Nameless Comparisons: Player A vs. Player B
I always love the nameless comparisons of two players. I’m a sucker for articles and posts that do that. So, here’s one of my own from the NFL and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more like this. Let’s figure out why these two quarterbacks have been treated differently in the hobby and let’s see if we can use that to figure out the hobby future of the ostensibly undervalued guy.
Stats from 2022-Present
Quarterback A: 36-9 record. 9103 Passing Yards, 53 TDs, 25 Int, 1620 rushing yards, 35 TDs, 23 Fumbles, 1.83 TDs per turnover, down 34.35% on Card Ladder Index over the last year
Quarterback B: 26-10 record, 8019 Passing Yards, 58 TDs, 16 Int, 2086 rushing yards, 10 rushing TDs, 21 Fumbles, 1.83 TDs per turnover, up 5.79% on card Ladder Index over the last year
Lock your guesses in before reading further. No cheating. Keep away from the Google.
Who are They?
Quarterback A and B have fairly similar stat lines over the last three years (including 2024) but have had vastly different experiences in terms of their treatment in the hobby. Quarterback B has seen their prices jump 5.79% on their Card Ladder Player Index and the other has seen a drop of 34.35%. The crazy thing is the the quarterback with the massive drop is the one who actually made a Super Bowl.
Quarterback A is the beleaguered Jalen Hurts who keeps winning and putting up TDs and getting criticized and B is Lamar Jackson who also keeps winning and putting up TDs and getting praised. Let’s figure out what is going on with the different treatment.
Age/Accomplishments
Maybe there is something not in the stats that helps make sense of this. Hurts is slightly younger which should favor him in the hobby. He also has a Super Bowl appearance with a very strong performance to his name. He’s got a few things that should give him a slight edge over Lamar.
Jackson has the hardware though. Two MVPs and a Heisman at least justify approaching these guys differently. Hurts has a second-place MVP finish and a second-place Heisman campaign from college, but collectors want the dudes with the trophies.
Turnovers
Many collectors will have the knee-jerk reaction that Hurts has been downgraded in the hobby due to turnovers. While he does turn the ball over too much, he produces TDs to make up for them. Jackson has the same problem though and they have shockingly similar TD to turnover rates. Hurts gets blamed and Jackson’s issues get ignored.
Narrative
The reason Jackson’s flaws get ignored is that narratives in football are hard to change. Jackson is the “just win” guy meaning stats can be ignored. Hurts is a disappointment for some goofy reason. It’s unfair, but they both will have to do a lot to change those perceptions. Hurt’s narrative stems all the way back to leaving Alabama and even getting to a Super Bowl could not change it.
Tush Push/Excitement Factor
I think 90% of the treatment of Hurts is due to anger over the Tush Push. Fans hate it and Hurts’ slide in the hobby coincides with the Eagles adoption of it. Could something so simple kill the market for Hurts card? I kind of think so.
Lamar Jackson is also a human highlight reel and his breathtaking runs play better than Hurts’ one yard rugby scrum dive. Hurts does produce highlights as well, but Jackson is far more electrifying.
Hurts Future
What could spark a change in how collectors view Hurts? There are a few paths to greater hobby relevancy, but none of them are sure things.
It is likely that Hurts will end up with more rushing TDs than any quarterback in history. Cam Newton holds the title currently though and its not doing him any favors in terms of hobby value. Where Hurts can make a splash is if he can get to 100 rushing TDs. The fanfare around that achievement would be large I would think.
Hurts could start winning MVP awards. He’ll be in the conversation with his winning ways and TDs if he can cut down on the interceptions. Part of the narrative around Hurts is that he turns the ball over too much and that will be brought up any time he is considered.
Hurts’ other path to glory is through winning, but he’s in the unenviable position where he’ll get blamed for losses but get little to no credit for wins making this path to hobby glory difficult. It will take Super Bowl wins, not appearance, for Hurts to shift the entrenched narrative about his career.
It’s not that hard to see Hurts going for his 100th rushing TD in five years after snagging an MVP and a Super Bowl win. Sure, you can make hypotheticals of many players that would have them see big gains in the hobby, but this is within the realm of possibility and I wouldn’t be shocked to see it happen.
The question is if the narrative of teams winning despite Hurts instead of because him will shift even if all of this happens instead of just one of them. I think so, but I’m not particularly confident in it.
Wrap Up
Just to be clear, the point here isn’t that Jackson is overvalued or not that great, but that Hurts is seemingly overlooked and wondering why. What do you think of Hurts’ future? Let me know in the comments.