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ESPYS Voting Gets Underway and XFL’s Most Notable Player is Found Safe

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

It’s that time of the year again. The ESPYS will be held on July 10, and voting has opened. There are dozens of categories to vote on, including Best NFL Player. Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Todd Gurley, and Aaron Donald are the four nominees on the list, and Mahomes is likely an odds-on favorite after an incredible season. He is also up for Best Male Athlete of the Year.

There wasn’t much to like about the XFL, but one of the few things that everyone loved was that players were able to put what they wanted on the back of their jerseys. Rod Smart’s decision to put ‘He Hate Me’ on the back of his jersey is the most iconic image from the short-lived league, and he became a player with a cult following during his time in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers. Smart had been missing for a week, but he was found safe and sound yesterday afternoon in Lancaster County, South Carolina.

Tom Brady has proven to be the consummate teammate, and even though wide receiver Josh Gordon is currently suspended, the two spent some time working out today. Gordon was a big play threat for the New England Patriots last season, averaging 18 yards per catch, and he is hoping to have a bigger role in the offense in 2019. Someone will need to step up and catch passes with Rob Gronkowski retired.

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Practice makes perfect.

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Quarterbacks dominate the National Football League, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Adam Schein’s list of MVP candidates has quarterbacks in the first six spots. The Baker Mayfield hype continues to be a little too much for my liking, and I also think a non-quarterback should garner much more MVP buzz. Aaron Donald is the most disruptive player in the league and deserves more recognition.

Written by Jonathan Willis

Jonathan Willis has written on virtually every sport imaginable over the last decade. His specialties are college football, eSports, politics, the NFL and the NHL. He is always looking for soft markets to pounce on, and he will have you in the black by the end of the year.

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