The last defensive player to be named NFL's Most Valuable Player was Lawrence Taylor in 1986. Back then, the NFL only had 28 teams, Ronald Reagan was president, and gas cost only 89 cents per gallon. Now, for the first time in years, another defensive player, JJ Watt, is a contender to win the award.
It takes a different level of talent to be a defensive player and get recognized with these honors. Unlike offensive players, defensive players can be game-planned around, and a team can choose to not run plays near a certain player. When this happens, a players stats can notably decrease, causing a player to be taken out of the MVP contest. This explains why in the history of the NFL, only two defensive players have ever received this award. If JJ Watt is able to win the MVP Award as a defensive player, he will go down in history as one of the only men to do so. While it is rare to have a defensive player receive these honors, I think if Watt keeps playing the way he has so far in the regular season, he has a chance to do so.
What separates Watt from other defensive line players is his athleticism. Weighing in at 290 pounds, Watt can do things other people his size can't do, due to his impressive combination of speed and power, such as catch a running back in the back field or fire past an offensive lineman in record time. Another thing that sets JJ Watt apart from his d-line peers across the league is his focus. Watt is known to never take a play off, and play smart as well as physical. As a result of this, Watt has been able to be an unstoppable force on defense, and it has allowed him to already have 27 combined sacks and hits this year (A stat that only 8 other players had better than during the WHOLE 2013 season), as well as three touchdowns so far this season.
Will JJ Watt even be able to keep these stats up? It's way too early to tell. For now, it's just enjoyable to sit back and watch possible history in the making.
It takes a different level of talent to be a defensive player and get recognized with these honors. Unlike offensive players, defensive players can be game-planned around, and a team can choose to not run plays near a certain player. When this happens, a players stats can notably decrease, causing a player to be taken out of the MVP contest. This explains why in the history of the NFL, only two defensive players have ever received this award. If JJ Watt is able to win the MVP Award as a defensive player, he will go down in history as one of the only men to do so. While it is rare to have a defensive player receive these honors, I think if Watt keeps playing the way he has so far in the regular season, he has a chance to do so.
What separates Watt from other defensive line players is his athleticism. Weighing in at 290 pounds, Watt can do things other people his size can't do, due to his impressive combination of speed and power, such as catch a running back in the back field or fire past an offensive lineman in record time. Another thing that sets JJ Watt apart from his d-line peers across the league is his focus. Watt is known to never take a play off, and play smart as well as physical. As a result of this, Watt has been able to be an unstoppable force on defense, and it has allowed him to already have 27 combined sacks and hits this year (A stat that only 8 other players had better than during the WHOLE 2013 season), as well as three touchdowns so far this season.
Will JJ Watt even be able to keep these stats up? It's way too early to tell. For now, it's just enjoyable to sit back and watch possible history in the making.