (Super Bowl XXXI): Desmond Howard was excellent in Super Bowl XXXI, earning MVP honors for his 244 return yards and an explosive 99-yard kickoff return score. But it was Favre who set the tone early with a 54-yard touchdown pass (he’d later throw an 81-yard score). Favre completed 14-of-27 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, adding a third on the ground.
Justin Tuck (Super Bowl XLII): Eli Manning was named MVP for leading a game-winning touchdown drive in the final three minutes to win the game. So no one can be too upset with the logic there. Still, the Giants’ defensive line dominated the entire game and Tuck was the best player on that line. He had six tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble.
James White (Super Bowl LI): Tom Brady earned his fourth Super Bowl MVP, leading the single most impressive comeback in the history of professional football. However, it was White who was New England’s best player that day. White caught 14 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, while adding six carries for 29 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, including the game-winner in overtime.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Super Bowl MVP Voting Rules Explained.