JJ Watt airs his thoughts on the Defensive Player of the Year debate
The 13th annual NFL Honors concluded Thursday with the season’s winners named after months of speculation.
Of course, at any major awards show, there will be fans who will approve of the winners, while others will advocate for the finalists to lose.
This year was no different. One category in particular that made waves was the Defensive Player of the Year award, in which Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett defeated Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker TJ Watt.
The backlash was due to the individual statistics accumulated by both men. Watt, in particular, finished the season with higher numbers in every major category than Garrett, and that was highlighted by JJ Watt’s tweet.
The elder Watt posted a side-by-side comparison of his younger brother and Garrett’s stats that made the rounds on X (Twitter).“Everyone asks me my opinion on DPOY. I understand,” JJ Watt captioned the post. “The problem is I have no interest in tearing down MG (Garrett). Myles is a phenomenal player, I’m a huge fan and he’s had an incredible career so far. I can acknowledge that, but I also wonder what more TJ could have done.
Why Cleveland’s overall team performance may have decided the entire Watts vs. Garrett argument Even though TJ Watt had the upper hand in numbers, Garrett defenders continue to point out that the new DPOY was the best player on the best defensive team in the NFL.
This season, the Browns have allowed just 270.2 total yards per game, best in the league. Additionally, Cleveland also ranked first in fewest passing yards allowed per game (164.7).
Additionally, the Browns had a much better record than the Steelers, as the former finished second overall in the AFC North to the latter. Still, moments like this raise questions about the specific mechanisms at play in voting. How much does overall team success compare to individual stats (and vice versa)?
Whatever the answer to that question, the Associated Press has spoken and Garrett is the winner. Still, a close fight like this was bound to provoke a lot of reactions, no matter who won. And given the arguments on both sides, we understand why the debates are currently continuing.
