T.J. Watt
If statistics were the only thing that decided who wins the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Steelers LB T.J. Watt would be the obvious winner. But former All-Pro LB Takeo Spikes knows that isn’t the case and thinks Watt could fall short of winning the award because of it.
“Often times we see so many players become prey or fall victim to the politics of the game,” Spikes said on the “Behind The Mask” podcast. “Oh well, you guys are not winning. Or your defense is not the number one defense in the NFL. That doesn’t matter.”
The race for this year’s DPOY seems to be between Watt, Browns DE Myles Garrett and Cowboys LB Micah Parsons.
Watt looks like the clear choice as he is tied with or leads them both in tackles (68), sacks (19), passes defensed (eight), interceptions (one), forced fumbles (four), fumble recoveries (three) and touchdowns (one).
However, Garrett is still the favorite to win the award, per FanDuel, proving Spikes is right that the “politics of the game” do play a role.
Pittsburgh may have a worse record (10-7) than the Browns (11-6) and Cowboys (12-5), but it isn’t by a wide margin and all three teams are in the playoffs. Spikes thinks the NFL is looking at the wrong things.
“When you turn that tape on, who do you say we gotta stop, we gotta get more than a hat on this guy right here because he is disruptive. If we don’t, he’s gonna stop the flow of what we do,” Spikes added. “That’s T.J. Watt.”
If politics are playing a role in the DPOY decision, Watt could very well lose out on winning his second such award in 2023.
The 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year has already been ruled out of Pittsburgh’s wild-card matchup against the Bills with a Grade 2 MCL sprain while Garrett and Parsons are gearing up to play this weekend.
Want more articles like this? Follow Yardbarker on MSN to see more of our exclusive NFL content.
More must-reads:
Trending slideshow: The biggest wish for every NFL fan base in 2024 (Provided by Yardbarker)
News Related
-
-
-
FILE PHOTO: A man walks in the Central Business District on a rainy day, in Beijing, China, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo By Joe Cash, Ellen Zhang and Kane Wu BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – U.S. furniture company head Jordan England thinks his firm’s Chinese suppliers are among the best ...
See Details:
Analysis-West's de-risking starts to bite China's prospects
-
Independent senators are trying a parliamentary tactic last successful 90 years ago to give first responders PTSD protections and end domestic violence discrimination in the workplace. Senators Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock took four elements of Labor’s larger workplace law reform bill and it passed the Senate against the government’s ...
See Details:
'Beyond a joke' Labor won't ensure PTSD protections: MP
-
-
-
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Rohingyan refugee NZYQ accidentally named in documents published by high court
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Colorado loses commitments of 2 more high school recruits
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Queensland Health issues urgent patient safety alert over national bacteria outbreak
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Townsville Community Pantry 'distressed' by fruit, vegetable waste at Aldi supermarket
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
What Is The Beaver Moon And What Does It Mean For You?
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Labor senator Pat Dodson to resign from politics due to health issues
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Hamas releases 11 more hostages, as Israel agrees to extend ceasefire
OTHER NEWS
Disrupt Burrup Hub group say police have issued move-on notices prohibiting access to the WA site. A group of climate activists and filmmakers say their phones have been seized during ...
Read more »
As individuals, we have unique experiences that affect our mental health and wellbeing, but what about the collective experiences that influence each generation? The mental health of Australians has been ...
Read more »
Syed Ghazaly wants to see the Geraldton abattoir reopen early next year to process 1,000 sheep a day. (ABC Mid West Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis) The new owners of a mothballed ...
Read more »
Carlton coach Michael Voss says he and his players understand there are heightened expectations on them, but insists the Blues are ready to develop individually and in their game plan. ...
Read more »
The Bulldogs’ off-season signing frenzy is set to continue with the club reportedly set to land Cronnor Tracey in a swap deal. The Sydney Morning Herald reports Tracey is expected ...
Read more »
Consumers and impacted businesses are being urged to have their say on the Optus outage, with the federal government laying out the terms of reference for its review into the ...
Read more »
It has been revealed a released immigration detainee is unable to be contacted by authorities. Border Force has referred the matter to the Federal Police as authorities are attempting to ...
Read more »
