Lombardi Award solidifies Jonathan Allen's season as historically great
The Lombardi Award, which originally honored the country’s premier lineman or linebacker, has been handed out since 1970.
But in somewhat of a strange move this past year, the decision makers at the Rotary Club of Houston threw out any sort of position designation. Quarterbacks, running backs, defensive backs — every glamour boy was now eligible, too.
The 40-pound trophy, according to the award’s official website, now “goes annually to a college football player who demonstrates outstanding performance and skill in offensive or defensive positions and best exemplifies the discipline, virtue and wisdom that defined Vincent Lombardi’s exceptional brand of leadership.”
Since the winner must apparently play offense or defense, the only ones eliminated by definition are punters, kickers and long snappers.
However, the Rotary Club didn’t honor a passer like Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, a ball carrier like Florida State’s Dalvin Cook or a member of the secondary — not to mention all the other spots he played — like Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers.
No, it stuck to its roots with the selection of Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen. Even though he didn’t lead the SEC in any statistical category, let alone the nation, a convincing case can be made that he was the single most dominating player in the game. Clearly, the people involved with the Lombardi Award were paying attention.
Allen is the second member of the Crimson Tide to walk away with the award following linebacker Cornelius Bennett in 1986.
“I was just in shock,” Allen told reporters at the event, which was held Saturday in Houston. “Whenever you receive an award of this magnitude, it’s obviously a blessing.”
A man of few words, Allen is a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft come April. While he could’ve left for the pros early — he was probably a second-rounder at the time — returning to Tuscaloosa in 2016 made him a ton of money.
Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Despite the fact that ‘Bama came up short in the College Football National Championship against Clemson, Allen is further proof that sticking around for your senior year doesn’t mean you’re not ready to compete at the next level. He is arguably the safest bet among draft-eligible players to succeed on Sundays.
With the Lombardi now on his mantel, it’s a mystery how Allen did no better than seventh place in the Heisman Trophy voting.
The irony is that the Rotary Club broadened its definition — for head-scratching reasons, as far as I’m concerned — in order to get away from traditional blocking and tackling. It wanted a skill-position guy hoisting its hardware.
Nevertheless, Allen’s campaign was too impressive to ignore. Even if he was only tied for 29th in the conference in tackles (69), he was second among defensive linemen. He tied his own teammate with the Tide, linebacker Tim Williams, for fourth in tackles for loss (16.0) and was all alone in third for sacks (10.5).
There may not have been a better season by a defender since Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh in 2009, when many said he should’ve won the Heisman.
The Rotary Club was criticized for its sudden about-face, and rightly so. Loosely speaking, the Lombardi now just recognizes the best player in the land. In addition to the Heisman, the Maxwell and Walter Camp essentially do that, too.
It was a shameless attempt to attach itself to a quarterback, since so many think it’s the sole position on the field that matters anymore. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson won the Heisman, Maxwell and Walter Camp this year, which is not unusual and seems borderline redundant. Linemen and linebackers don’t win those awards.
But Allen won the Lombardi anyway, and it was the right choice. The Rotary Club should be praised accordingly, just like its recipient.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
